Is there an alternative for XML PATH in SQL - sql

Question

I am developing a clinic management application.
In that application there is a part where doctors choose what they use up in each service they provide.
For example, when a doctor examines a patient, a pair of gloves and wooden stick are used and disposed of.
I use a trick that is simply, I create a string in the service table, that string has the IDs separated with comma (something like that 1,3,7,) and it works fine except for one case.
That case is when I want to display the used up item names as one column for multiple services.
I get items of service one plus service two and so on as one string for all service.
Is there any way I can solve that?
I know it sounds complicated but If it works it will many other you read this.
The way I use to join is:
on CHARINDEX(CAST(TblSupply.IDSupply as varchar(10)), TblService.UsedSupplyIDs) > 0
Simply I cast the Used Item ID TblSupply.IDSupply as string then check if it exists in the service table.
When I display as separate columns, it works fine but I get multiple rows for the same service as follows:
Select
TblService.ServiceName,
TblSupply.SupplyName
from
TblService
left join TblSupply on CHARINDEX(CAST(TblSupply.IDSupply as varchar(10)), TblService.UsedSupplyIDs) > 0
e.g.
_____________________________________________
|TblService.ServiceName|TblSupply.SupplyName |
|Patient examination |Glove |
|Patient examination |wood stick |
|Patient examination |thermometer |
|Sonar examination |Glove |
|Sonar examination |lubricating Gel |
|Consultation |Glove |
|______________________|_____________________|
I want to get
________________________________________________________
|TblService.ServiceName|xxxxx |
|Patient examination |Glove ,wood stick , thermometer |
|Sonar examination |Glove,lubricating Gel |
|Consultation |Glove |
The code I made
Select
TblService.ServiceName,TempTable.SupplyList
from
TblService
left join (Select TblService.IDService As IDService,
STUFF((Select ', ' + TblSupply.SupplyName
FROM
TblService
left join TblSupply on CHARINDEX(CAST(TblSupply.IDSupply as varchar(10)), TblService.UsedSupplyIDs) > 0
FOR XML PATH('')), 1, 1, '') as SupplyList
FROM
TblService
GROUP BY
TblService.IDService
) as TempTable on TempTable.IDService=TblService.IDService
I tried
Select
TblPatientService.IDPatientService,
TblService.ServiceName,
TempTable.SupplyList
from
TblPatientService
left Join TblService On TblService.IDService = TblPatientService.IDService
left join (Select TblPatientService.IDPatientService As IDPatientService
STUFF((Select ', ' + TblSupply.SupplyName
FROM
TblPatientService
left join TblService on TblService.IDService = TblPatientService.IDService
left join TblSupply on CHARINDEX(CAST(TblSupply.IDSupply as varchar(10)), TblService.UsedSupplyIDs) > 0
WHERE
TblPatientService.IDService = TblService.IDService
FOR XML PATH('')), 1, 1, '') as SupplyList
FROM
TblPatientService
left Join TblService On TblService.IDService = TblPatientService.IDService
GROUP BY
TblPatientService.IDPatientService
) as TempTable on TempTable.IDPatientService = TblPatientService.IDPatientService
What I really get
|TblService.ServiceName|xxxxx
|Patient examination |Glove ,wood stick , thermometer,Glove,lubricating Gel,Glove,lubricating Gel |
|Sonar examination |Glove ,wood stick , thermometer,Glove,lubricating Gel,Glove,lubricating Gel |
|Consultation |Glove ,wood stick , thermometer,Glove,lubricating Gel,Glove,lubricating Gel |
In other words I get all the used items for all services as if they used for one service for all displayed.

Answer 1

Since SQL Server 2017, you can use STRING_AGG. Somtehing like :
SELECT TblPatientService.IDPatientService AS IDPatientService,
STRING_AGG(TblSupply.SupplyName, ', ') AS SupplyList
FROM TblPatientService
LEFT OUTER JOIN TblService ON TblService.IDService = TblPatientService.IDService
LEFT OUTER JOIN TblSupply ON CHARINDEX(CAST(TblSupply.IDSupply AS VARCHAR(10)), TblService.UsedSupplyIDs) > 0
GROUP BY TblPatientService.IDPatientService;
To replace XML stuff !

Answer 2

This is too long for a comment.
I would strongly suggest fixing your data model. Storing delimited lists in database columns is a typical design antipattern, that will backfire in different ways (complexity, efficiency, maintenance, data integrity). You can ha have a look at this famous SO question for more details.
As an exemple: your current join condition will not do what you expect for some supply ids that are more than one digit long (typically, 1 would match 10).
You should normalize your model and have a separate table to store the N-M relationship between services and supplies, with one tuple per row.