Convert xml text in a cell to Columns - sql

Question

Our front end development team saves surveys in a SQL database table as xml text. Each survey has different set of fields and need help on how to automatically convert the cell holding the xml text to multiple columns.
Below is an example of the xml text in a cell which needs to be split into individual columns.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?>
<root>
<userid>JS 30/08/1981</userid>
<column___1>0</column___1>
<column___2>1</column___2>
<column___3>0</column___3>
<column___4>0</column___4>
<column___5>0</column___5>
<column___6>0</column___6>
<column___7>0</column___7>
<column___8>0</column___8>
<column___9>0</column___9>
<column___1_0>0</column___1_0>
<column___1_1>0</column___1_1>
<column___1_2>0</column___1_2>
<column___1_3>0</column___1_3>
<column___1_4>0</column___1_4>
<column___1_5>0</column___1_5>
<column___1_6>0</column___1_6>
<column___1_7>0</column___1_7>
<column___1_8>0</column___1_8>
<column___1_9>0</column___1_9>
<column___2_0>0</column___2_0>
<column___2_1>0</column___2_1>
<column___D_S>0</column___D_S>
<column___A_S>2</column___A_S>
<column___S_S>0</column___S_S>
<userid___u_i_d>5</userid___u_i_d>
</root>

Answer 1

I created a test table using the syntax below:
CREATE TABLE [dbo].[XmlTest](
[id] [int] IDENTITY(1,1) NOT NULL,
[surveyxml] [xml] NULL
) ON [PRIMARY] TEXTIMAGE_ON [PRIMARY]
I then loaded 2 records into the test table(the 1st being the XML you have in your example).
Use a query like below:
SELECT
fields.value('(userid/text())[1]', 'varchar(50)') as userid,
fields.value('(column___1/text())[1]', 'varchar(50)') as column1,
fields.value('(column___2/text())[1]', 'varchar(50)') as column2,
fields.value('(column___3/text())[1]', 'varchar(50)') as column3
FROM
xmltest CROSS APPLY
surveyxml.nodes('/root') AS Root(fields)
The following results are returned:
You can add all the fields you want to the query, and change the data type if you know what it is. Good Luck

Answer 2

You can make this as generic dynamic code like this:
drop table if exists #tmp
DECLARE #XML as xml
SET #XML = N'<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?>
<root>
<userid>JS 30/08/1981</userid>
<column___1>0</column___1>
<column___2>1</column___2>
<column___3>0</column___3>
<column___4>0</column___4>
<column___5>0</column___5>
<column___6>0</column___6>
<column___7>0</column___7>
<column___8>0</column___8>
<column___9>0</column___9>
<column___1_0>0</column___1_0>
<column___1_1>0</column___1_1>
<column___1_2>0</column___1_2>
<column___1_3>0</column___1_3>
<column___1_4>0</column___1_4>
<column___1_5>0</column___1_5>
<column___1_6>0</column___1_6>
<column___1_7>0</column___1_7>
<column___1_8>0</column___1_8>
<column___1_9>0</column___1_9>
<column___2_0>0</column___2_0>
<column___2_1>0</column___2_1>
<column___D_S>0</column___D_S>
<column___A_S>2</column___A_S>
<column___S_S>0</column___S_S>
<userid___u_i_d>5</userid___u_i_d>
</root>
'
/* First find all the column names and values */
SELECT
b.value('local-name(.)','VARCHAR(50)') AS ColumnName,
b.value('.','VARCHAR(MAX)') AS ColumnValue
into #tmp
FROM #xml.nodes('/root') x(x)
CROSS APPLY x.nodes('*') a(b)
/* Now build the select */
declare #sql nvarchar(max)=''
select #sql=#sql+'
'+iif(#sql='','',',')+''''+ ColumnValue + '''['+ColumnName+']'
from #tmp
set #sql='select '+#sql
exec sp_executesql #sql