SQL to combine multiple rows into a single row - sql

Question

I am currently writing a SQL script - takes a business term, and all related synonyms. What it does is creates multiple rows (because there are multiple synonyms (can have other columns that could be multiple values as well.
What I am trying to do is to create a single row for every business term, and concatenate values (, delimited) so that I get one line item for each business term only.
Currently my SQL script is:
SELECT dbo.TblBusinessTerm.BusinessTerm, dbo.TblBusinessTerm.BusinessTermLongDesc,
dbo.TblBusinessTerm.DomainCatID, dbo.TblSystem.SystemName,
dbo.TblDomainCat.DataSteward, dbo.TblDomainCat.DomainCatName,
dbo.TblField.GoldenSource, dbo.TblField.GTS_table,
dbo.TblTableOwner.TableOwnerName, dbo.TblBusinessSynonym.Synonym
FROM dbo.TblTableOwner INNER JOIN
dbo.TblBusinessTerm INNER JOIN
dbo.TblBusinessSynonym ON dbo.TblBusinessTerm.BusinessTermID = dbo.TblBusinessSynonym.BusinessTermID INNER JOIN
dbo.TblField ON dbo.TblBusinessTerm.BusinessTermID = dbo.TblField.BusinessTermID INNER JOIN
dbo.TblSystem INNER JOIN
dbo.TblTable ON dbo.TblSystem.SystemID = dbo.TblTable.SystemID ON dbo.TblField.TableID = dbo.TblTable.TableID INNER JOIN
dbo.TblDomainCat ON dbo.TblBusinessTerm.DomainCatID = dbo.TblDomainCat.DomainCatID ON dbo.TblTableOwner.TableOwnerID = dbo.TblDomainCat.DataSteward
Is there an easy way to do this that takes performance into consideration - am new to SQL.
Thank you
I have managed to create a with statement that now concatenates my rows:
With syn as (
select [BusinessTermID],
syns = STUFF((SELECT ', ' + dbo.TblBusinessSynonym.Synonym
FROM dbo.TblBusinessSynonym
WHERE [BusinessTermID] = x.[BusinessTermID]
AND dbo.TblBusinessSynonym.Synonym <> ''
FOR XML PATH ('')),1,2,'')
FROM dbo.TblBusinessSynonym AS x
GROUP BY [BusinessTermID]
)
select * from syn
But now how can I use it in the above query where everything links?
Would want to replace dbo.TblBusinessSynonym.Synonym with the results from syn
Any SQL 2014 developers that can assist?

Answer 1

Write your with statement at the very top, without the select.
Then write your upper query as it is and change
INNER JOIN dbo.TblBusinessSynonym ON dbo.TblBusinessTerm.BusinessTermID = dbo.TblBusinessSynonym.BusinessTermID
to
INNER JOIN syn ON syn.BusinessTermID = dbo.TblBusinessTerm.BusinessTermID
That's it
With syn as (
select [BusinessTermID],
syns = STUFF((SELECT ', ' + dbo.TblBusinessSynonym.Synonym
FROM dbo.TblBusinessSynonym
WHERE [BusinessTermID] = x.[BusinessTermID]
AND dbo.TblBusinessSynonym.Synonym <> ''
FOR XML PATH ('')),1,2,'')
FROM dbo.TblBusinessSynonym AS x
GROUP BY [BusinessTermID]
)
SELECT dbo.TblBusinessTerm.BusinessTerm,
dbo.TblBusinessTerm.BusinessTermLongDesc,
dbo.TblBusinessTerm.DomainCatID, dbo.TblSystem.SystemName,
dbo.TblDomainCat.DataSteward, dbo.TblDomainCat.DomainCatName,
dbo.TblField.GoldenSource, dbo.TblField.GTS_table,
dbo.TblTableOwner.TableOwnerName, syn.syns
FROM dbo.TblTableOwner INNER JOIN
dbo.TblBusinessTerm INNER JOIN
syn ON dbo.TblBusinessTerm.BusinessTermID = syn.BusinessTermID INNER JOIN
dbo.TblField ON dbo.TblBusinessTerm.BusinessTermID = dbo.TblField.BusinessTermID INNER JOIN
dbo.TblSystem INNER JOIN
dbo.TblTable ON dbo.TblSystem.SystemID = dbo.TblTable.SystemID ON dbo.TblField.TableID = dbo.TblTable.TableID INNER JOIN
dbo.TblDomainCat ON dbo.TblBusinessTerm.DomainCatID = dbo.TblDomainCat.DomainCatID ON dbo.TblTableOwner.TableOwnerID = dbo.TblDomainCat.DataSteward

Answer 2

Please use STRING_AGG function. It combines record items in field ans set them in one record separated with specified delimiter.
Details are here:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/t-sql/functions/string-agg-transact-sql?view=sql-server-2017

Answer 3

Your query is complicated, so I will just post here sample data and how to deal with it in a manner you want. The operation is string aggregation with concatenation, in latest version there's string_agg function, that does the work for us. But, as you can't use this function, here's workaround:
select * into #tt
from (values (1, '1'),(1, '2'),(2, '1'),(2, '2')) A(id, someStr)
select id, (select someStr + ',' from #tt where id = [t].id for xml path('')) [grouped]
from #tt [t] group by id
Above query groups by Id and concaenates all corresponding rows in someStr column.