Sql function to make noun plural - sql

Question

Is there any function in SQL Server which change the noun from singular to plural form?

Answer 1

SQL itself doesn't have anything like this - but you could try to use the .NET PluralizationService introduced in .NET 4 - the same functionality that the Entity Framework uses to pluralize/singularize table names to object names.
You would have to write a SQL-CLR assembly to tap into the pluralization services, but it definitely seems like a doable thing!

Answer 2

That function does not exist in SQL Server.

Answer 3

The function does not exist in SQL Server, as #aF mentioned. The one place I know if it existing is in Entity Framework 4+. The pluralization object can actually be instantiated and used.
SQL has the capacity to run CLR code--through SQL CLR. The main problem is that SQL CLR is limited to the .NET Framework 3.5. So you would either need to write some .net 4 code that operates on your tables. Alternately, you could use a product like Reflector and reverse engineer a 3.5 compatible version and run it inside SQL Server.

Answer 4

CREATE FUNCTION dbo.Pluralize
(
#noun nvarchar(50)
)
RETURNS nvarchar(50)
AS
BEGIN
DECLARE #QueryString nvarchar(4000)
SET #QueryString = N'FORMSOF(INFLECTIONAL,"' + #noun + N'")'
RETURN
(SELECT TOP 1 display_term
FROM sys.dm_fts_parser(#QueryString,1033,0,0))
END
GO
SELECT noun,
dbo.Pluralize(noun)
FROM (VALUES('cat'),
('mouse'),
('goose'),
('person'),
('man'),
('datum')) nouns(noun)
Returns
noun
------ ------------------------------
cat cats
mouse mice
goose geese
person persons
man men
datum data
Unfortunately it just relies on observation that the TOP 1 expansion term for the noun is the plural form. I doubt that this is documented anywhere.

Answer 5

DECLARE #PluralVersion nvarchar(128) = ''
DECLARE #TableName nvarchar(128) = 'MyTableName'
DECLARE #NounVersions TABLE(Term nvarchar(128) NOT NULL)
DECLARE #QueryString nvarchar(4000) SET #QueryString = N'FORMSOF(INFLECTIONAL,"' + #TableName + N'")'
INSERT INTO #NounVersions
SELECT TOP 10 display_term FROM sys.dm_fts_parser(#QueryString,1033,0,0)
SELECT TOP 1 #PluralVersion = Term FROM #NounVersions WHERE Term Not Like '%''%' AND RIGHT(Term,1) = 's'
SET #PluralVersion = UPPER(LEFT(#PluralVersion,1))+LOWER(SUBSTRING(#PluralVersion,2,LEN(#PluralVersion)))
SELECT #PluralVersion
I know this is an old thread, but thought I would post anyways. Based on what Martin started, I expanded it and so far it is doing an OK job. I would not say it is perfect. This is used for pluralizing table names so it is very controlled

Answer 6

Do you want to use this for display purposes?
Something like "Your search returned 1 result" / "Your search returned 4 results" ?
If yes, I wouldn't do it like that.
Finding or writing a function that does this correctly for all special cases (let alone in several languages) is nearly impossible, and storing each needed text once in singular and once in plural form isn't much better.
At work, I'm dealing with multiple languages and lots of dynamically generated sentences like this a lot, and I found that completely avoiding the distinction of singular/plural forms at all is the easiest solution to manage:
"Number of results for this search: 1"

Answer 7

Nope, but it would be pretty easy to make a table for this if you have a limited set of words to check.
Example:
CREATE TABLE dbo.Plurals
(
id int IDENTITY,
singular varchar(100),
plural varchar(100)
)
INSERT INTO dbo.Plurals
VALUES
('cat', 'cats'),
('goose', 'geese'),
('man', 'men'),
('question', 'questions')
Alternatively, you could make the table just be exceptions, i.e. words that can't be pluralized with the simple addition of an s - then you could do an EXISTS check on that table, if it's not there then add an s and if it is then lookup the plural.

Answer 8

I wrote this. Probably not perfect but it works for me. And it returns with same capitalization as it was called.
create function dbo.udfPlural(#Int int
, #Item varchar(47))
returns varchar(50)
as
begin
-- VARS...
declare #Ninth char(1)
declare #Tenth char(1)
declare #Reply varchar(50)
-- ONLY FOR PLURALS...
if (#Int <> 1)
begin
-- LAST AND PENULTIMATE LETTERS...
set #Ninth = ''
set #Tenth = ''
if (len(#Item) >= 2) set #Ninth = substring(#Item, len(#Item) - 1, 1)
if (len(#Item) >= 1) set #Tenth = substring(#Item, len(#Item), 1)
-- APPLY S/IES...
if (#Tenth = 's')
set #Reply = #Item + 'es'
else if (#Tenth = 'y')
if (charindex(#Ninth, 'AEIOU') > 0)
set #Reply = #Item + 's'
else
set #Reply = substring(#Item, 1, len(#Item) - 1) + 'ies'
else
set #Reply = #Item + 's'
end
-- ASSEMBLE...
set #Reply = ltrim(str(#Int)) + ' ' + #Reply
-- DONE...
return #Reply
end