Question

i was searching script to extract number from text in sql server and i found this

CREATE FUNCTION [dbo].[GetNumbersFromText](@String VARCHAR(2000))
RETURNS @Number TABLE (Number INT)
AS
BEGIN
DECLARE @Count INT
DECLARE @IntNumbers VARCHAR(1000)
SET @Count = 0
SET @IntNumbers = ''
WHILE @Count <= LEN(@String)
BEGIN
--Find a numeric charactor
IF SUBSTRING(@String,@Count,1) >= '0' AND SUBSTRING(@String,@Count,1) <= '9'
BEGIN
SET @IntNumbers = @IntNumbers + SUBSTRING(@String,@Count,1)
END
--If the next charactor is not a numeric one, the current number ends, so add a    separator
IF (SUBSTRING(@String,@Count+1,1) < '0'OR SUBSTRING(@String,@Count+1,1) > '9') AND    SUBSTRING(@String,@Count,1) >= '0' AND SUBSTRING(@String,@Count,1) <= '9'
BEGIN
SET @IntNumbers = @IntNumbers + ','
END
SET @Count = @Count + 1
END
---Split string to give a table with the numbers in the text
INSERT INTO @Number
SELECT DISTINCT items FROM dbo.Split(@IntNumbers, ',')
return
END

and call it like

SELECT Number FROM Dbo.[GetNumbersFromText]('Give me 120 this week and 50 next week')

it works fine but i need more short code. can i use patindex to extract number from text.
please anyone share small & good logic to do so. thanks

Answer 1

This is a bit shorter. Turned it into Inline Table Function that uses a recursive CTE to find the numbers.

create function [dbo].[GetNumbersFromText](@String varchar(2000))
returns table as return
(
  with C as
  (
    select cast(substring(S.Value, S1.Pos, S2.L) as int) as Number,
           stuff(s.Value, 1, S1.Pos + S2.L, '') as Value
    from (select @String+' ') as S(Value)
      cross apply (select patindex('%[0-9]%', S.Value)) as S1(Pos)
      cross apply (select patindex('%[^0-9]%', stuff(S.Value, 1, S1.Pos, ''))) as S2(L)
    union all
    select cast(substring(S.Value, S1.Pos, S2.L) as int),
           stuff(S.Value, 1, S1.Pos + S2.L, '')
    from C as S
      cross apply (select patindex('%[0-9]%', S.Value)) as S1(Pos)
      cross apply (select patindex('%[^0-9]%', stuff(S.Value, 1, S1.Pos, ''))) as S2(L)
    where patindex('%[0-9]%', S.Value) > 0
  )
  select Number
  from C
)

If you expect to have more than 100 numbers in the string you need to call it with option (maxrecursion 0).

declare @S varchar(max)
set @S = 'Give me 120 this week and 50 next week'
select number from GetNumbersFromText(@S) option (maxrecursion 0)