I need to extract the 5 char length substring between dashes

• jeffshelix

  SSCrazy

  Points: 2257

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  July 10, 2018 at 10:15 am

  #354373

  example
  asdfasf-ABCDE-asdfasdfsfasf
  ss-TREWQ-asdfasfsf
  (the column is CI_NUM where that value lives)
  i need the 5 characters between the dashes
  help, (Again) . . . . 
  Much appreciated

• sgmunson

  SSC Guru

  Points: 110640

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  July 10, 2018 at 10:20 am

  #1997017

  jeffshelix - Tuesday, July 10, 2018 10:15 AM

  example
  asdfasf-ABCDE-asdfasdfsfasf
  ss-TREWQ-asdfasfsf
  (the column is CI_NUM where that value lives)
  i need the 5 characters between the dashes
  help, (Again) . . . . 
  Much appreciated

  If we can safely assume that there are exactly two dashes in the entire column, AND, that they are always going to contain exactly 5 characters in between them, then this should work:
  SELECT SUBSTRING(CI_NUM, CHARINDEX('-', CI_NUM) + 1, 5) AS CI_NUM_MIDDLE_PART

  Steve (aka sgmunson) 🙂 🙂 🙂
  Rent Servers for Income (picks and shovels strategy)

• ScottPletcher

  SSC Guru

  Points: 101099

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  July 10, 2018 at 10:49 am

  #1997027

  
SELECT *,
     CASE WHEN start_of_value = 1 THEN ''
     ELSE SUBSTRING(CI_NUM, start_of_value, 5) END AS [5charsyouwant]
FROM ( VALUES('asdfasf-ABCDE-asdfasdfsfasf'),('ss-TREWQ-asdfasfsf'),
     ('asdfa-12-ABCDE-kindatricky'),('nothingtoseehere'),
     ('asdf-12-ABCD-475-1-ABCDE-reallytricky')) AS data(CI_NUM)
CROSS APPLY (
     SELECT PATINDEX('%[-][^-][^-][^-][^-][^-][-]%', CI_NUM) + 1 AS start_of_value
) AS alias1

  SQL DBA,SQL Server MVP(07, 08, 09) "It's a dog-eat-dog world, and I'm wearing Milk-Bone underwear." "Norm", on "Cheers". Also from "Cheers", from "Carla": "You need to know 3 things about Tortelli men: Tortelli men draw women like flies; Tortelli men treat women like flies; Tortelli men's brains are in their flies".

• Lynn Pettis

  SSC Guru

  Points: 442467

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  July 10, 2018 at 12:46 pm

  #1997044

  ScottPletcher - Tuesday, July 10, 2018 10:49 AM

  
  SELECT *,
       CASE WHEN start_of_value = 1 THEN ''
       ELSE SUBSTRING(CI_NUM, start_of_value, 5) END AS [5charsyouwant]
  FROM ( VALUES('asdfasf-ABCDE-asdfasdfsfasf'),('ss-TREWQ-asdfasfsf'),
       ('asdfa-12-ABCDE-kindatricky'),('nothingtoseehere'),
       ('asdf-12-ABCD-475-1-ABCDE-reallytricky')) AS data(CI_NUM)
  CROSS APPLY (
       SELECT PATINDEX('%[-][^-][^-][^-][^-][^-][-]%', CI_NUM) + 1 AS start_of_value
  ) AS alias1

  Sorry, not what was asked for here.