Display More Than 8000 Characters (SQL Spackle)

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Display More Than 8000 Characters (SQL Spackle)

Jeff Moden

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January 26, 2011 at 9:26 pm

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Comments posted to this topic are about the item Display More Than 8000 Characters (SQL Spackle)
--Jeff Moden
RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.
Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

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ColdCoffee SSC-Dedicated Points: 39972 More actions · Answer 1

ColdCoffee

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Points: 39972

January 26, 2011 at 11:01 pm

#1278924

Thanks for this cute Spackle,Jeff 🙂

samir-424465 SSC Veteran Points: 259 More actions · Answer 2

We can use BCP utility to get the data of the table (queryout option). The contents of the file will have character field (with varchar(MAX) / nvarchar(MAX)) with all the data in it.

chuckh 3191 SSC Rookie Points: 40 More actions · Answer 3

You don't have to have a Tally table made in your database. Using common table expressions, you can generate them on the fly. Here is such using the example code from the article where we reaplace Tally with cteTally

--===== Declare a couple of long string variables of two different datatypes

DECLARE @LongString VARCHAR(MAX),

@NLongString NVARCHAR(MAX)

;

--===== Fill each string with 10,000 GUIDs followed by a space

-- for a total of 369999 (+1 trailing space) characters.

;WITH

cteTally AS

(--==== Create a Tally CTE from 1 to whatever the length

-- of the parameter is

SELECT TOP 20000

ROW_NUMBER() OVER (ORDER BY t1.Object_ID) AS N

FROM Master.sys.All_Columns t1

CROSS JOIN Master.sys.All_Columns t2

)

SELECT @LongString = (SELECT CAST(NEWID() AS CHAR(36)) + ' '

FROM cteTally t

WHERE t.N BETWEEN 1 AND 10000

FOR XML PATH('')),

@NLongString = @LongString

;

--===== Just confirming the length of the strings here

SELECT LEN(@LongString), LEN(@NLongString)

;

--===== Let's solve the problem with a little control over the width

-- of the returned data. This could easily be converted into

-- an inline Table Valued Function.

DECLARE @Width INT;

SELECT @Width = 8000;

--===== Show that the solution works on VARCHAR(MAX)

;WITH

cteTally AS

(--==== Create a Tally CTE from 1 to whatever the length

-- of the parameter is

SELECT TOP (LEN(@LongString))

ROW_NUMBER() OVER (ORDER BY t1.Object_ID) AS N

FROM Master.sys.All_Columns t1

CROSS JOIN Master.sys.All_Columns t2

)

SELECT StartPosition = (t.N-1)*@Width+1,

SliceData = SUBSTRING(@LongString,(t.N-1)*@Width+1,@Width)

FROM cteTally t

WHERE t.N BETWEEN 1 AND LEN(@LongString)/@Width+1

;

Koen Verbeeck SSC Guru Points: 259115 More actions · Answer 4

Thanks, great article Jeff.

You find uses for the Tally table everywhere, don't you 😀

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nigel. SSChampion Points: 11636 More actions · Answer 5

Thanks Jeff, nice article.

Spotted a minor typo in the first code example, has SliceDate instead of SliceData for the column alias.

I know it has no real effect. But, knowing what a perfectionist you are .:-)

Nigel
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Matt Whitfield SSCrazy Eights Points: 8107 More actions · Answer 6

Good article Jeff, nice one.

It does surprise me, though, that it's even necessary. I mean, it's 2011...

I guess that sort of thing is why I very rarely use SSMS... 🙂

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dave.clark SSC Veteran Points: 238 More actions · Answer 7

Thanks for the excellent info!

I tackled this issue myself previously, but my solution is not quite as "simple" 😉

I'll have to test this and see if I can replace my lengthy solution.

thisisfutile Hall of Fame Points: 3668 More actions · Answer 8

nigel. (1/27/2011)
Thanks Jeff, nice article.
Spotted a minor typo in the first code example, has SliceDate instead of SliceData for the column alias.
I know it has no real effect. But, knowing what a perfectionist you are .:-)

I noticed that too. Is it wrong for me to find some sort of comfort in knowing that even Jeff Moden makes the date/data typo? 😛

If I had a dollar for every time I've done that...

Thanks for the article Jeff. I always enjoy seeing how you solve "the loop" issue.

nigel. SSChampion Points: 11636 More actions · Answer 9

thisisfutile (1/27/2011)
nigel. (1/27/2011)
Thanks Jeff, nice article.
Spotted a minor typo in the first code example, has SliceDate instead of SliceData for the column alias.
I know it has no real effect. But, knowing what a perfectionist you are .:-)
... Is it wrong for me to find some sort of comfort in knowing that even Jeff Moden makes the date/data typo? 😛

No, definitely not 🙂

Nigel
How to post questions

Ron McCullough SSC Guru Points: 63877 More actions · Answer 10

Jeff thanks again, going to be adding it to my tool box. Now wondering if that tool box should be renamed as "ToolboxbyJeffModen"

Yes I know the articles are labeled as "Spackle", but heck with your articles I not only can fill in the cracks, but build an entire wall.

Again thanks.

If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.

Ron

Please help us, help you -before posting a question please read[/url]
Before posting a performance problem please read[/url]

nadabadan SSCommitted Points: 1503 More actions · Answer 11

"t.N BETWEEN 1 AND LEN(@LongString)/@length+1" would list an extra blank row where LEN(@LongString) is a multiple of @length.

DECLARE @longString varchar(max)

DECLARE @val varchar(max)

SET @val = 'abcdefgh'

SELECT @longString = REPLICATE( @val, 10000 ) -- 80000 char length string

If you use the string above to split the string into 8000 char strings, you will get 11 rows instead of the expect 10.

Perhaps

WHERE N <= CEILING( LEN( @longString ) / CONVERT( numeric(10,1 ), @length ) )

OR

WHERE t.N BETWEEN 1 AND CEILING( LEN( @longString ) / CONVERT( numeric(10,1 ), @length ) )

would be better.

thisisfutile Hall of Fame Points: 3668 More actions · Answer 12

nadabadan (1/27/2011)
...you will get 11 rows instead of the expect 10.

In the article, Jeff stated "I don't really care where the line "wraps", nor do I care about trailing spaces". I'm not trying to speak for Jeff (or am I?), but to me an extra row sort of fits into this area that has been purposely ignored. Cosmetics aren't necessarily important for this spackling.

IMHO

A good solution, nonetheless.

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004406 More actions · Answer 13

ColdCoffee (1/26/2011)
Thanks for this cute Spackle,Jeff 🙂

You bet, CC. Thanks for stopping by.

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

Jeff Moden SSC Guru Points: 1004406 More actions · Answer 14

samir-424465 (1/26/2011)
We can use BCP utility to get the data of the table (queryout option). The contents of the file will have character field (with varchar(MAX) / nvarchar(MAX)) with all the data in it.

Hi Samir,

Thanks for stopping by with the tip. I absolutely agree with the above and there are many other methods you can use, as well. That also takes a bit more time than what I need to take when I'm just trying to do a simple check while writing code in SSMS. It can also require elevated privs and not everyone has the privs to run BCP nor write to disk from an SQL Server.

--Jeff Moden

RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)