INSERT using T-SQL with 2 table-value functions - sql-server

Question

I have a stored procedure that accepts two NVARCHAR parameters that accept a comma delimited list of name & index values and to insert them into a SQL Server database table in one go.
CREATE PROCEDURE [dbo].[SplitAndSave]
#name nvarchar(MAX),
#vals nvarchar(MAX)
The data would be in the format with each of the #name ids matching in the same sequence as the #vals:
#name = 1,2,3,4
#vals = 9,8,7,6
I have found a function that splits one column into a table which works fine independently and splits the data into the rows that is required:
CREATE FUNCTION [dbo].[fnSplitString] (
#string NVARCHAR(MAX),
#delimiter CHAR(1)
)
RETURNS #output TABLE(splitdata NVARCHAR(MAX)
)
BEGIN
DECLARE #start INT, #end INT
SELECT #start = 1, #end = CHARINDEX(#delimiter, #string)
WHILE #start < LEN(#string) + 1 BEGIN
IF #end = 0
SET #end = LEN(#string) + 1
INSERT INTO #output (splitdata)
VALUES(SUBSTRING(#string, #start, #end - #start))
SET #start = #end + 1
SET #end = CHARINDEX(#delimiter, #string, #start)
END
RETURN
END
In my stored procedure I am trying to 'combine' the two table functions:
INSERT INTO KEY_DATA (name, value)
(SELECT splitdata from fnSplitString(#name, ',')), (SELECT splitdata from fnSplitString(#value, ','))
But I get an error:
Msg 512, Level 16, State 1, Procedure dbo.SplitAndSave, Line 17 [Batch Start Line 2]
Subquery returned more than 1 value. This is not permitted when the subquery follows =, !=, <, <= , >, >= or when the subquery is used as an expression.
I think I might need to wrap the first table into the second, but I don't think this can be done 'all in one go'.
Any thoughts how I can achieve this? Currently using SQL Server Management Studio v17.8

Answer 1

The issue is not the function but how you are inserting the data. The following code:
INSERT INTO KEY_DATA (name, value)
(SELECT splitdata from fnSplitString(#name, ',')), (SELECT splitdata from fnSplitString(#value, ','))
except:
INSERT INTO KEY_DATA (name, value)
(one value of name), (one value of value)
but in your statements are returning more then one value. That's the issue.
You need to add order index in your function and join the function by it. Something like this:
INSERT INTO KEY_DATA (name, value)
SELECT DS1.splitdata
,DS2.splitdata
from fnSplitString(#name, ',') DS1
INNER JOIN fnSplitString(#value, ',') DS2
ON DS1.[OrderIndex] = DS2.[OrderINdex];
For example:
CREATE OR ALTER FUNCTION [dbo].[fnSplitString]
(
#string NVARCHAR(MAX),
#delimiter CHAR(1)
)
RETURNS #output TABLE
(
[orderID] BIGINT
,[splitdata] NVARCHAR(MAX)
)
BEGIN
DECLARE #XML XML = CAST(N'<r><![CDATA[' + REPLACE(#string, #delimiter, ']]></r><r><![CDATA[') + ']]></r>' AS XML)
INSERT INTO #output ([orderID], splitdata)
SELECT ROW_NUMBER() OVER(ORDER BY T.c)
,RTRIM(LTRIM(T.c.value('.', 'nvarchar(MAX)')))
FROM #XML.nodes('//r') T(c)
RETURN
END
GO
DECLARE #name NVARCHAR(MAX) = '1,2,3,4'
,#vals NVARCHAR(MAX) = '9,8,7,6'
SELECT DS1.[splitdata]
,DS2.[splitdata]
from dbo.fnSplitString(#name, ',') DS1
INNER JOIN dbo.fnSplitString(#vals, ',') DS2
ON DS1.[orderID] = DS2.[orderID];