SQL Server 2012 split out multiple values in one varchar(1200) - sql-server

Question

In a SQL Server 2012 database, I am supposed to count the number of times each 'canned' message is used for elementary students in the last school year and the current school year.
Right now I have the following T-SQL that kind of works:
USE TEST
SELECT
GS.Comments, COUNT(*) AS [Counts]
FROM
dbo.Enrol Enrol
JOIN
dbo.Student Student ON Student.StudentID = Enrol.StudentID
JOIN
dbo.GS GS ON GS.StudentID = Student.Studentid
AND (GS.Comments IS NOT NULL)
AND (GS.Comments <> '')
WHERE
Enrol.grade IN ('KG', '01', '02', '03', '04', '05', '06')
AND Enrol.endYear BETWEEN 2016 AND 2017
GROUP BY
GS.Comments
ORDER BY
Counts DESC, GS.Comments ASC
The problem is the GS.Comments column is defined as varchar(1200). There can be one message in the column and/or there can be lots of messages in this column. Each message ends with a period and there is a space between each message.
An example of multiple messages in the one GS.Comments column would look like the following:
The student is trying hard and needs to make their time more efficiently. This student is good at math. This student turns in their assignments on time. This student seems to enjoy school.
An example of when one messages is in the one GS.Comments column would look like the following:
This student seems to enjoy school.
Thus would show me the T-SQL logic that I can use when the GS.Comments column contains multiple messages and/or just one message so that I can count the number of times each unique message has been used?

Answer 1

You can split your column on periods using the following link. then a simple group by on the newly formed column should let you count it.
Splitting delimited values in a SQL column into multiple rows

Answer 2

SET ANSI_NULLS ON
GO
SET QUOTED_IDENTIFIER ON
Alter proc [dbo].[StringSplitIntoRows]
(
#tbl varchar(100),---table name as parameter
#col varchar(100)---column name as parameter
)
As
Begin
--creating two temp tables
If OBJECT_ID('tempdb..#test1') is not null drop table #test1
create table #test1(tempcol varchar(200))
--inserting the table(has comma seperated string column) data into temp table
Declare #tempresult nvarchar(500)
set #tempresult = 'insert into #test1(tempcol) select ' + quotename(#col) + ' from ' + quotename(#tbl)
exec sp_executesql #tempresult
If OBJECT_ID('tempdb..#test2') is not null drop table #test2
create table #test2(tempcol1 varchar(200))
Declare #Name varchar(200)
Declare #real VARCHAR(100)
declare split cursor for ---declared a cursor to fetch row by row data
select tempcol from #test1 --temp table which has comma seperated string in column
open split
fetch next from split into #Name
while (##FETCH_STATUS=0)
Begin
declare #temp int=0
declare #result nvarchar(MAX)=''
declare #begin int=0
while CHARINDEX(',',#Name,#begin) > 0
begin
set #temp=CHARINDEX(',',#Name,#begin)
set #result=SUBSTRING(#Name,#begin,#temp-#begin)
set #begin=#temp+1
insert into #test2(tempcol1) values(#result)
end
set #real = SUBSTRING(#Name,#begin,len(#Name)-abs(#temp-#begin)+1)
insert into #test2(tempcol1) values(#real)
fetch next from split into #Name
End
select distinct tempcol1 from #test2
Close split
Deallocate split
end
GO
--execution
exec StringSplitIntoRows 'YourTableName','ColumnName'