SQL use comma-separated values with IN clause

Question

I am developing an ASP.NET application and passing a string value like "1,2,3,4" into a procedure to select those values which are IN (1,2,3,4) but its saying "Conversion failed when converting the varchar value '1,2,3,4' to data type int."

Here is the aspx code:

private void fillRoles()
{
    /*Read in User Profile Data from database */
    Database db = DatabaseFactory.CreateDatabase();

    DbCommand cmd = db.GetStoredProcCommand("sp_getUserRoles");

    db.AddInParameter(cmd, "@pGroupIDs", System.Data.DbType.String);
    db.SetParameterValue(cmd, "@pGroupIDs", "1,2,3,4");

    IDataReader reader = db.ExecuteReader(cmd);

    DropDownListRole.DataTextField = "Group";
    DropDownListRole.DataValueField = "ID";

    while (reader.Read())
    {
        DropDownListRole.Items.Add((new ListItem(reader[1].ToString(), reader[0].ToString())));
    }

    reader.Close();
}

Here is my procedure:

CREATE Procedure [dbo].[sp_getUserRoles](@pGroupIDs varchar(50))
AS BEGIN
   SELECT * FROM CheckList_Groups Where id in (@pGroupIDs)
END

Answer 1

Here is a workaround I found to do what you are trying to achieve

CREATE Procedure [dbo].[sp_getUserRoles](
   @pGroupIDs varchar(50)
    )
     As
    BEGIN
        SELECT * FROM CheckList_Groups Where (',' + @pGroupIDs +',' LIKE '%,' + CONVERT(VARCHAR, id) + ',%')
   End

This gets your comma delimited list and compares it to the id's(which are represented like so ',1,', ',2,' etc) in the table using LIKE

Answer 2

If you dont want to use dynamic sql, the best way ive found is to create a function which turns a delimited string into a table, something like this works for an Integer list:

CREATE FUNCTION [dbo].[StringToIntList]
(@str VARCHAR (MAX), @delimeter CHAR (1))
RETURNS 
    @result TABLE (
        [ID] INT NULL)
AS
BEGIN

    DECLARE @x XML 
    SET @x = '<t>' + REPLACE(@str, @delimeter, '</t><t>') + '</t>'

    INSERT INTO @result
    SELECT DISTINCT x.i.value('.', 'int') AS token
    FROM @x.nodes('//t') x(i)
    ORDER BY 1

RETURN
END

Then use that in your sp:

CREATE Procedure [dbo].[sp_getUserRoles](
   @pGroupIDs varchar(50)
    )
     As
    BEGIN
        SELECT * FROM CheckList_Groups Where id in (
           SELECT ID FROM dbo.StringToIntList(@pGroupIds,',')
       )
   End

Answer 3

Sure it can't do that,

The generated query would be sth like this

SELECT * FROM CheckList_Groups Where id in ('1,2,3,4')

and sure it can't be executed.

you can build the query in your stored procedure then execute it with exec

'SELECT * FROM CheckList_Groups Where id in (' + @pGroupIDs + ')'

or

SELECT * FROM CheckList_Groups Where charindex(','+id+',' , @pGroupIDs)>0

but you first must add the ',' to start and end of your parameter in your c# code

Answer 4

It is not possible to put those values (the comma separated string) in a parameter-value.

What you'll have to do, is to create the SQL Statement in your stored procedure dynamically, by string concatenation. You'll have to execute it with the sp_executesql stored procedure then.

 CREATE PROCEDURE [dbo].[getUserRoles]( @groupIds NVARCHAR(50) ) 
 AS BEGIN   
    DECLARE @statement NVARCHAR(255)

    SELECT @statement = N'SELECT * FROM CheckList_Groups Where id in ( ' + @pGroupIDs + N')'    

    execute sp_executesql @statement 
 END

Also, not that I named the SP getUserRoles instead of sp_getUserRoles. The reason is very simple: when you execute a stored procedure whose name starts with sp_, then SQL Server will first query the master database to find that stored procedure, which causes a performance hit offcourse.

Answer 5

The way you are trying to do this is slightly wrong. You will need to use EXECUTE in order to achieve this.

CREATE PROCEDURE [dbo].[sp_getUserRoles](@pGroupIDs nvarchar(50))
As
BEGIN         
    EXECUTE (N'SELECT * FROM CheckList_Groups Where id in (' + @pGroupIDs + ')';
END 

Answer 6

DECLARE @TagId  NVARCHAR(100)  = '43,81'

SELECT * FROM TABLE WHERE TagId IN (SELECT TRIM(VALUE) FROM  STRING_SPLIT( @TagId , ',' )  )

USE STRING_SPLIT FUNCTION FOR THIS

Answer 7

You need to use SP_executesql to achieve this functionllity

CREATE Procedure [dbo].[sp_getUserRoles](
   @pGroupIDs varchar(50)
    )
     As
    BEGIN

EXECUTE sp_executesql 
          N'SELECT * FROM CheckList_Groups Where id in (@pGroupIDs)',
          N'@level varchar(50)',
          @level = @pGroupIDs;

 End

Answer 8

The IN clause can't take a bound parameter like that. What it's being given when the query is actually created is SELECT * FROM CheckList_Groups Where id in ('1,2,3,4'). Essentially the IN clause is being passed a single string.

Answer 9

First create function -

Just run this code

SET ANSI_NULLS ON
GO
SET QUOTED_IDENTIFIER ON
GO
CREATE FUNCTION [dbo].[CSVToTable] (@InStr VARCHAR(MAX))
RETURNS @TempTab TABLE
   (id int not null)
AS
BEGIN
    ;-- Ensure input ends with comma
    SET @InStr = REPLACE(@InStr + ',', ',,', ',')
    DECLARE @SP INT
DECLARE @VALUE VARCHAR(1000)
WHILE PATINDEX('%,%', @INSTR ) <> 0 
BEGIN
   SELECT  @SP = PATINDEX('%,%',@INSTR)
   SELECT  @VALUE = LEFT(@INSTR , @SP - 1)
   SELECT  @INSTR = STUFF(@INSTR, 1, @SP, '')
   INSERT INTO @TempTab(id) VALUES (@VALUE)
END
    RETURN
END
GO

Then -

Use function in bracket with select statment -

DECLARE @LIST VARCHAR(200)
SET @LIST = '1,3'
SELECT Id, Descr FROM CSVDemo WHERE Id IN (SELECT * FROM dbo.CSVToTable(@LIST))