Flatten a one to many?

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Home » SQL Server 2005 » T-SQL (SS2K5) » Flatten a one to many?

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13 posts, Page 2 of 2

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Flatten a one to many?

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Posted Friday, March 08, 2013 12:05 PM

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Group: General Forum Members
Last Login: Friday, March 08, 2013 1:52 PM
Points: 29, Visits: 86

Okay all, just got out of a meeting and went back to it. I think I have it all sorted except for one, tiny portion:

, 'StorageLocation' 
			= STUFF
				(
					(
						SELECT ',' 
							+ COALESCE('Rm: ' + lbr2.Room, '') 
							+ COALESCE(', Cab: ' + ll2.fkCabinet, '')
							+ COALESCE(', Bin: ' + CAST(DecryptByKey(ll2.Bin) AS varchar(20)), '')
							+ COALESCE(', Box: ' + CAST(DecryptByKey(ll2.Box) AS varchar(20)), '')
							+ COALESCE(', ' + CAST(DecryptByKey(ll2.StartColumn) AS varchar(2)) 
							+ CAST(DecryptByKey(ll2.StartRow) AS varchar(2)), '')
							+ COALESCE(' --> ' + CAST(DecryptByKey(ll2.EndColumn) AS varchar(2)) 
							+ CAST(DecryptByKey(ll2.EndRow) AS varchar(2)), '')
						FROM 
							dbo.tblLotLocation AS ll2
							INNER JOIN
							dbo.tblLocationBldgRoom AS lbr2 ON lbr2.pkLocationBldgRoomId = ll2.fkLocationBldgRoomId
						WHERE 
							ll2.fkItemLotId = od.fkItemLotId
						ORDER BY 
							pkLotLocationId
						FOR XML PATH(''), 
						TYPE
					).value('.','varchar(max)')
					,1
					,1
					,''
				)

This is the section I am a bit stuck on:

).value('.','varchar(max)')

I have read that .value() is an XQury function that accepts an XML data type and converts it to SQL Server data type. Makes sense.
From MSDN: value (XQuery, SQLType), where "XQuery - is the XQuery expression, a string literal, that retrieves data inside the XML instance" and "SQLType - Is the preferred SQL type."

But what is the XQuery '.' literal actually doing? Can I *assume* that since an empty string is sent to

FOR XML PATH('')

no root node name is created, and that the '.' argument in the XQuery is just looking at the unnamed root for its data?

Thanks.

Kurt

Post #1428726

Posted Friday, March 08, 2013 1:33 PM

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Group: General Forum Members
Last Login: Yesterday @ 9:55 PM
Points: 6,720, Visits: 11,759

But what is the XQuery '.' literal actually doing? Can I *assume* that since an empty string is sent to

FOR XML PATH('')

no root node name is created, and that the '.' argument in the XQuery is just looking at the unnamed root for its data?

As a test, change your code to look like this and see if it makes more sense to see that the FOR XML piece of the query is actually returning an XML document.

The .value is actually just picking up the contents of the root level node of that document, i.e. the '.' node, and casting it to a VARCHAR(MAX).

, 'StorageLocation' 
			= 
					(
						SELECT ',' 
							+ COALESCE('Rm: ' + lbr2.Room, '') 
							+ COALESCE(', Cab: ' + ll2.fkCabinet, '')
							+ COALESCE(', Bin: ' + CAST(DecryptByKey(ll2.Bin) AS varchar(20)), '')
							+ COALESCE(', Box: ' + CAST(DecryptByKey(ll2.Box) AS varchar(20)), '')
							+ COALESCE(', ' + CAST(DecryptByKey(ll2.StartColumn) AS varchar(2)) 
							+ CAST(DecryptByKey(ll2.StartRow) AS varchar(2)), '')
							+ COALESCE(' --> ' + CAST(DecryptByKey(ll2.EndColumn) AS varchar(2)) 
							+ CAST(DecryptByKey(ll2.EndRow) AS varchar(2)), '')
						FROM 
							dbo.tblLotLocation AS ll2
							INNER JOIN
							dbo.tblLocationBldgRoom AS lbr2 ON lbr2.pkLocationBldgRoomId = ll2.fkLocationBldgRoomId
						WHERE 
							ll2.fkItemLotId = od.fkItemLotId
						ORDER BY 
							pkLotLocationId
						FOR XML PATH(''), 
						TYPE
					)

edit: add quote

__________________________________________________________________________________________________
There are no special teachers of virtue, because virtue is taught by the whole community. --Plato

Believe you can and you're halfway there. --Theodore Roosevelt

Everything Should Be Made as Simple as Possible, But Not Simpler --Albert Einstein

The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them. --Albert Einstein

1 apple is not exactly 1/8 of 8 apples. Because there are no absolutely identical apples. --Giordy

Post #1428755

Posted Friday, March 08, 2013 1:54 PM

SSC Rookie

Group: General Forum Members
Last Login: Friday, March 08, 2013 1:52 PM
Points: 29, Visits: 86

Excellent! That's what I thought. Thanks.

Kurt

Post #1428766

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