Hey, Richard... just to let you know... I can normally beat most looping functions by using a Tally table... but not this one (least ways, not so far 
). Your looping function is about 2 seconds faster that my Tally table solution on a 100,000 row test table. Nice job!
FYI... the direct fixed width solution I posted smokes both the Tally table and the looping inside the function by a full 10 out of 13 seconds.
--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)