Thanks, that is basically what i am looking for, i apologize for being slow on getting this, but i want to understand as well as, get it working.

the first substring picks up the first values, but then the other columns are blank,

SELECT

style = SUBSTRING(f1,1,dbo.CHARINDEX2(' ', f1, 1)),-- this picks up the first values in the string.

the following are all blank.

color = SUBSTRING(f1,dbo.CHARINDEX2(' ', f1, 1),dbo.CHARINDEX2(' ', f1, 2) - dbo.CHARINDEX2(' ', f1, 1)),

size_1 = SUBSTRING(f1,dbo.CHARINDEX2(' ', f1, 2),dbo.CHARINDEX2(' ', f1, 3) - dbo.CHARINDEX2(' ', f1, 2)),

size_2 = SUBSTRING(f1,dbo.CHARINDEX2(' ', f1, 3),dbo.CHARINDEX2(' ', f1, 4) - dbo.CHARINDEX2(' ', f1, 3))

from dbo.NEWDUNDD_SEACX

if i understand properly, in the substring it is looking at the blank space, column, position ('', f1, 1) so it should find the blank space after the position, then search the column again starting after the blank space at postition 2???

hope this makes sense.