What’s the best way to capitalise the first letter of each word in a string in SQL Server
SqlSql ServerStringSql Problem Overview
What’s the best way to capitalise the first letter of each word in a string in SQL Server.
Sql Solutions
Solution 1 - Sql
From <http://www.sql-server-helper.com/functions/initcap.aspx>
CREATE FUNCTION [dbo].[InitCap] ( @InputString varchar(4000) )
RETURNS VARCHAR(4000)
AS
BEGIN
DECLARE @Index INT
DECLARE @Char CHAR(1)
DECLARE @PrevChar CHAR(1)
DECLARE @OutputString VARCHAR(255)
SET @OutputString = LOWER(@InputString)
SET @Index = 1
WHILE @Index <= LEN(@InputString)
BEGIN
SET @Char = SUBSTRING(@InputString, @Index, 1)
SET @PrevChar = CASE WHEN @Index = 1 THEN ' '
ELSE SUBSTRING(@InputString, @Index - 1, 1)
END
IF @PrevChar IN (' ', ';', ':', '!', '?', ',', '.', '_', '-', '/', '&', '''', '(')
BEGIN
IF @PrevChar != '''' OR UPPER(@Char) != 'S'
SET @OutputString = STUFF(@OutputString, @Index, 1, UPPER(@Char))
END
SET @Index = @Index + 1
END
RETURN @OutputString
END
GO
There is a simpler/smaller one here (but doesn't work if any row doesn't have spaces, "Invalid length parameter passed to the RIGHT function."):
Solution 2 - Sql
As a table-valued function:
CREATE FUNCTION dbo.InitCap(@v AS VARCHAR(MAX))
RETURNS TABLE
AS
RETURN
WITH a AS (
SELECT (
SELECT UPPER(LEFT(value, 1)) + LOWER(SUBSTRING(value, 2, LEN(value))) AS 'data()'
FROM string_split(@v, ' ')
ORDER BY CHARINDEX(value,@v)
FOR XML PATH (''), TYPE) ret)
SELECT CAST(a.ret AS varchar(MAX)) ret from a
GO
Note that string_split requires COMPATIBILITY_LEVEL 130.
Solution 3 - Sql
If you are looking for the answer to the same question in Oracle/PLSQL then you may use the function INITCAP. Below is an example for the attribute dname from a table department which has the values ('sales', 'management', 'production', 'development').
SQL> select INITCAP(dname) from department;
INITCAP(DNAME)
--------------------------------------------------
Sales
Management
Production
Development
Solution 4 - Sql
A variation of the one I've been using for quite some time is:
CREATE FUNCTION [widget].[properCase](@string varchar(8000)) RETURNS varchar(8000) AS
BEGIN
SET @string = LOWER(@string)
DECLARE @i INT
SET @i = ASCII('a')
WHILE @i <= ASCII('z')
BEGIN
SET @string = REPLACE( @string, ' ' + CHAR(@i), ' ' + CHAR(@i-32))
SET @i = @i + 1
END
SET @string = CHAR(ASCII(LEFT(@string, 1))-32) + RIGHT(@string, LEN(@string)-1)
RETURN @string
END
You can easily modify to handle characters after items other than spaces if you wanted to.
Solution 5 - Sql
Another solution without using the loop - pure set-based approach with recursive CTE
create function [dbo].InitCap (@value varchar(max))
returns varchar(max) as
begin
declare
@separator char(1) = ' ',
@result varchar(max) = '';
with r as (
select value, cast(null as varchar(max)) [x], cast('' as varchar(max)) [char], 0 [no] from (select rtrim(cast(@value as varchar(max))) [value]) as j
union all
select right(value, len(value)-case charindex(@separator, value) when 0 then len(value) else charindex(@separator, value) end) [value]
, left(r.[value], case charindex(@separator, r.value) when 0 then len(r.value) else abs(charindex(@separator, r.[value])-1) end ) [x]
, left(r.[value], 1)
, [no] + 1 [no]
from r where value > '')
select @result = @result +
case
when ascii([char]) between 97 and 122
then stuff(x, 1, 1, char(ascii([char])-32))
else x
end + @separator
from r where x is not null;
set @result = rtrim(@result);
return @result;
end
Solution 6 - Sql
Here is the simplest one-line code.
select
LEFT(column, 1)+ lower(RIGHT(column, len(column)-1) )
from [tablename]
Solution 7 - Sql
fname is column name if fname value is akhil then UPPER(left(fname,1)) provide capital First letter(A) and substring function SUBSTRING(fname,2,LEN(fname)) provide(khil) concate both using + then result is (Akhil)
select UPPER(left(fname,1))+SUBSTRING(fname,2,LEN(fname)) as fname
FROM [dbo].[akhil]
Solution 8 - Sql
;WITH StudentList(Name) AS (
SELECT CONVERT(varchar(50), 'Carl-VAN')
UNION SELECT 'Dean o''brian'
UNION SELECT 'Andrew-le-Smith'
UNION SELECT 'Eddy thompson'
UNION SELECT 'BOBs-your-Uncle'
), Student AS (
SELECT CONVERT(varchar(50), UPPER(LEFT(Name, 1)) + LOWER(SUBSTRING(Name, 2, LEN(Name)))) Name,
pos = PATINDEX('%[-'' ]%', Name)
FROM StudentList
UNION ALL
SELECT CONVERT(varchar(50), LEFT(Name, pos) + UPPER(SUBSTRING(Name, pos + 1, 1)) + SUBSTRING(Name, pos + 2, LEN(Name))) Name,
pos = CASE WHEN PATINDEX('%[-'' ]%', RIGHT(Name, LEN(Name) - pos)) = 0 THEN 0 ELSE pos + PATINDEX('%[-'' ]%', RIGHT(Name, LEN(Name) - pos)) END
FROM Student
WHERE pos > 0
)
SELECT Name
FROM Student
WHERE pos = 0
ORDER BY Name
This will result in:
- Andrew-Le-Smith
- Bobs-Your-Uncle
- Carl-Van
- Dean O'Brian
- Eddy Thompson
Using a recursive CTE set based query should out perform a procedural while loop query. Here I also have made my separate to be 3 different characters [-' ] instead of 1 for a more advanced example. Using PATINDEX as I have done allows me to look for many characters. You could also use CHARINDEX on a single character and this function excepts a third parameter StartFromPosition so I could further simply my 2nd part of the recursion of the pos formula to (assuming a space): pos = CHARINDEX(' ', Name, pos + 1).
Solution 9 - Sql
BEGIN
DECLARE @string varchar(100) = 'asdsadsd asdad asd'
DECLARE @ResultString varchar(200) = ''
DECLARE @index int = 1
DECLARE @flag bit = 0
DECLARE @temp varchar(2) = ''
WHILE (@Index <LEN(@string)+1)
BEGIN
SET @temp = SUBSTRING(@string, @Index-1, 1)
--select @temp
IF @temp = ' ' OR @index = 1
BEGIN
SET @ResultString = @ResultString + UPPER(SUBSTRING(@string, @Index, 1))
END
ELSE
BEGIN
SET @ResultString = @ResultString + LOWER(SUBSTRING(@string, @Index, 1))
END
SET @Index = @Index+ 1--increase the index
END
SELECT @ResultString
END
Solution 10 - Sql
For English only data.
Super non-efficient from view of performance but efficient from view of productivity. Use it as one-time converter:
SELECT
REPLACE(
REPLACE(
REPLACE(
REPLACE(
REPLACE(
REPLACE(
REPLACE(
REPLACE(
REPLACE(
REPLACE(
REPLACE(
REPLACE(
REPLACE(
REPLACE(
REPLACE(
REPLACE(
REPLACE(
REPLACE(
REPLACE(
REPLACE(
REPLACE(
REPLACE(
REPLACE(
REPLACE(
REPLACE(
REPLACE(
UPPER(LEFT(City,1))+LOWER(SUBSTRING(City,2,LEN(City)))
,' a', ' A')
,' b', ' B')
,' c', ' C')
,' d', ' D')
,' e', ' E')
,' f', ' F')
,' g', ' G')
,' h', ' H')
,' i', ' I')
,' j', ' J')
,' k', ' K')
,' l', ' L')
,' m', ' M')
,' n', ' N')
,' o', ' O')
,' p', ' P')
,' q', ' Q')
,' r', ' R')
,' s', ' S')
,' t', ' T')
,' u', ' U')
,' v', ' V')
,' w', ' W')
,' x', ' X')
,' y', ' Y')
,' z', ' Z')
FROM [Dictionaries].[dbo].[Cities]
WHERE Country = 'US' AND City like '% %'
ORDER BY City
Solution 11 - Sql
I was looking for the best way to capitalize and i recreate simple sql script
how to use SELECT dbo.Capitalyze('this is a test with multiple spaces')
result "This Is A Test With Multiple Spaces"
CREATE FUNCTION Capitalyze(@input varchar(100) ) returns varchar(100) as begin
declare @index int=0
declare @char as varchar(1)=' '
declare @prevCharIsSpace as bit=1
declare @Result as varchar(100)=''
set @input=UPPER(LEFT(@input,1))+LOWER(SUBSTRING(@input, 2, LEN(@input)))
set @index=PATINDEX('% _%',@input)
if @index=0
set @index=len(@input)
set @Result=substring(@input,0,@index+1)
WHILE (@index < len(@input))
BEGIN
SET @index = @index + 1
SET @char=substring(@input,@index,1)
if (@prevCharIsSpace=1)
begin
set @char=UPPER(@char)
if (@char=' ')
set @char=''
end
if (@char=' ')
set @prevCharIsSpace=1
else
set @prevCharIsSpace=0
set @Result=@Result+@char
--print @Result
END
--print @Result
return @Result
end
Solution 12 - Sql
On SQL Server 2016+ using JSON which gives guaranteed order of the words:
CREATE FUNCTION [dbo].[InitCap](@Text NVARCHAR(MAX))
RETURNS NVARCHAR(MAX)
AS
BEGIN
RETURN STUFF((
SELECT ' ' + UPPER(LEFT(s.value,1)) + LOWER(SUBSTRING(s.value,2,LEN(s.value)))
FROM OPENJSON('["' + REPLACE(REPLACE(REPLACE(REPLACE(REPLACE(@Text,'\','\\'),'"','\"'),CHAR(9),'\t'),CHAR(10),'\n'),' ','","') + '"]') s
ORDER BY s.[key]
FOR XML PATH(''),TYPE).value('(./text())[1]','NVARCHAR(MAX)'),1,1,'');
END
Solution 13 - Sql
GO
CREATE FUNCTION [dbo].[Capitalize](@text NVARCHAR(MAX)) RETURNS NVARCHAR(MAX) AS
BEGIN
DECLARE @result NVARCHAR(MAX) = '';
DECLARE @c NVARCHAR(1);
DECLARE @i INT = 1;
DECLARE @isPrevSpace BIT = 1;
WHILE @i <= LEN(@text)
BEGIN
SET @c = SUBSTRING(@text, @i, 1);
SET @result += IIF(@isPrevSpace = 1, UPPER(@c), LOWER(@c));
SET @isPrevSpace = IIF(@c LIKE '[ -]', 1, 0);
SET @i += 1;
END
RETURN @result;
END
GO
DECLARE @sentence NVARCHAR(100) = N'i-thINK-this soLUTION-works-LiKe-a charm';
PRINT dbo.Capitalize(@sentence);
-- I-Think-This Solution-Works-Like-A Charm
Solution 14 - Sql
SELECT dbo.ProperCase('Xyz is AFTER qrst')
Solution 15 - Sql
It can be as simple as this:
DECLARE @Name VARCHAR(10) = 'merin';
SELECT @Name AS Name, REPLACE(@Name, LEFT(@Name, 1), UPPER(LEFT(@Name, 1))) AS CapitalizedName
Solution 16 - Sql
The suggested function works fine, however, if you do not want to create any function this is how I do it-
select ID,Name
,string_agg(concat(upper(substring(value,1,1)),lower(substring(value,2,len(value)-1))),' ') as ModifiedName
from Table_Customer
cross apply String_Split(replace(trim(Name),' ',' '),' ')
where Name is not null
group by ID,Name;
The above query split the words by space (' ') and create different rows of each having one substring, then convert the first letter of each substring to upper and keep remaining as lower. The final step is to string aggregate based on the key.
Hope you find it useful!
Solution 17 - Sql
IF OBJECT_ID ('dbo.fnCapitalizeFirstLetterAndChangeDelimiter') IS NOT NULL
DROP FUNCTION dbo.fnCapitalizeFirstLetterAndChangeDelimiter
GO
CREATE FUNCTION [dbo].[fnCapitalizeFirstLetterAndChangeDelimiter] (@string NVARCHAR(MAX), @delimiter NCHAR(1), @new_delimeter NCHAR(1))
RETURNS NVARCHAR(MAX)
AS
BEGIN
DECLARE @result NVARCHAR(MAX)
SELECT @result = '';
IF (LEN(@string) > 0)
DECLARE @curr INT
DECLARE @next INT
BEGIN
SELECT @curr = 1
SELECT @next = CHARINDEX(@delimiter, @string)
WHILE (LEN(@string) > 0)
BEGIN
SELECT @result =
@result +
CASE WHEN LEN(@result) > 0 THEN @new_delimeter ELSE '' END +
UPPER(SUBSTRING(@string, @curr, 1)) +
CASE
WHEN @next <> 0
THEN LOWER(SUBSTRING(@string, @curr+1, @next-2))
ELSE LOWER(SUBSTRING(@string, @curr+1, LEN(@string)-@curr))
END
IF (@next > 0)
BEGIN
SELECT @string = SUBSTRING(@string, @next+1, LEN(@string)-@next)
SELECT @next = CHARINDEX(@delimiter, @string)
END
ELSE
SELECT @string = ''
END
END
RETURN @result
END
GO
Solution 18 - Sql
You should try this instead
Select INITCAP(column_name) from table_name;
This will Capitalize the first letter of mentioned attributes entries.