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larrybye

asked on

PATINDEX to retrieve date from varchar/memo data field

I need to retrieve the date from a varchar/memo field, it could be formatted either mm/dd/yy or mm/dd/yyyy. I’d like to use PATINDEX as part of a function but unable to get the “pattern” correct for the date.

Data row Examples:
Qualify the unit for sale in the European community.  CANCELLED 5/14/97 See test AG20 on ED150.
All components are the same as the ED 150 5/16/1997.




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PFrog
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larrybye

ASKER

Thanks, that is giving me the stating positions of the date in the field but I still need to return the actual date. I was hoping that I could modify the following function which returns numbers and “/” with a correct pattern and it would display the date but it returns the entire field.

create function dbo.fnNumbersFromStr(@str varchar(8000))
returns varchar(8000)
as
begin
      while patindex('%[^0-9/]%',@str)>0
            Set @str = rtrim(ltrim(replace(@str,substring(@str,patindex('%[^0-9/]%',@str),1),'')))
      return @str
end
go


What you’ve given me has gotten me closer, thanks again.
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PFrog
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Do you want to just return the first date or all of them? If all of them, should they be comma delimited or..?
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larrybye

ASKER

Just the first date
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PFrog
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This should do it - I haven't tested it so it may need a little tweaking to get it right

create function dbo.fnNumbersFromStr(@str varchar(8000))
returns varchar(8000)
as
begin

      DECLARE @pos INT
      DECLARE @firstpos INT
      DECLARE @strlen INT

      SET @firstpos=PATINDEX('%[1-9]/[0-9][0-9]/[0-9][0-9]%',@str)
      SET @endpos=@firstpos+7

      SET @pos=PATINDEX('%[1-9]/[1-9]/[0-9][0-9]%',@str)
      IF @pos<@firstpos
            BEGIN
                  SET @firstpos=@pos
                  SET @strlen=6
            END

      SET @pos=PATINDEX('%[1][0-9]/[0-9][0-9]/[0-9][0-9]%',@str)
      IF @pos<@firstpos
            BEGIN
                  SET @firstpos=@pos
                  SET @strlen=8
            END

      SET @pos=PATINDEX('%[1][0-9]/[1-9]/[0-9][0-9]%',@str)
      IF @pos<@firstpos
            BEGIN
                  SET @firstpos=@pos
                  SET @strlen=7
            END

      SET @pos=PATINDEX('%[1-9]/[0-9][0-9]/[12][0-9][0-9][0-9]%',@str)
      IF @pos<@firstpos
            BEGIN
                  SET @firstpos=@pos
                  SET @strlen=9
            END

      SET @pos=PATINDEX('%[1-9]/[1-9]/[12][0-9][0-9][0-9]%',@str)
      IF @pos<@firstpos
            BEGIN
                  SET @firstpos=@pos
                  SET @strlen=8
            END

      SET @pos=PATINDEX('%[1][0-9]/[0-9][0-9]/[12][0-9][0-9][0-9]%',@str)
      IF @pos<@firstpos
            BEGIN
                  SET @firstpos=@pos
                  SET @strlen=10
            END

      SET @pos=PATINDEX('%[1][0-9]/[1-9]/[12][0-9][0-9][0-9]%',@str)
      IF @pos<@firstpos
            BEGIN
                  SET @firstpos=@pos
                  SET @strlen=9
            END
     
      IF @firstpos>0
            RETURN substring(@str,@firstpos,@strlen)
     

end
go