parse a name with commas sql server

is this awhole string or each line separate strings?

the example is a series of separate strings (found in separate rows).  
add to the examples,

DI GIORGI,ANTONIO B

declare @fullName varchar(100);
declare @firstName      varchar(30);
declare @lastName      varchar(30);
declare @initName      varchar(30);

--set @fullName = 'HOWELL,THURSTON B,III'
set @fullName = 'JONES,BETTY ANN'


select @lastName = LEFT(@fullName, CHARINDEX(',', @fullName) - 1)
select @fullName = RIGHT(@fullName, LEN(@fullName) - CHARINDEX(',', @fullName))

if CHARINDEX(',', @fullName) > 0
begin
      select @firstName = LEFT(@fullName, CHARINDEX(',', @fullName) - 1)
      select @initName = RIGHT(@fullName, LEN(@fullName) - CHARINDEX(',', @fullName))
end
else
      select @firstName = @fullName
      

select @lastName AS lastName, @firstName AS firstName, ISNULL(@initName, '') AS initName

If possible, can you create a function like this.

CREATE FUNCTION [dbo].[fn_Split](@text nvarchar(max), @delimiter char(1) = ' ')
RETURNS @Strings TABLE (position int IDENTITY PRIMARY KEY, value nvarchar(max)) AS 
  BEGIN 
DECLARE @index int
    SET @index = -1
  WHILE (LEN(@text) > 0)
  BEGIN
    SET @index = CHARINDEX(@delimiter , @text)
     IF (@index = 0) AND (LEN(@text) > 0)
  BEGIN 
 INSERT INTO @Strings VALUES (@text)
  BREAK 
    END
     IF (@index > 1)
  BEGIN
 INSERT INTO @Strings VALUES (LEFT(@text, @index - 1))
    SET @text = RIGHT(@text, (LEN(@text) - @index))
    END 
   ELSE 
    SET @text = RIGHT(@text, (LEN(@text) - @index))
    END
 RETURN
    END

Select allOpen in new window

Use this function in your code.

select col,
       MAX(case rn when 1 then str1 end) LastName,
       MAX(case rn when 2 then value end) FirstName,
       MAX(case rn when 3 then value end) MiddleName,
       MAX(case rn when 4 then str1 end) Suffix
  from (
select *,ROW_NUMBER() over (partition by col order by pos1,position) rn
  from (
select col,position pos1, value str1 
  from your_table
 cross apply dbo.fn_Split(col,',')) t1
 cross apply dbo.fn_Split(str1,' ')) t2
group by col

Select allOpen in new window

This is how I tested.

declare @table table(col varchar(100))
insert @table values ('SMITH,JAMES B'),('JONES,BETTY ANN'),('HOWELL,THURSTON B,III'),('PERSON,HUMAN A,JR')
select col,
       MAX(case rn when 1 then str1 end) LastName,
       MAX(case rn when 2 then value end) FirstName,
       MAX(case rn when 3 then value end) MiddleName,
       MAX(case rn when 4 then str1 end) Suffix
  from (
select *,ROW_NUMBER() over (partition by col order by pos1,position) rn
  from (
select col,position pos1, value str1 
  from @table
 cross apply dbo.fn_Split(col,',')) t1
 cross apply dbo.fn_Split(str1,' ')) t2
group by col
/*
col	LastName	FirstName	MiddleName	Suffix
HOWELL,THURSTON B,III	HOWELL	THURSTON	B	III
JONES,BETTY ANN	JONES	BETTY	ANN	NULL
PERSON,HUMAN A,JR	PERSON	HUMAN	A	JR
SMITH,JAMES B	SMITH	JAMES	B	NULL
*/

Select allOpen in new window

you could do it this way if the names are less than 2048 characters long... and you don't need to worry about
extra embedded commas in the first/middle name portion...

replace fullname in the partition by with the primary key of the row....

Select Fullname ,[1] as Surname,coalesce([2],'') as Firstname
                , coalesce([3],'') as Middle, coalesce([4],'') as Suffix
 From (
Select Fullname,substring(Xname+',',v.number,charindex(',',Xname+',',v.number)-v.number) as part 
       ,ROW_NUMBER() over (partition by fullname order by v.number asc) as rn
  From (
Select Fullname,coalesce(LTRIM(rtrim(replace(replace(fullname,'  ',' '),' ',','))),',') as Xname
from 
(
Select 'SMITH,JAMES B' as fullname
union all select 'JONES,BETTY ANN'
union all select 'HOWELL,THURSTON B,III'
union all select 'PERSON,HUMAN A,JR'
union all select null

) as x
) as x
Cross Join Master.dbo.spt_values as v
Where v.type='p'
and v.number between 1 and len(x.xname)
and SUBSTRING(','+x.xname,v.number,1)=','
) as P
Pivot (max(part) for rn in ([1],[2],[3],[4])) as pvt
order by fullname

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Sharath:  I tried your suggestion and get

Msg 321, Level 15, State 1, Line 13
"col" is not a recognized table hints option. If it is intended as a parameter to a table-valued function or to the CHANGETABLE function, ensure that your database compatibility mode is set to 90.

as an error.  I'm running SQL server 2008 R2.  If i change the "col" to a name on the table i'm using (e.g. "Name_all") it says the same thing (Name_all is not a recognized...etc)

Update:
I set compatibility_level to 90 and both Sharath and lowfatspread's suggestions were much improved.   I need to play with lowfatspread's.  I'd love that to be a function.
Sharatth, your function bombs with an "invalid length parameter passed to the RIGHT function"  

That could be because not all names in the table have a comma....

dave

Lowfatspread:  It's real close.  In my table (which has about 6000 names) I have people with names thus:

JONES JR,JAMES B

Your code parses it to be:

last name= JONES
first name = JR
middle = JAMES
suffix = B

can you tweak this?

Hi Sharath,

Posting the data would be a confidentiality issue with my client.  However, the sampels you have are  perfectly legitimate.  

What I did was change the select in your sample to point to my table (instead of from @table I use from my_table, and the column on my_table is called name_all and it's an nvarchar(20).  

I looked at the data, found no nulls, and no (as best I can tell) invalid chartacters.

the code suggested by both Sharath and lowfatspread was helpful in my writing a select to met my needs.
thankyou