Query XML data from a table with XML data type

The purpose of this article is to guide Microsoft SQL Server database administrators in:

• Create XML schema (XML Shema).
• Create a table with XML data type.
• Import XML file into table with XML data type.
• Query XML file.
• Query the XML file and output the result, similar to the output from Transact SQL Statement commands.

Step 1

First, create a C file: XMLCustomer1.XML as shown below. This XML file contains data related to a customer.

2007-03-31T06: 40: 38.0000000-05: 00
james.brewer
1AE
A-Accessible
761
Stopped
30


2007-03-31T06: 40: 38.0000000-05: 00
james.brewer
1AE
Not-Accessible
870
Stopped
30


2007-03-31T06: 40: 38.0000000-05: 00
james.brewer
1AE
A-Accessible
97F
Started
30

Step 2

Create a database (database) and a set of XML Schema as below:

 USE [master] GO / ****** Object: Database [XMLTest] Script Date: 04/17/2007 01:49:43 ****** / IF EXISTS (SELECT name FROM sys.databases WHERE name = N'XMLTest ') DROP DATABASE [XMLTest] go to create database XMLTest go to use XMLTest Create XML Schema Collection XMLTrack as N' 'go 

Note : updating the Schema collection is based on your own data in the XML file.

Step 3

Create a table with XML data type:

USE [XMLTest]
GO
/ ****** Object: Table [dbo]. [XMLFiles] Script Date: 04/17/2007 02:07:52 ****** /
IF EXISTS (SELECT * FROM sys.objects WHERE object_id = OBJECT_ID (N '[dbo]. [XMLFiles]') AND type in (N'U '))
DROP TABLE [dbo]. [XMLFiles]

create table XMLFiles (Fileid int identity (1,1),
ImportedDate datetime constraint xmldatestamp default getdate (),
Filename varchar (500),
data xml (XMLTrack))

Step 4

Enter the XML file you just created (C: XMLCustomer1.XML), using the openrowset function as shown below:

USE [XMLTest]
go
INSERT INTO XMLFiles (Filename, DATA)
SELECT 'Customer1' a, *
FROM OPENROWSET (BULK 'C: XMLCustomer1.xml', SINGLE_CLOB)
as mytable
go

Note : The SINGLE_BLOB keyword will import the entire XML file for a column with an XML data type.

Step 5

Query the XMLFiles table, using the SQL operations shown below:

 USE [XMLTest] go select * from XMLFiles where FileId = 1 go 

This command will produce the following results:

Query XML data from a table with XML data type Picture 1
Figure 1.0

When you click on the data, it also displays XML data (Figure 1.1).

 2007-03-3106: 40: 38.0000-05: 00 james.brewer 1AE A-Accessible 761 Stopped 30 2007-03-31T06: 40: 38.0000000-05: 00 james.brewer 1AE Not-Accessible 870 Stopped 30 2007-03- 31T06: 40: 3800000-05: 00 james.brewer 1AE A-Accessible 97F Started 30 

Query XML data from a table with XML data type Picture 2
Figure 1.1

Step 6

Now, query the XML data from the table to produce an SQL transaction as the result set. Execute XQuery program as below:

SELECT
ref.value ('Date', 'nvarchar (364)') as [Date],
ref.value ('user', 'nvarchar (364)') as [User],
ref.value ('Userid', 'nvarchar (364)') as [Userid],
ref.value ('ls', 'nvarchar (364)') as [ls],
ref.value ('eqtid', 'nvarchar (364)') as [eqtid],
ref.value ('es', 'nvarchar (364)') as [es],
ref.value ('tp', 'nvarchar (364)') as [tp]
FROM XMLFiles CROSS APPLY Data.nodes ('// Customer / CustomerLogInfo') R (ref)
where Fileid = 1

The program will produce results as shown in Figure 1.2:

 Date, User, Userid, ls, eqtid, es, tp 2007-03-3106: 40: 38.0000000-05: 00, james.brewer, 1AE, A-Accessible, 761, Stopped, 30 2007-03-31T06: 40: 38.0000000-05: 00, james.brewer, 1AE, Not-Accessible, 870, Stopped, 30 2007-03-31T06: 40: 38.0000000-05: 00, james.brewer, 1AE, A-Accessible, 97F, Started, 30 

Query XML data from a table with XML data type Picture 3
Figure 1.2

Step 7

Now repeat step 4 and re-enter the data.

 USE [XMLTest] go INSERT INTO XMLFiles (Filename, DATA) SELECT 'Customer1' a, * FROM OPENROWSET (BULK 'C: XMLCustomer1.xml', SINGLE_CLOB) as mytable go 

Step 8

Query the table as shown below:

 USE [XMLTest] go select * from XMLFiles go 

The result is:

Query XML data from a table with XML data type Picture 4
Figure 1.3

Step 9

To display all data from both rows, we can write the query as shown below:

SELECT
ref.value ('Date', 'nvarchar (364)') as [Date],
ref.value ('user', 'nvarchar (364)') as [User],
ref.value ('Userid', 'nvarchar (364)') as [Userid],
ref.value ('ls', 'nvarchar (364)') as [ls],
ref.value ('eqtid', 'nvarchar (364)') as [eqtid],
ref.value ('es', 'nvarchar (364)') as [es],
ref.value ('tp', 'nvarchar (364)') as [tp]
FROM XMLFiles CROSS APPLY Data.nodes ('// Customer / CustomerLogInfo') R (ref)
where Fileid = 1
union all
SELECT
ref.value ('Date', 'nvarchar (364)') as [Date],
ref.value ('user', 'nvarchar (364)') as [User],
ref.value ('Userid', 'nvarchar (364)') as [Userid],
ref.value ('ls', 'nvarchar (364)') as [ls],
ref.value ('eqtid', 'nvarchar (364)') as [eqtid],
ref.value ('es', 'nvarchar (364)') as [es],
ref.value ('tp', 'nvarchar (364)') as [tp]
FROM XMLFiles CROSS APPLY Data.nodes ('// Customer / CustomerLogInfo') R (ref)
where Fileid = 2

The results are in the form of Figure 1.4.

 Date, User, Userid, ls, eqtid, es, tp 2007-03-3106: 40: 38.0000000-05: 00, james.brewer, 1AE, A-Accessible, 761, Stopped, 30 2007-03-31T06: 40: 38.0000000-05: 00, james.brewer, 1AE, Not-Accessible, 870, Stopped, 30 2007-03-31T06: 40: 38.0000000-05: 00, james.brewer, 1AE, A-Accessible, 97F, Started, 30 2007-03-3106: 40: 38.0000000-05: 00, james.brewer, 1AE, A-Accessible, 761, Stopped, 30 2007-03-31T06: 40: 38.0000000-05: 00, james.brewer, 1AE, Not -Accessible, 870, Stopped, 30 2007-03-31T06: 40: 38.0000000-05: 00, james.brewer, 1AE, A-Accessible, 97F, Started, 30 

Note: If you are planning to display all data from each row with an XML data type, you can create a stored procedure with a temporary table or pointer .

Query XML data from a table with XML data type Picture 5
Figure 1.4

Conclude

This article illustrates how to create an XML Schema, create a table with an XML data type, import an XML file into a table with an XML data type, query the XML file, and produce the same result as the actual result set. shown by SQL Transact commands.