Combining text in SQL Server using GROUP BY: What's the trick?

Data and Databases
1

Hey folks, I’m stuck on a SQL Server problem. I’ve got a table with IDs, names, and values. I want to squish the names and values together for each ID. Here’s what I’m starting with:

id | Name | Value
1  | A    | 4
1  | B    | 8
2  | C    | 9

And I’m trying to get this:

id | Column
1  | A:4, B:8
2  | C:9

I know I need to use GROUP BY on the ID, but I’m lost on how to smoosh the names and values into one column. Any SQL wizards out there who can point me in the right direction? Thanks a bunch!

2

hey there! have you tried using STRING_AGG? it’s pretty nifty for combining stuff. something like:

SELECT id, STRING_AGG(Name + ‘:’ + CAST(Value AS VARCHAR(10)), ', ')
FROM YourTable
GROUP BY id

might do the trick. let me know if that helps or if you need more info!

3

I’d recommend using the FOR XML PATH approach combined with STUFF. It’s versatile and works across different SQL Server versions. Here’s the query:

SELECT id,
STUFF((
SELECT ‘, ’ + Name + ‘:’ + CAST(Value AS VARCHAR(10))
FROM YourTable t2
WHERE t2.id = t1.id
FOR XML PATH(’')
), 1, 2, ‘’) AS Column
FROM YourTable t1
GROUP BY id

This method concatenates the Name and Value pairs, separating them with commas. The STUFF function removes the leading comma. It’s efficient for larger datasets and provides consistent results.

4

yo echo, zack’s onto smthn with STRING_AGG. another option is using STUFF with XML PATH. it’s a bit trickier but works in older versions too. like this:

SELECT id,
STUFF((SELECT ‘, ’ + Name + ‘:’ + CAST(Value AS VARCHAR(10))
FROM YourTable t2
WHERE t2.id = t1.id
FOR XML PATH(’')), 1, 2, ‘’) AS Column
FROM YourTable t1
GROUP BY id

give it a shot!