How to Pass a Comma Separated List to a Stored Procedure in Sybase

When working with databases, you might face situations where you need to pass multiple parameters to a stored procedure. In Sybase, specifically, you may encounter challenges when trying to pass a comma separated list of strings. This blog post will address this problem and guide you through the solution step by step.

The Problem

Imagine you have the following stored procedure:

CREATE PROCEDURE getSomething @keyList varchar(4096)
AS
SELECT * FROM mytbl WHERE name IN (@keyList)

You want to call this stored procedure with multiple names, like 'John' and 'Tom'. However, when you try various methods to pass this list, you run into issues:

exec getSomething 'John'              -- Works, but only 1 value
exec getSomething 'John','Tom'        -- Doesn't work; expects two variables
exec getSomething "'John','Tom'"      -- Doesn't work; doesn't find anything
exec getSomething '"John","Tom"'      -- Doesn't work; doesn't find anything
exec getSomething '\'John\',\'Tom\''  -- Doesn't work; syntax error

As seen, it becomes problematic to directly pass a comma separated list. So, what’s the solution?

The Solution

In Sybase 12.5 and earlier versions, your options are limited because you can’t leverage functions directly for splitting strings. However, there is a practical workaround that involves using a temporary table to hold your values.

Using a Temporary Table

1. Create a temporary table to hold the values from your comma-separated list. For example:

   CREATE TABLE #TempNames (Name VARCHAR(100))
   

2. Insert values into the temporary table using a method to split your list. One way to achieve this manually, since Sybase doesn’t provide built-in string-splitting functions, is as follows:

   • You might need to use dynamic SQL or write a custom logic to insert your values into the #TempNames table.
   • Depending on your application or the version of Sybase, consider writing a script to loop through the list and insert each item separately.

3. Fetch data from the temporary table in your stored procedure. You can modify your stored procedure to look like this:

   CREATE PROCEDURE getSomething
   AS
   BEGIN
       DECLARE @sqlCommand VARCHAR(4096)
       SET @sqlCommand = 'SELECT * FROM mytbl WHERE name IN (SELECT Name FROM #TempNames)'
       EXEC(@sqlCommand)  -- Execute dynamic SQL
   END
   

4. Call your procedure after inserting data into your temporary table:

   INSERT INTO #TempNames VALUES ('John'), ('Tom')
   EXEC getSomething
   

Additional Considerations

• Cleanup: Remember to drop the temporary table once you’re done to avoid clutter in your database environment.

DROP TABLE #TempNames

• Sybase Versions: If you’re using later versions of Sybase, explore newer methods or features that allow string manipulation and parameter handling.

Conclusion

Passing a comma separated list to a stored procedure in Sybase may initially seem daunting, but utilizing a temporary table provides a straightforward workaround. This method effectively allows you to handle multiple parameters without running into syntax issues. Whenever you encounter similar challenges, remember this guide, and feel free to customize it to fit your specific needs.

By focusing on these steps, you can enhance the functionality of your stored procedures and improve your workflows within Sybase. Happy coding!