Load Relational XML data in SQL Server 2005

When question comes to play with XML, even seasoned programmer try to get away from it, not because it is difficult task but lack of knowledge. I promise, loading XML data into SQL Server 2005 as a relational data, is not going to be as difficult as you are thinking.

Let me show you one example which will fill two relational tables in SQL Server from XML data. Let us first create one XML file at C:\vendor.XML with following data in it.

   <vendor>

<c>

  <venID>101</venID>

  <first_name>James</first_name>

  <last_name>Butler</last_name>

<po>

  <poid>1001</poid>

  <venID>101</venID>

  <po_date>2008-04-01T00:00:00</po_date>

  <price>400.00</price>

  </po>

<po>

  <poid>1002</poid>

  <venID>101</venID>

  <po_date>2008-05-01T00:00:00</po_date>

  <price>299.0000</price>

 </po>

<po>

  <poid>1002</poid>

  <venID>101</venID>

  <po_date>2009-04-01T00:00:00</po_date>

  <price>600.0000</price>

</po>

 </c>

</vendor>

<

Now, create two tables to feed vendor details and purchase order detail, than we will load XML file into both tables.

--create table to hold Vendor information

CREATE TABLE vendor (

        venid INT NOT NULL

        , first_name VARCHAR(50)

        , last_name VARCHAR(50)

        )

--create table for holding Purchase order information.

CREATE TABLE PurcharOrder (

        poID INT NOT NULL

        , venid INT NOT NULL

        , po_date DATETIME

        , price MONEY

        )

GO

--hold xml from file

DECLARE @x XML

SET @x= (

SELECT xm.Col1 FROM OPENROWSET(BULK 'c:\vendor.xml',SINGLE_BLOB) AS xm(Col1)

         )

-- show file contents

select @x

INSERT INTO vendor

SELECT

ven.value('./venID[1]', 'INT') as vid

, ven.value('./first_name[1]', 'VARCHAR(50)') as first_name

, ven.value('./last_name[1]', 'VARCHAR(50)') as last_name

--, C.query('.') 

FROM @x.nodes('/vendor/c') tab(ven)

INSERT INTO PurcharOrder

SELECT

ven.value('./poid[1]', 'INT') as POID

, ven.value('./venID[1]', 'INT') as VenID

, ven.value('./po_date[1]', 'DATETIME') as po_date

, ven.value('./price[1]', 'MONEY') as price

--,ven.query('.')

FROM @x.nodes('/vendor/c/po') tab(ven)

GO

--check both table, whether data comes or not.

select * FROM Vendor

Select * from PurcharOrder

Reference: Ritesh Shah

http://www.sqlhub.com
Note: Microsoft Books online is a default reference of all articles but examples and explanations prepared by Ritesh Shah, founder of http://www.SQLHub.com