String.Format like functionality in T-SQL?

string, t-sql

Solution

If you are using SQL Server 2012 and above, you can use `FORMATMESSAGE`. eg.

DECLARE @s NVARCHAR(50) = 'World';
DECLARE @d INT = 123;
SELECT FORMATMESSAGE('Hello %s, %d', @s, @d)
-- RETURNS 'Hello World, 123'

More examples from MSDN: FORMATMESSAGE

SELECT FORMATMESSAGE('Signed int %i, %d %i, %d, %+i, %+d, %+i, %+d', 5, -5, 50, -50, -11, -11, 11, 11);
SELECT FORMATMESSAGE('Signed int with leading zero %020i', 5);
SELECT FORMATMESSAGE('Signed int with leading zero 0 %020i', -55);
SELECT FORMATMESSAGE('Unsigned int %u, %u', 50, -50);
SELECT FORMATMESSAGE('Unsigned octal %o, %o', 50, -50);
SELECT FORMATMESSAGE('Unsigned hexadecimal %x, %X, %X, %X, %x', 11, 11, -11, 50, -50);
SELECT FORMATMESSAGE('Unsigned octal with prefix: %#o, %#o', 50, -50);
SELECT FORMATMESSAGE('Unsigned hexadecimal with prefix: %#x, %#X, %#X, %X, %x', 11, 11, -11, 50, -50);
SELECT FORMATMESSAGE('Hello %s!', 'TEST');
SELECT FORMATMESSAGE('Hello %20s!', 'TEST');
SELECT FORMATMESSAGE('Hello %-20s!', 'TEST');
SELECT FORMATMESSAGE('Hello %20s!', 'TEST');

NOTES:

- Undocumented in 2012

- Limited to 2044 characters

- To escape the % sign, you need to double it.

- If you are logging errors in extended events, calling `FORMATMESSAGE` comes up as a (harmless) error

Problem

Original source