How to Efficiently Pass a List of Strings from C# to a SQL Server Stored Procedure?

C# and SQL Server: Efficiently Handling String Lists in Stored Procedures

A common challenge when interacting with SQL Server stored procedures from C# involves passing dynamic lists of string values. This article demonstrates a robust solution using User Defined Table Types (UDTTs).

The Problem: Dynamic String Lists

Imagine a stored procedure needing to filter results based on a variable-length list of strings. Directly passing this list can be problematic.

Solution: User Defined Table Types (UDTTs)

SQL Server 2008 and later versions offer UDTTs as an elegant solution. We'll create a UDTT called StringList to encapsulate our string collection.

Creating the Stored Procedure

This stored procedure uses the StringList type:

CREATE PROCEDURE [dbo].[sp_UseStringList]
    @list StringList READONLY
AS
BEGIN
    -- Retrieve and return items from the input list
    SELECT l.Item FROM @list l;
END

C# Implementation

The C# code below demonstrates how to utilize this stored procedure:

using (var con = new SqlConnection(connstring))
{
    con.Open();

    using (SqlCommand cmd = new SqlCommand("exec sp_UseStringList @list", con))
    {
        // Create a DataTable to hold the string list
        using (var table = new DataTable())
        {
            table.Columns.Add("Item", typeof(string));

            // Add sample data – replace with your actual list
            for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++)
            {
                table.Rows.Add("String" + i);
            }

            // Add the DataTable as a parameter to the command.
            SqlParameter tvpParam = cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@list", table);
            tvpParam.SqlDbType = SqlDbType.Structured;
            tvpParam.TypeName = "dbo.StringList";

            // Execute the command.
            using (SqlDataReader reader = cmd.ExecuteReader())
            {
                // Process the results
                while (reader.Read())
                {
                    Console.WriteLine(reader["Item"].ToString());
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

SSMS Execution Example

For testing in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS):

DECLARE @list AS StringList;

INSERT INTO @list VALUES ('Apple'), ('Banana'), ('Orange');

EXEC sp_UseStringList @list;

This approach provides a clean, efficient method for passing lists of strings from C# to SQL Server stored procedures, leveraging the power of UDTTs for structured data transfer. Remember to replace "dbo.StringList" with the correct schema and name if you've altered them.

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