How to Convert Comma-Separated Values to Rows in Oracle?

Transforming Comma-Separated Data in Oracle Databases

Many data manipulation tasks require converting comma-separated values (CSV) within a single column into individual rows for easier analysis. Oracle offers several approaches to accomplish this.

Method 1: Recursive SQL with Regular Expressions

This technique uses recursive SQL queries combined with regular expressions for efficient CSV splitting:

select distinct id, trim(regexp_substr(value,'[^,]+', 1, level) ) value, level
  from tbl1
   connect by regexp_substr(value, '[^,]+', 1, level) is not null
   order by id, level;

This query iteratively extracts each comma-delimited value, generating a new row for each, and includes a level indicator.

Method 2: Recursive SQL (CTE) without Regular Expressions

A more standard SQL approach utilizes a Common Table Expression (CTE):

with t (id,res,val,lev) as (
           select id, trim(regexp_substr(value,'[^,]+', 1, 1 )) res, value as val, 1 as lev
             from tbl1
            where regexp_substr(value, '[^,]+', 1, 1) is not null
            union all           
            select id, trim(regexp_substr(val,'[^,]+', 1, lev+1) ) res, val, lev+1 as lev
              from t
              where regexp_substr(val, '[^,]+', 1, lev+1) is not null
              )
select id, res,lev
  from t
order by id, lev;

This recursive CTE achieves the same result as the previous method but avoids reliance on regular expressions.

Method 3: Non-Recursive Approach (INSTR and SUBSTR)

A non-recursive alternative uses INSTR() and SUBSTR() functions to locate and extract values:

WITH t ( id, value, start_pos, end_pos ) AS
  ( SELECT id, value, 1, INSTR( value, ',' ) FROM tbl1
  UNION ALL
  SELECT id,
    value,
    end_pos                    + 1,
    INSTR( value, ',', end_pos + 1 )
  FROM t
  WHERE end_pos > 0
  )
SELECT id,
  SUBSTR( value, start_pos, DECODE( end_pos, 0, LENGTH( value ) + 1, end_pos ) - start_pos ) AS value
FROM t
ORDER BY id,
  start_pos;

This method iteratively finds comma positions and extracts substrings, offering a different approach to the problem.

The optimal method depends on your specific data and performance needs. Consider testing each approach to determine the most efficient solution for your Oracle environment.

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