Processing XML Hierarchy with MS SQL

Question

How would I specify the following XML Hierarchy into readable columns in Microsoft SQL?

<transaction id=1>
    <item id=1>
        <price>1</price>
    </item>
    <item id=2>
        <price>1</price>
    </item>
</transaction>
<transaction>
    <item id=1>
        <price>1</price>
    </item>
</transaction>

for instance

select
    x.i.value('(????)','Varchar(max)') [TransId]
    x.i.value('(????)','Varchar(max)') [ItemId]
    x.i.value('(????)','Varchar(max)') [PriceId]
from @xml.nodes('/transaction') x(i)

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Actually usually it's faster to shred XML from parent to child using apply, like this:

select
    t.c.value('@id','int') as TransId,
    i.c.value('@id','int') as ItemId,
    i.c.value('(price/text())[1]', 'int') as PriceId
from @xml.nodes('transaction') as t(c)
    outer apply t.c.nodes('item') as i(c)
order by TransId, ItemID

sql fiddle demo

Answer 2

Attribute values must always appear in quotation marks in XML. Not sure about the desired output. An example would be:

declare @xml xml
Select @xml=
'<transaction id="1">
    <item id="1">
        <price>1</price>
    </item>
    <item id="2">
        <price>2</price>
    </item>
</transaction>
<transaction>
    <item id="1">
        <price>3</price>
    </item>
</transaction>'

SELECT
    y.value('../@id','int') as TransactionID,
    y.value('@id','int') as ItemID,
    y.value('(./price/text())[1]', 'Varchar(max)') as Price
FROM @xml.nodes('/transaction/item') as x(y)
order by TransactionID,ItemID

with the output:

NULL    1   3
1       1   1
1       2   2