MySQL Split String Function

MySQL does not include a function to split a delimited string. However, it’s very easy to create your own function.

Create function syntax

A user-defined function is a way to extend MySQL with a new function that works like a native MySQL function.

CREATE [AGGREGATE] FUNCTION function_name
RETURNS {STRING|INTEGER|REAL|DECIMAL}

To create a function, you must have the INSERT privilege for the <mysql> database.

Split delimited strings

The following example function takes 3 parameters, performs an operation using an SQL function, and returns the result.

Function

CREATE FUNCTION SPLIT_STR(
  x VARCHAR(255),
  delim VARCHAR(12),
  pos INT
)
RETURNS VARCHAR(255)
RETURN REPLACE(SUBSTRING(SUBSTRING_INDEX(x, delim, pos),
       LENGTH(SUBSTRING_INDEX(x, delim, pos -1)) + 1),
       delim, '');

Usage

SELECT SPLIT_STR(string, delimiter, position)

Example

SELECT SPLIT_STR('a|bb|ccc|dd', '|', 3) as third;

+-------+
| third |
+-------+
| ccc   |
+-------+