Article
10/01/2010

expanded-QName (XQuery)

Returns a value of the xs:QName type with the namespace URI specified in the $paramURI and the local name specified in the $paramLocal. If $paramURI is the empty string or the empty sequence, it represents no namespace.

Syntax

fn:expanded-QName($paramURI as xs:string?, $paramLocal as xs:string?) as xs:QName?

Arguments

$paramURI
Is the namespace URI for the QName.
$paramLocal
Is the local name part of the QName.

Remarks

The following applies to the expanded-QName() function:

If the $paramLocal value specified is not in the correct lexical form for xs:NCName type, the empty sequence is returned and represents a dynamic error.
Conversion from xs:QName type to any other type is not supported in SQL Server. Because of this, the expanded-QName() function cannot be used in XML construction. For example, when you are constructing a node, such as <e> expanded-QName(…) </e>, the value has to be untyped. This would require that you convert the xs:QName type value returned by expanded-QName() to xdt:untypedAtomic. However, this is not supported. A solution is provided in an example later in this topic.
You can modify or compare the existing QName type values. For example, /root[1]/e[1] eq expanded-QName("http://nsURI" "myNS") compares the value of the element, <e>, with the QName returned by the expanded-QName() function.

Examples

This topic provides XQuery examples against XML instances that are stored in various xml type columns in the AdventureWorks database. For an overview of each of these columns, see xml Data Type Representation in the AdventureWorks Database.

A. Replacing a QName type node value

This example illustrates how you can modify the value of an element node of QName type. The example performs the following:

Creates an XML schema collection that defines an element of QName type.
Creates a table with an xml type column by using the XML schema collection.
Saves an XML instance in the table.
Uses the modify() method of the xml data type to modify the value of the QName type element in the instance. The expanded-QName() function is used to generate the new QName type value.

-- If XML schema collection (if exists)
-- drop xml schema collection SC
-- go
-- Create XML schema collection
CREATE XML SCHEMA COLLECTION SC AS N'
<schema xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema"
    xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" 
    targetNamespace="QNameXSD" 
      xmlns:xqo="QNameXSD" elementFormDefault="qualified">
      <element name="Root" type="xqo:rootType" />
      <complexType name="rootType">
            <sequence minOccurs="1" maxOccurs="1">
                        <element name="ElemQN" type="xs:QName" />
            </sequence>
      </complexType>
</schema>'
go
-- Create table.
CREATE TABLE T( XmlCol xml(SC) )
-- Insert sample XML instnace
INSERT INTO T VALUES ('
<Root xmlns="QNameXSD" xmlns:ns="http://myURI">
      <ElemQN>ns:someName</ElemQN>
</Root>')
go
-- Verify the insertion
SELECT * from T
go
-- Result
<Root xmlns="QNameXSD" xmlns:ns="http://myURI">
  <ElemQN>ns:someName</ElemQN>
</Root>

In the following query, the <ElemQN> element value is replaced by using the modify() method of the xml data type and the replace value of XML DML, as shown.

-- the value.
UPDATE T 
SET XmlCol.modify('
  declare default element namespace "QNameXSD"; 
  replace value of /Root[1]/ElemQN 
  with expanded-QName("http://myURI", "myLocalName") ')
go
-- Verify the result
SELECT * from T
go

This is the result. Note that the element <ElemQN> of QName type now has a new value:

<Root xmlns="QNameXSD" xmlns:ns="urn">
  <ElemQN xmlns:p1="http://myURI">p1:myLocalName</ElemQN>
</Root>

The following statements remove the objects used in the example.

-- Cleanup
DROP TABLE T
go
drop xml schema collection SC
go

B. Dealing with the limitations when using the expanded-QName() function

The expanded-QName function cannot be used in XML construction. The following example illustrates this. To work around this limitation, the example first inserts a node and then modifies the node.

-- if exists drop the table T
--drop table T
-- go
-- Create XML schema collection
-- DROP XML SCHEMA COLLECTION SC
-- go
CREATE XML SCHEMA COLLECTION SC AS '
<schema xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
      <element name="root" type="QName" nillable="true"/>
</schema>'
go
 -- Create table T with a typed xml column (using the XML schema collection)
CREATE TABLE T (xmlCol XML(SC))
go
-- Insert an XML instance.
insert into T values ('<root xmlns:a="http://someURI">a:b</root>')
 go
-- Verify
SELECT * 
FROM T

The following attempt adds another <root> element but fails, because the expanded-QName() function is not supported in XML construction.

update T SET xmlCol.modify('
insert <root>{expanded-QName("http://ns","someLocalName")}</root> as last into / ')
go

A solution to this is to first insert an instance with a value for the <root> element and then modify it. In this example, a nil initial value is used when the <root> element is inserted. The XML schema collection in this example allows a nil value for the <root> element.

update T SET xmlCol.modify('
insert <root xsi:nil="true"/> as last into / ')
go
-- now replace the nil value with another QName.
update T SET xmlCol.modify('
replace value of /root[last()] with expanded-QName("http://ns","someLocalName") ')
go
 -- verify 
SELECT * FROM T
go
-- result
<root>b</root>

<root xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:p1="http://ns">p1:someLocalName</root>

You can compare the QName value, as shown in the following query. The query returns only the <root> elements whose values match the QName type value returned by the expanded-QName() function.

SELECT xmlCol.query('
    for $i in /root
    return
       if ($i eq expanded-QName("http://ns","someLocalName") ) then
          $i
       else
          ()')
FROM T

Implementation Limitations

There is one limitation: The expanded-QName() function accepts the empty sequence as the second argument and will return empty instead of raising a run-time error when the second argument is incorrect.

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