isolating a sub-string in a string before a symbol in SQL Server 2008

Question

i am trying to extract a substring(everything before a hyphen, in this case) from a string as shown below:

Net Operating Loss - 2007
Capital Loss - 1991
Foreign Tax Credit - 1997

and want the year and name(substring before hyphen) separately, using SQL server Management studio 2008. Any advice? or idea how i can achieve this?

user_3056160 · Answer

This can achieve using two SQL functions- SUBSTRING and CHARINDEX

You can read strings to a variable as shown in the above answers, or can add it to a SELECT statement as below:

SELECT SUBSTRING('Net Operating Loss - 2007' ,0, CHARINDEX('-','Net Operating Loss - 2007'))