Hi Bob,

Yes, very hard to digest this code... I was also thinking we can create a temp table (cte) with First and Last positions and then do update based on it.

But if the code works as is, it's good.

>Naomi,
>
>Thanks for you help. You gave me enough information that gave me a kick start to the solution. It is a little brainy and hard to read and probably more complicated than it needs to be. Hopefully I will not have to look at it again.
>
>Here it is:
>
>

>UPDATE #tempProfit 
>	set profitDesc = stuff(cast(profitdesc as varchar(8000)), patindex('%Sell %' + rtrim(instrumentSymbol) + '%', profitdesc) + 4, 
>	charindex(rtrim(instrumentSymbol) + ' @', profitdesc, patindex('%Sell %' + rtrim(instrumentSymbol) + '%', profitdesc) + 4) -
>	(patindex('%Sell %' + rtrim(instrumentSymbol) + '%', profitdesc) + 4), ' ')
>
>UPDATE #tempProfit 
>	set profitDesc = stuff(cast(profitdesc as varchar(8000)), patindex('%Buy %' + rtrim(instrumentSymbol) + '%', profitdesc) + 4, 
>	charindex(rtrim(instrumentSymbol) + ' @', profitdesc, patindex('%Buy %' + rtrim(instrumentSymbol) + '%', profitdesc) + 4) -
>	(patindex('%Buy %' + rtrim(instrumentSymbol) + '%', profitdesc) + 4), ' ')
>
>
>

>
>>>Hello all,
>>

>>set @cString = 'Buy @ test another test Sell @'
>>set @FirstPosition = charindex('Buy ',@cString) + LEN('Buy ')
>>set @LastPosition = charindex('Sell ', @cString)
>>
>>set @cNewString = replace(@cString, substring(@cString, @FirstPosition, @LastPosition - @FirstPosition),'')
>>

>>Something like this, not tested.
>>
>>You may also need to do it with CASE statement or only for charindex of first word and last word is in the string and FirstPosition less than LastPosition.