---
title: "Invoking CLR User-Defined Aggregate Functions | Microsoft Docs"
ms.custom: ""
ms.date: "01/15/2019"
ms.prod: sql
ms.reviewer: ""
ms.technology: clr
ms.topic: "reference"
dev_langs: 
  - "TSQL"
  - "VB"
  - "CSharp"
helpviewer_keywords: 
  - "aggregate functions [CLR integration]"
  - "invoking user-defined aggregate functions"
  - "user-defined functions [CLR integration]"
ms.assetid: 5a188b50-7170-4069-acad-5de5c915f65d
author: "rothja"
ms.author: "jroth"
---
# CLR User-Defined Aggregate - Invoking Functions
[!INCLUDE[appliesto-ss-xxxx-xxxx-xxx-md](../../includes/appliesto-ss-xxxx-xxxx-xxx-md.md)]
  In [!INCLUDE[tsql](../../includes/tsql-md.md)] SELECT statements, you can invoke common language runtime (CLR) user-defined aggregates, subject to all the rules that apply to system aggregate functions.  
  
 The following additional rules apply:  
  
-   The current user must have **EXECUTE** permission on the user-defined aggregate.  
  
-   User-defined aggregates must be invoked using a two-part name in the form of *schema_name.udagg_name*.  
  
-   The argument type of the user-defined aggregate must match or be implicitly convertible to the *input_type* of the aggregate, as defined in the **CREATE AGGREGATE** statement.  
  
-   The return type of the user-defined aggregate must match the *return_type* in the **CREATE AGGREGATE** statement.  
  
## Example 1  
 The following is an example of a user-defined aggregate function that concatenates a set of string values taken from a column in a table:  
  
 [C#]  
  
```  
using System;  
using System.Data;  
using Microsoft.SqlServer.Server;  
using System.Data.SqlTypes;  
using System.IO;  
using System.Text;  
  
[Serializable]  
[SqlUserDefinedAggregate(  
    Format.UserDefined, //use clr serialization to serialize the intermediate result  
    IsInvariantToNulls = true, //optimizer property  
    IsInvariantToDuplicates = false, //optimizer property  
    IsInvariantToOrder = false, //optimizer property  
    MaxByteSize = 8000) //maximum size in bytes of persisted value  
]  
public class Concatenate : IBinarySerialize  
{  
    /// <summary>  
    /// The variable that holds the intermediate result of the concatenation  
    /// </summary>  
    public StringBuilder intermediateResult;  
  
    /// <summary>  
    /// Initialize the internal data structures  
    /// </summary>  
    public void Init()  
    {  
        this.intermediateResult = new StringBuilder();  
    }  
  
    /// <summary>  
    /// Accumulate the next value, not if the value is null  
    /// </summary>  
    /// <param name="value"></param>  
    public void Accumulate(SqlString value)  
    {  
        if (value.IsNull)  
        {  
            return;  
        }  
  
        this.intermediateResult.Append(value.Value).Append(',');  
    }  
  
    /// <summary>  
    /// Merge the partially computed aggregate with this aggregate.  
    /// </summary>  
    /// <param name="other"></param>  
    public void Merge(Concatenate other)  
    {  
        this.intermediateResult.Append(other.intermediateResult);  
    }  
  
    /// <summary>  
    /// Called at the end of aggregation, to return the results of the aggregation.  
    /// </summary>  
    /// <returns></returns>  
    public SqlString Terminate()  
    {  
        string output = string.Empty;  
        //delete the trailing comma, if any  
        if (this.intermediateResult != null  
            && this.intermediateResult.Length > 0)  
        {  
            output = this.intermediateResult.ToString(0, this.intermediateResult.Length - 1);  
        }  
  
        return new SqlString(output);  
    }  
  
    public void Read(BinaryReader r)  
    {  
        intermediateResult = new StringBuilder(r.ReadString());  
    }  
  
    public void Write(BinaryWriter w)  
    {  
        w.Write(this.intermediateResult.ToString());  
    }  
}  
```  
  
 [Visual Basic]  
  
```  
Imports System  
Imports System.Data  
Imports Microsoft.SqlServer.Server  
Imports System.Data.SqlTypes  
Imports System.IO  
Imports System.Text  
  
<Serializable(), SqlUserDefinedAggregate(Format.UserDefined, IsInvariantToNulls:=True, IsInvariantToDuplicates:=False, IsInvariantToOrder:=False, MaxByteSize:=8000)> _  
Public Class Concatenate  
    Implements IBinarySerialize  
  
    ''' <summary>  
    ''' The variable that holds the intermediate result of the concatenation  
    ''' </summary>  
    Public intermediateResult As StringBuilder  
  
    ''' <summary>  
    ''' Initialize the internal data structures  
    ''' </summary>  
    Public Sub Init()  
        Me.intermediateResult = New StringBuilder()  
    End Sub  
  
    ''' <summary>  
    ''' Accumulate the next value, not if the value is null  
    ''' </summary>  
    ''' <param name="value"></param>  
    Public Sub Accumulate(ByVal value As SqlString)  
        If value.IsNull Then  
            Return  
        End If  
  
        Me.intermediateResult.Append(value.Value).Append(","c)  
    End Sub  
    ''' <summary>  
    ''' Merge the partially computed aggregate with this aggregate.  
    ''' </summary>  
    ''' <param name="other"></param>  
    Public Sub Merge(ByVal other As Concatenate)  
        Me.intermediateResult.Append(other.intermediateResult)  
    End Sub  
  
    ''' <summary>  
    ''' Called at the end of aggregation, to return the results of the aggregation.  
    ''' </summary>  
    ''' <returns></returns>  
    Public Function Terminate() As SqlString  
        Dim output As String = String.Empty  
  
        'delete the trailing comma, if any  
        If Not (Me.intermediateResult Is Nothing) AndAlso Me.intermediateResult.Length > 0 Then  
            output = Me.intermediateResult.ToString(0, Me.intermediateResult.Length - 1)  
        End If  
  
        Return New SqlString(output)  
    End Function  
  
    Public Sub Read(ByVal r As BinaryReader) Implements IBinarySerialize.Read  
        intermediateResult = New StringBuilder(r.ReadString())  
    End Sub  
  
    Public Sub Write(ByVal w As BinaryWriter) Implements IBinarySerialize.Write  
        w.Write(Me.intermediateResult.ToString())  
    End Sub  
End Class  
```  
  
 Once you compile the code into **MyAgg.dll**, you can register the aggregate in [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] as follows:  
  
```  
CREATE ASSEMBLY MyAgg FROM 'C:\MyAgg.dll';  
GO  
CREATE AGGREGATE MyAgg (@input nvarchar(200)) RETURNS nvarchar(max)  
EXTERNAL NAME MyAgg.Concatenate;  
```  
  
> [!NOTE]  
>  Visual C++ database objects, such as scalar-valued functions, that have been compiled with the /clr:pure compiler option are not supported for execution in [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)].  
  
 As with most aggregates, the bulk of the logic is in the **Accumulate** method. Here, the string that is passed in as a parameter to the **Accumulate** method is appended to the **StringBuilder** object that was initialized in the **Init** method. Assuming that this is not the first time the **Accumulate** method has been called, a comma is also appended to the **StringBuilder** prior to appending the passed-in string. At the conclusion of the computational tasks, the **Terminate** method is called, which returns the **StringBuilder** as a string.  
  
 For example, consider a table with the following schema:  
  
```  
CREATE TABLE BookAuthors  
(  
   BookID   int       NOT NULL,  
   AuthorName    nvarchar(200) NOT NULL  
);  
```  
  
 Then insert the following rows:  
  
```  
INSERT BookAuthors VALUES(1, 'Johnson'),(2, 'Taylor'),(3, 'Steven'),(2, 'Mayler'),(3, 'Roberts'),(3, 'Michaels');  
```  
  
 The following query would then produce the following result:  
  
```  
SELECT BookID, dbo.MyAgg(AuthorName)  
FROM BookAuthors  
GROUP BY BookID;  
```  
  
|BookID|Author Names|  
|------------|------------------|  
|1|Johnson|  
|2|Taylor, Mayler|  
|3|Roberts, Michaels, Steven|  
  
## Example 2  
 The following sample shows an aggregate that has two parameters on the **Accumulate** method.  
  
 [C#]  
  
```  
using System;  
using System.Data;  
using System.Data.SqlClient;  
using System.Data.SqlTypes;  
using Microsoft.SqlServer.Server;  
  
[Serializable]  
[SqlUserDefinedAggregate(  
    Format.Native,  
    IsInvariantToDuplicates = false,  
    IsInvariantToNulls = true,  
    IsInvariantToOrder = true,  
    IsNullIfEmpty = true,  
    Name = "WeightedAvg")]  
public struct WeightedAvg  
{  
    /// <summary>  
    /// The variable that holds the intermediate sum of all values multiplied by their weight  
    /// </summary>  
    private long sum;  
  
    /// <summary>  
    /// The variable that holds the intermediate sum of all weights  
    /// </summary>  
    private int count;  
  
    /// <summary>  
    /// Initialize the internal data structures  
    /// </summary>  
    public void Init()  
    {  
        sum = 0;  
        count = 0;  
    }  
  
    /// <summary>  
    /// Accumulate the next value, not if the value is null  
    /// </summary>  
    /// <param name="Value">Next value to be aggregated</param>  
    /// <param name="Weight">The weight of the value passed to Value parameter</param>  
    public void Accumulate(SqlInt32 Value, SqlInt32 Weight)  
    {  
        if (!Value.IsNull && !Weight.IsNull)  
        {  
            sum += (long)Value * (long)Weight;  
            count += (int)Weight;  
        }  
    }  
  
    /// <summary>  
    /// Merge the partially computed aggregate with this aggregate  
    /// </summary>  
    /// <param name="Group">The other partial results to be merged</param>  
    public void Merge(WeightedAvg Group)  
    {  
        sum += Group.sum;  
        count += Group.count;  
    }  
  
    /// <summary>  
    /// Called at the end of aggregation, to return the results of the aggregation.  
    /// </summary>  
    /// <returns>The weighted average of all inputed values</returns>  
    public SqlInt32 Terminate()  
    {  
        if (count > 0)  
        {  
            int value = (int)(sum / count);  
            return new SqlInt32(value);  
        }  
        else  
        {  
            return SqlInt32.Null;  
        }  
    }  
}  
```  
  
 [Visual Basic]  
  
```  
Imports System  
Imports System.Data  
Imports System.Data.SqlClient  
Imports System.Data.SqlTypes  
Imports Microsoft.SqlServer.Server  
Imports System.Runtime.InteropServices  
  
<StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)> _  
<Serializable(), SqlUserDefinedAggregate(Format.Native, _  
IsInvariantToDuplicates:=False, _  
IsInvariantToNulls:=True, _  
IsInvariantToOrder:=True, _  
IsNullIfEmpty:=True, _  
Name:="WeightedAvg")> _  
Public Class WeightedAvg  
  
    ''' <summary>  
    ''' The variable that holds the intermediate sum of all values multiplied by their weight  
    ''' </summary>  
    Private sum As Long  
  
    ''' <summary>  
    ''' The variable that holds the intermediate sum of all weights  
    ''' </summary>  
    Private count As Integer  
  
    ''' <summary>  
    ''' The variable that holds the intermediate sum of all weights  
    ''' </summary>  
    Public Sub Init()  
        sum = 0  
        count = 0  
    End Sub  
  
    ''' <summary>  
    ''' Accumulate the next value, not if the value is null  
    ''' </summary>  
    ''' <param name="Value">Next value to be aggregated</param>  
    ''' <param name="Weight">The weight of the value passed to Value parameter</param>  
    Public Sub Accumulate(ByVal Value As SqlInt32, ByVal Weight As SqlInt32)  
        If Not Value.IsNull AndAlso Not Weight.IsNull Then  
            sum += CType(Value, Long) * CType(Weight, Long)  
            count += CType(Weight, Integer)  
        End If  
    End Sub  
  
    ''' <summary>  
    ''' Merge the partially computed aggregate with this aggregate.  
    ''' </summary>  
    ''' <param name="Group">The other partial results to be merged</param>  
    Public Sub Merge(ByVal Group As WeightedAvg)  
        sum = Group.sum  
        count = Group.count  
    End Sub  
  
    ''' <summary>  
    ''' Called at the end of aggregation, to return the results of the aggregation.  
    ''' </summary>  
    ''' <returns>The weighted average of all inputed values</returns>  
    Public Function Terminate() As SqlInt32  
        If count > 0 Then  
            ''                        int value = (int)(sum / count);  
            ''          return new SqlInt32(value);  
            Dim value As Integer = CType(sum / count, Integer)  
            Return New SqlInt32(value)  
        Else  
            Return SqlInt32.Null  
        End If  
    End Function  
End Class  
```  
  
 After you compile the C# or Visual Basic source code, run the following [!INCLUDE[tsql](../../includes/tsql-md.md)].  This script assumes that the DLL is called WghtAvg.dll and is in the root directory of your C drive.  A database called test is also assumed.  
  
```  
use test;  
go  
  
-- sp_configure 'clr enabled', 1;  
-- go  
  
--- RECONFIGURE WITH OVERRIDE;  
-- go  
  
IF EXISTS (SELECT name FROM systypes WHERE name = 'MyTableType')  
   DROP TYPE MyTableType;  
go  
  
IF EXISTS (SELECT name FROM sysobjects WHERE name = 'WeightedAvg')  
   DROP AGGREGATE WeightedAvg;  
go  
  
IF EXISTS (SELECT name FROM sys.assemblies WHERE name = 'MyClrCode')  
   DROP ASSEMBLY MyClrCode;  
go  
  
CREATE ASSEMBLY MyClrCode FROM 'C:\WghtAvg.dll';  
GO  
  
CREATE AGGREGATE WeightedAvg (@value int, @weight int) RETURNS int  
EXTERNAL NAME MyClrCode.WeightedAvg;  
go  
  
CREATE TYPE MyTableType AS table (ItemValue int, ItemWeight int);  
go  
  
DECLARE @myTable AS MyTableType;  
  
INSERT INTO @myTable VALUES(1, 4), (6, 1);  
  
SELECT dbo.WeightedAvg(ItemValue, ItemWeight) FROM @myTable;  
go  
```  
  
## See Also  
 [CLR User-Defined Aggregates](../../relational-databases/clr-integration-database-objects-user-defined-functions/clr-user-defined-aggregates.md)