How do you turn a pasted list into a SQL IN clause?

Split the paste on new lines, wrap each value in quotes, join with a comma, and drop empty rows. Data Delimiter does that in the browser and copies the result for use in IN (...).

Why do quotes and duplicates matter in a SQL IN list?

Missing quotes, a trailing comma, or a value that already contains an apostrophe will break the query. Duplicates are common when the column is a filter output; removing them keeps the clause short.

What does Data Delimiter do?

Data Delimiter splits a pasted list on new lines, commas, spaces, or semicolons. It can wrap values in single or double quotes, join them with a delimiter you set, and remove duplicates. The SQL IN button applies single quotes and wraps the result as IN (...). It does not escape apostrophes; check the output before it goes into a script.

Who created Data Delimiter?

Data Delimiter was created by Timothy Kirk, a solutions engineer working in Power BI and SQL reporting. It is a free browser tool at timothykirk.co.uk/format/.

Turning a pasted list into a SQL IN clause

A SQL IN clause needs a comma-separated list of quoted values. Data Delimiter turns a pasted column into that string: split, quote, drop duplicates, and copy. The SQL IN button wraps it as IN ('A', 'B', 'C').

Where the query breaks

The usual failures are missing quotes, a trailing comma, and a value that already contains an apostrophe. A list exploded on commas instead of newlines will also split a value that contains a comma. Empty rows from the bottom of a spreadsheet become empty quotes, which do not match the column you meant to filter.

Duplicates are common when the column is a filter output. Removing them keeps the clause short and avoids a false sense that the set is larger than it is.

What has to be decided before you join

Split on new lines when the paste is a column. Split on commas only when the source is already a single line.
Use single quotes for T-SQL and most warehouse dialects. Use none when the values are already numeric.
Join with a comma and a space so the clause can be read in a review.

If a value contains a quote, it has to be escaped in the dialect you are writing. Data Delimiter will not guess that; check the output before it goes into a production script.

What Data Delimiter does

Data Delimiter splits on new lines, commas, spaces, or semicolons. It can wrap values in single or double quotes, or leave them bare. It joins with a delimiter you set, and it can drop duplicates before it joins. SQL IN is the shortcut: single quotes, comma join, and IN (...) around the result. Work stays in the browser.

The tool is the same one I use when a stakeholder sends a list of codes and the query has to match them exactly.

How to turn a pasted list into a SQL IN clause

Open Data Delimiter. Open timothykirk.co.uk/format/. Work stays in the browser; nothing is uploaded.
Paste the column. Paste one value per line from Excel or a results grid. Split on new lines when the paste is a column.
Use SQL IN or set quotes. Click SQL IN to apply single quotes, a comma join, and wrap the result as IN (...). Or set quotes and wrap yourself. Leave quotes off if the values are already numeric.
Copy into IN (...). Copy the joined string and paste it inside IN (...). If a value contains an apostrophe, escape it in the dialect you are writing; the tool will not guess that.