SQL Function Types 

Number Functions  
CEIL   MOD    
FLOOR      
ROUND - Number Function      
TRUNC      
Character Functions
CHR   LTRIM   TRANSLATE
CONCAT   REPLACE   TRIM  
INITCAP   RPAD   UCASE See UPPER
LCASE See LOWER ROUND - Date Function   UPPER  
LOWER SUBSTR   USER  
LPAD   SUBSTRB  
Character Functions Returning Number Values
ASCII INSTR   LENGTHB  
BIT_LENGTH (See LENGTH) INSTRB   OCTET_LENGTH
(See LENGTH)
CHAR_LENGTH LENGTH POSITION  
(See LENGTH)
Date Functions
ADD_MONTHS HOUR   SYSDATE  
CURDATE   LAST_DAY   TIMESTAMPADD  
CURRENT_DATE   MINUTE   TIMESTAMPDIFF  
CURRENT_TIME   MONTH   TRUNC  
CURRENT_TIMESTAMP   MONTHNAME   WEEK  
CURTIME   MONTHS_BETWEEN   YEAR  
DAYNAME   NEXT_DAY    
DAYOFMONTH   NOW    
DAYOFWEEK   ROUND - Date Function    
DAYOFYEAR   SECOND    
Conversion Functions    
CAST   TO_CHAR   TO_DATE  
CONVERT   TO_NUMBER    
Other Functions
CASE GREATEST   LOCATE  
DATABASE IFNULL NVL
(See CASE and NVL)
DECODE   INTERVAL   SUBSTR  
EXTRACT   LEAST   USER  
Grouping Functions
AVG STDDEV    
COUNT SUM    
MAX VARIANCE    
MIN      

3.2 SQL Functions Overview

SQL functions are similar to SQL operators in that both manipulate data items and
both return a result. SQL functions differ from SQL operators in the format in which
they appear with their arguments. The SQL function format enables functions to
operate with zero, one, or more arguments.
function(argument1, argument2, ...) alias

If passed an argument whose datatype differs from an expected datatype, most

functions perform an implicit datatype conversion on the argument before execution.
If passed a null value, most functions return a null value.

SQL functions are used exclusively with SQL commands within SQL statements.
There are two general types of SQL functions: single row (or scalar) functions and
aggregate functions. These two types differ in the number of database rows on which
they act. A single row function returns a value based on a single row in a query,
whereas an aggregate function returns a value based on all the rows in a query.

Single row SQL functions can appear in select lists (except in SELECT statements
that contain a GROUP BY clause) and WHERE clauses.

Aggregate functions are the "set" functions: AVG, MIN, MAX, SUM, and COUNT.
You must provide them with an alias that can be used by the GROUP BY function.

Most functions have a SQL form and an ODBC form that can differ slightly in
functionality. Either form can be used in embedded SQL.

3.2.1 Number Functions

Number functions accept numeric input and return numeric values.

3.2.2 Character Functions

Single row character functions accept character input and can return both character
and number values.

3.2.3 Character Functions Returning Number Values

Some character functions return only number values.

3.2.4 Date Functions

Date functions operate on values of the DATE datatype. All date functions return a
value of the DATE datatype, except the MONTHS_BETWEEN function which returns a
number.

3.2.5 Conversion Functions

Conversion functions convert a value from one datatype to another. Generally, the
form of the function name follows the convention datatype  TO datatype. The first
datatype is the input datatype; the last datatype is the output datatype.

3.3 SQL Functions Alphabetical Listing

This section lists Oracle Lite SQL functions in alphabetical order and defines each
function. The discussion includes:

 Syntax
 Purpose
 Argument and Description
 Examples
 Usage Notes
 ODBC Functionality (where relevant)

3.3.1 ADD_MONTHS

Syntax 
ADD_MONTHS(d, n)

d, a value of the Date datatype.

n, an integer that represents a number of months.

Purpose 

Adds a specified date d to a specified number of months n and returns the resulting

date. If the day component of argument d is the last day of the month, or if the
resulting month has fewer days than the day component of d, then ADD_MONTHS
returns the last day of the resulting month. Otherwise, ADD_MONTHS returns a
value that has the same day component as d.

Example 
SELECT TO_CHAR(ADD_MONTHS(hiredate,1)),'DD-MM-YYYY' "Next month"FROM emp WHERE
ename = 'SMITH'

Returns the following result:

TO_CHAR(ADD_MONTHS(HIREDATE Next month
---------------------------------------- ----------
1981-01-17 DD-MM-YYYY

3.3.2 ASCII

Syntax 
ASCII(char)

Purpose 

Returns the decimal representation in the database character set of the first byte
of char. If your database character set is 7-bit ASCII, this function returns an ASCII
value.

Example 
SELECT ASCII('Q') FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

ASCII('Q')
----------
81

3.3.3 AVG

Syntax 
AVG([DISTINCT | ALL] n)

Purpose 
Returns the average value of a column n.

Example 1 
SELECT AVG(SAL) FROM EMP;

Returns the following result:

AVG(SAL)
---------
2073.21

Example 2 
SELECT {FN AVG (SAL)} FROM EMP;

Returns the following result:

{FNAVG(SAL)}
------------
2073.21

Example 3 
SELECT AVG (DISTINCT DEPTNO) FROM EMP;

Returns the following result:

AVG(DISTINCTDEPTNO)
-------------------
20

Example 4 
SELECT AVG (ALL DEPTNO) FROM EMP;

Returns the following result:

AVG(ALLDEPTNO)
--------------
22.142

ODBC Function 
{FN AVG ([DISTINCT | ALL] n)}

where n is the name of a numeric column.

3.3.4 CASE

Syntax 
CASE
WHEN condition 1 THEN result 1
WHEN condition 2 THEN result 2
...
WHEN condition n THEN result n
ELSE result x
END,

Purpose 

Specifies a conditional value.

Table 3-1 Arguments Used with the CASE Function

Argument Description
WHEN Begins a condition clause.
Condition Specifies the condition.
THEN Begins a result clause.
Result Specifies the result of the associated condition.
ELSE An optional clause specifying the result of any value not described in a condition
clause.
END Terminates the case statement.

Usage Notes 

The CASE function specifies conditions and results for a select or update statement.
You can use the CASE function to search for data based on specific conditions or to
update values based on a condition.

Example 
SELECT CASE JOB
WHEN 'PRESIDENT' THEN 'The Honorable'
WHEN 'MANAGER' THEN 'The Esteemed'
ELSE 'The good'
END,
ENAME
FROM EMP;
Returns the following result:
CASEJOBWHEN'PRESI ENAME
----------------- ----------
The Honorable KING
The Esteemed BLAKE
The Esteemed CLARK
The Esteemed JONES
The good MARTIN
The good ALLEN
The good TURNER
The good JAMES
The good WARD
The good FORD
The good SMITH
The good SCOTT
The good ADAMS
The good MILLER

14 rows selected.

3.3.5 CAST

Syntax 
SELECT CAST ( <source_operand > AS <data_type > ) FROM DUAL;

Purpose 

Converts data from one type to another type.

Table 3-2 Arguments Used with the CAST Function

Argument Description
<source_operand> a value expression or NULL.
<data_type> the type of target.

Usage Notes 

The following table displays the conversion results of source operands to datatypes:

Figure 3-1
Results of Source Operands and Datatypes

The following table defines conversion results of source operands to datatypes:

Table 3-3 Definitions of Conversion Results and Source Operands

Result Definitions  
EN = exact number D = date
C = fixed or variable length character TS = timestamp
VC = variable length character DT = date-time
T = time V = valid
YM = year-month interval R = valid with restrictions
AN = approximate numeric X = invalid
FC = fixed length character  

If <source_operand> is an exact numeric and <data_type> is an interval, then the

interval contains a single date-time field.

If <source_operand> is an interval and <data_type> is an exact numeric, then the

interval contains a single date-time field.

If <source_operand> is a character string and <data_type> specifies a character

string, then their character repertoire is the same.
If <data_type> is numeric and the result cannot be represented without losing leading
significant digits, then the following exception is raised: data-exception, numeric
value out of range.

Example 1 
SELECT CAST('0' AS INTEGER) FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

CAST('0'ASINTEGER)
------------------
0

Example 2 
SELECT CAST(0 AS REAL) FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

CAST(0ASREAL)
-------------
0

Example 3 
SELECT CAST(1E0 AS NUMERIC(12, 2)) FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

CAST(1E0ASNUMERIC(12
--------------------
1

Example 4 
SELECT CAST(CURRENT_TIMESTAMP AS VARCHAR(30)) FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

CAST(CURRENT_TIMESTAMPASVARCH
------------------------------
1999-04-12 14:53:53

3.3.6 CEIL
Syntax 
CEIL (n)

Purpose 

Returns smallest integer greater than or equal to n.

Example 
SELECT CEIL(15.7) "Ceiling" FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

Ceiling
---------
16

3.3.7 CHR

Syntax 
CHR (n)

Purpose 

Returns the character with the binary equivalent to n in the database character set.

Example 
SELECT CHR(68)||CHR(79)||CHR(71) "Dog" FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

Dog
---
DOG

3.3.8 CONCAT

Syntax 
CONCAT(char1, char2)
or
CHAR1 || CHAR2

Purpose 

Returns char1 concatenated with char2, where char1 and char2 are string arguments.

This function is equivalent to the concatenation operator (||).

Example 

This example uses nesting to concatenate three character strings:

SELECT CONCAT( CONCAT(ename, ' is a '), job) "Job"
FROM emp
WHERE empno = 7900;

Returns the following result:

Job
-------------------------
JAMES is a CLERK

ODBC Function 
{FN CONCAT (char1, char2)}

3.3.9 CONVERT

Syntax 
{ fn CONVERT(value_exp, data_type) }

Purpose 

Converts a character string from one character set to another.

The value_exp argument is the value to be converted.

The data_type argument is the name of the character set to which char is converted.

Usage Notes 
The following includes a list of common character sets:

Table 3-4 Common Character Sets Used with the CONVERT Function

Common Character
Sets  
US7ASCII WE8ISO8859P1
WE8DEC HP West European Laserjet 8-bit character set
WE8HP DEC French 7-bit character set
F7DEC IBM West European EBCDIC Code Page 500
WE8EBCDIC500 IBM PC Code Page 850 ISO 8859-1 West European 8-bit
character set
WE8PC850 ISO 8859-1 West European 8-bit character set

Example 
SELECT {fn CONVERT('Groß', 'US7ASCII') }
"Conversion" FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

conversi
--------
Groß

3.3.10 COUNT

Syntax 
COUNT([* | [DISTINCT | ALL] expr})

Purpose 

Returns the number of rows in the query.

Example 1 
SELECT COUNT(*) "Total" FROM emp;

Returns the following result:

Total
----------
14

Example 2 
SELECT COUNT(job) "Count" FROM emp;

Returns the following result:

Count
----------
14

Example 3 
SELECT COUNT(DISTINCT job) "Jobs" FROM emp;

Returns the following result:

Jobs
----------
5

Example 4 
SELECT COUNT (ALL JOB) FROM EMP;

Returns the following result:

COUNT(ALLJOB)
-------------

3.3.11 CURDATE

Syntax 
{ fn CURDATE ( <value_expression > ) }

Purpose 

Returns the current date.

Usage Notes 

If you specify expr (expression), this function returns rows where expr is not null. You
can count either all rows, or only distinct values of expr.
If you specify the asterisk (*), this function returns all rows, including duplicates and
nulls.

Example 1 
SELECT {fn CURDATE()} FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

{FNCURDATE
-----------
1999-04-12

Example 2 
SELECT {fn WEEK({fn CURDATE()})} FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

{FNWEEK({FNCURDATE()})}
-----------------------
16

3.3.12 CURRENT_DATE

Syntax 
CURRENT_DATE

Purpose 

Returns the current date.

Example 
SELECT CURRENT_DATE FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

CURRENT_DATE
------------
1999-04-12

ODBC Function 
{fn CURDATE()}
3.3.13 CURRENT_TIME

Syntax 
CURRENT_TIME

Purpose 

Returns the current time.

Example 
SELECT CURRENT_TIME FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

CURRENT_T
---------
15:54:18

ODBC Function 
{fn CURTIME()}

3.3.14 CURRENT_TIMESTAMP

Syntax 
CURRENT_TIMESTAMP

Purpose 

Returns the current local date and local time as a timestamp value but only displays
the current local date by default. You can view current local time information by
using CURRENT_TIMESTAMP as a value of the TO_CHAR function and by including a time
format. See Example 2.

Example 1 
SELECT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

CURRENT_TI
---------
1999-04-12

Example 2 
SELECT TO_CHAR (CURRENT_TIMESTAMP, 'HH24:MM:SS, Day, Month, DD, YYYY')FROM
DUAL;

Returns the following result:

TO_CHAR(CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
----------------------------------------
18:04:05, Tuesday , April , 06, 1999

ODBC Function 
{fn CURTIME()}

3.3.15 CURTIME

Syntax 
{ fn CURTIME ( <value_expression > ) }

Purpose 

Returns the current time.

Example 1 
SELECT {fn CURTIME()} FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

{FNCURTIM
---------
11:09:59

Example 2 
SELECT {fn HOUR({fn CURTIME()})} FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

{FNHOUR({FNCURTIME()})}
-----------------------
11
3.3.16 DATABASE

Syntax 
{ fn DATABASE () }

Purpose 

Specifies the name of the database. If you are using ODBC, the DATABASE function
returns the name of the current default database file without the .ODB extension.

Usage Notes 

A database name function returns the same value as that

of SQLGetConnectOption() with the option SQL_CURRENT_QUALIFIER.

Example 

The following example returns a result for users connected to the default database.
SELECT {fn DATABASE () } FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

{FNDATABASE()}
--------------
POLITE

3.3.17 DAYNAME

Syntax 
{ fn DAYNAME (date_expr) }

Purpose 

Returns the day of the week as a string.

Example 
SELECT {fn dayname({fn curdate()})} from dual;
Returns the current day of the week as a string.

3.3.18 DAYOFMONTH

Syntax 
{ fn DAYOFMONTH ( <value_expression > ) }

Purpose 

Returns the day of the month as an integer.

Table 3-5 Argument Used with the DAYOFMONTH Function

Argument Description
<value_expression> Date on which the day of the month is computed. The result is between 1
and 31, where 1 represents the first day of the month.

Example 1 
SELECT {fn DAYOFMONTH ({fn CURDATE()})} FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

{FNDAYOFMONTH({FNCURDATE()})
----------------------------
12

Example 2 
SELECT {fn DAYOFMONTH('1997-07-16')} "DayOfMonth" FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

DayOfMonth
----------
16

3.3.19 DAYOFWEEK

Syntax 
{ fn DAYOFWEEK ( <value_expression > ) }

Purpose 
Returns the day of the week as an integer.

Table 3-6 Argument Used with the DAYOFWEEK Function

Argument Description
<value_expression> Date on which the day of the week is computed. The result is between 1
and 7, where 1 represents Sunday.

Example 1 
SELECT {fn DAYOFWEEK ({fn CURDATE()})} FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

{FNDAYOFWEEK({FNCURDATE()})}
----------------------------
2

Example 2 
SELECT {fn DAYOFWEEK('1997-07-16')} "DayOfWeek" FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

DayOfWeek
------------------
4

3.3.20 DAYOFYEAR

Syntax 
{ fn DAYOFYEAR ( <value_expression > ) }

Purpose 

Returns the day of the year as an integer.

Table 3-7 Argument Used with the DAYOFYEAR Function

Argument Description
<value_expression> A date on which the day of the year is computed. The result is between 1
and 366.
Example 1 
SELECT {fn DAYOFYEAR ({fn CURDATE()})} FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

{FNDAYOFYEAR({FNCURDATE()})}
----------------------------
102

Example 2 
SELECT {fn DAYOFYEAR('1997-07-16')} "DAYOFYEAR" FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

DayOfYear
---------
197

3.3.21 DECODE

Syntax 
DECODE (expr, search, result [, search, result...] [,default])

Purpose 

Search for an expression's values and then evaluate them in terms of a specified result.

Usage Notes 

To evaluate an expression, Oracle Lite compares the expression to each search value
one by one. If the expression is equal to a search, Oracle Lite returns the
corresponding result. If no match is found, Oracle Lite returns default, or, if default is
omitted, returns null. If the expression and search contain character data, Oracle Lite
compares them using nonpadded comparison semantics.

The search, result, and default values can be derived from expressions. Oracle Lite
evaluates each search value only before comparing it to the expression, rather than
evaluating all search values before comparing any of them with the expression.
Consequently, Oracle never evaluates a search if a previous search is equal to the
expression.
Oracle Lite automatically converts the expression and each search value to the
datatype of the first search value before making comparisons. Oracle Lite
automatically converts the return value to the same datatype as the first result. If the
first result has the datatype CHAR or if the first result is null, then Oracle Lite
converts the return value to the datatype VARCHAR2.

In a DECODE expression, Oracle Lite considers two nulls to be equivalent. If the

expression is null, Oracle Lite returns the result of the first search that is also null.

The maximum number of components in the DECODE expression, including the

expression, searches, results, and default is 255.

Example 1 

The following expression decodes the DEPTNO column in the DEPT table. If
DEPTNO is 10, the expression evaluates to 'ACCOUNTING';if DEPTNO is 20, it
evaluates to 'RESEARCH'; and so on. If DEPTNO is not 10, 20, 30, or 40, the
expression returns 'NONE'.
DECODE (deptno, 10, 'ACCOUNTING',
20, 'RESEARCH',
30, 'SALES',
40, 'OPERATIONS',
'NONE')

Example 2 

The following example uses the DECODE clause in a SELECT statement:

SELECT DECODE (deptno, 10, 'ACCOUNTING',
20, 'RESEARCH',
30, 'SALES',
40, 'OPERATIONS',
'NONE')
FROM DEPT;

Returns the following result:

DECODE(DEP
----------
ACCOUNTING
RESEARCH
SALES
OPERATIONS
3.3.22 EXTRACT

Syntax 
EXTRACT (extract-field FROM extract source)

Purpose 

Returns information from the i portion of the extract-source.  The extract-

source argument contains date-time or interval expressions. The extract-
field argument contains one of the following keywords: YEAR, MONTH, DAY,
HOUR, MINUTE, or SECOND.

The precision of the returned value is defined in implementation. The scale is 0

unless SECOND is specified. When SECOND is specified, the scale is not less than the
fractional seconds precision of the extract-source field.

Example 1 
SELECT EXTRACT (DAY FROM '06-15-1966') FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

EXTRACT(DAY
-----------
15

Example 2 
SELECT EXTRACT (YEAR FROM {FN CURDATE()}) FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

EXTRACT(YEAR
------------
1999

3.3.23 FLOOR

Syntax 
FLOOR (n)

Purpose 
Returns largest integer equal to or less than n.

Example 
SELECT FLOOR(15.7) "Floor" FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

Floor
---------
15

3.3.24 GREATEST

Syntax 
GREATEST(expr [,expr] ...)

Purpose 

Returns the greatest of the list of exprs (expressions). All exprs after the first are
implicitly converted to the datatype of the first exprs before the comparison. Oracle
Lite compares the exprs using non-padded comparison semantics. Character
comparison is based on the value of the character in the database character set. One
character is greater than another if it has a higher value. If the value returned by this
function is character data, its datatype is always VARCHAR2.

Example 
SELECT GREATEST('HARRY','HARRIOT','HAROLD') "GREATEST" FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

GREATEST
--------
HARRY

3.3.25 HOUR

Syntax 
HOUR (time_exp)

Purpose 
Returns the hour as an integer value in the range of 0-23.

Example 1 
SELECT {FN HOUR ('14:03:01')} FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

{FNHOUR('14:03:01')}
--------------------
14

Example 2 
SELECT {fn HOUR({fn CURTIME()})} FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

{FNHOUR({FNCURTIME()})}
-----------------------
11

3.3.26 INITCAP

Syntax 
INITCAP(char)

Purpose 

Returns char, with the first letter of each word in uppercase, all other letters in
lowercase. Words are delimited by white space or characters that are not
alphanumeric.

Example 
SELECT INITCAP('the soap') "Capitals" FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

Capitals
--------
The Soap

3.3.27 INSTR
Syntax 
INSTR(char1, char2, [, n [, m ]])

Purpose 

Searches the string argument char1, beginning with its nth character, for

the mth occurrence of string argument char2, where m and n are numeric arguments.
Returns the position in char1 of the first character of this occurrence.

Usage Notes 

If n is negative, INSTR counts and searches backward from the end of char1. The
value of m must be positive. The default values of both n and m are 1, meaning that
INSTR begins searching at the first character of char1 for the first occurrence
of char2. The return value is relative to the beginning of char1, regardless of the value
of n, and is expressed in characters. If the search is unsuccessful (if char2 does not
appear m times after the nth character of char1), the return value is 0. For additional
information, see the syntax for the "POSITION" function.

Example 
SELECT INSTR('CORPORATE FLOOR','OR',3,2) "Instring" FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

Instring
---------
14

3.3.28 INSTRB

Syntax 
INSTRB(char1, char2, [, n [, m ]])

Purpose 

Searches the string argument char1, beginning with its nth byte, for

the mth occurrence of string argument char2, where m and n are numeric arguments.
Returns the position in char1 of the first byte of this occurrence. The same
as INSTR except that n and the function's return value are expressed in bytes rather
than characters. For a single-byte database character set, INSTRB is equivalent
to INSTR.

Example 
SELECT INSTRB('CORPORATE FLOOR','OR',5,2) "Instring in bytes" FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

Instring in bytes
-----------------
14

3.3.29 INTERVAL

Syntax 
INTERVAL (datetime values)

Purpose 

Subtracts one datetime from another and generates the result. When you add or
subtract one interval from another, the result is always another interval. You can
multiply or divide an interval by a numeric constant.

Example 1 
SELECT CURRENT_DATE - INTERVAL '8' MONTH FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

CURRENT_DATE-INTERVAL
---------------------
1998-08-09

Example 2 
SELECT TO_CHAR (INTERVAL '6' DAY * 3) FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

TO_CHAR(INTERVAL'6'DAY*3)
-------------------------
18
3.3.30 LAST_DAY

Syntax 
LAST_DAY(d)

Purpose 

Returns a date that represents the last day of the month in which date d occurs.

Usage Notes 

You can use this function to determine how many days are left in the current month.

Example 1 
SELECT LAST_DAY (SYSDATE) FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

LAST_DAY
----------
1999-04-30

Example 2 
SELECT SYSDATE,
LAST_DAY(SYSDATE) "Last",
LAST_DAY(SYSDATE) - SYSDATE "Days Left"
FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

{FNNOW()} Last Days Left
---------- ---------- ---------
1999-04-12 1999-04-30 18

3.3.31 LEAST

Syntax 
LEAST(expr [,expr] ...)

Purpose 
Returns the least of the list of exprs (expressions). All exprs after the first are
implicitly converted to the datatype of the first exprs before the comparison. Oracle
Lite compares the exprs using non-padded comparison semantics. Character
comparison is based on the value of the character in the database character set. One
character is less than another if it has a lower value. If the value returned by this
function is character data, its datatype is always VARCHAR2.

Example 
SELECT LEAST('HARRY','HARRIOT','HAROLD') "LEAST" FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

LEAST
-------
HAROLD

3.3.32 LENGTH

Syntax 
LENGTH (char)
{fn LENGTH(char)}
BIT_LENGTH (char)
CHAR_LENGTH (char)
OCTET_LENGTH (char)

LENGTH returns the number of characters in char. BIT_LENGTH,

CHAR_LENGTH, and OCTET_LENGTH return the length of char in bits,
characters, or octets, respectively.

Purpose 

Returns the length in characters of the string argument char. If char has the datatype
CHAR, the length includes all trailing blanks. If char is null, it returns null.

Usage Notes 

BIT_LENGTH, CHAR_LENGTH, and OCTET_LENGTH are SQL-92 functions.

CHAR_LENGTH is the same as LENGTH, and OCTET_LENGTH is the same as
LENGTHB.
Example 
SELECT LENGTH('CANDIDE') "Length in characters" FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

Length in characters
--------------------
7

3.3.33 LENGTHB

Syntax 
LENGTHB(char)
{fn LENGTHB(char)}

Purpose 

Returns the length in bytes of the string argument char. If char is null, it returns null.
For a single-byte database character set, LENGTHB is equivalent to "LENGTH".

Example 
SELECT LENGTHB('CANDIDE') "Length in bytes" FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

Length in bytes
---------------
7

3.3.34 LOCATE

Syntax 
LOCATE (string_exp1, string_exp2[,start])

Purpose 

Returns the starting position of the first occurrence of string_exp1 within the first
character position of string_exp2. You can use the start  value to specify a search
location other than the first character position of string_exp2.
Example 1 

The following example selects the starting position of the character 'R' in the string
expression 'TURNER' for every row of the EMP table.
SELECT {FN LOCATE ('R', 'TURNER')} FROM EMP ENAME;

Returns the following result:

{FNLOCATE('R'
-------------
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3

14 rows selected.

Example 2 

The following example selects the starting position of the character 'R' in the string
expression 'TURNER' and starts its search at the fourth character in 'TURNER'. The example
displays the results found for every occurrence of 'TURNER' in every row of
the EMP table.
SELECT {FN LOCATE ('R', 'TURNER',4)} FROM EMP ENAME;

Returns the following result:

{FNLOCATE('R'
-------------
6
6
6
6
6
6
 6
6
6
6
6
6
6
6

14 rows selected.

3.3.35 LOWER

Syntax 
LOWER(char)

Purpose 

Returns a string argument char, with all its letters in lowercase. The return value has
the same datatype as char, either CHAR or VARCHAR2.

Example 
SELECT LOWER('LOWER') FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

LOWER
-----
lower

ODBC Function 
{fn LCASE (char)}

3.3.36 LPAD

Syntax 
LPAD(char1,n [,char2])

Purpose 

Returns char1, left-padded to length n with the sequence of characters

in char2; char2 defaults to a single blank. If char1 is longer than n, this function
returns the portion of char1 that fits in n.
The argument n is the total length of the return value as it is displayed on your
terminal screen. In most character sets, this is also the number of characters in the
return value. However, in some multi-byte character sets, the display length of a
character string can differ from the number of characters in the string.

Example 
SELECT LPAD('Page1',15,'*.') "LPAD example" FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

LPAD example
-----------------
*.*.*.*.*.Page1

3.3.37 LTRIM

Syntax 
LTRIM(char [, set])

Purpose 

Returns the string argument char, with its left-most characters removed up to the first
character which is not in the string argument set, which defaults to (a single space).

Example 
SELECT LTRIM ('xyxXxyLAST WORD','xy') "LTRIM example" FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

LTRIM example
---------------
XxyLAST WORD

ODBC Function 
{fn LTRIM (char) } (trims leading blanks)

3.3.38 MAX

Syntax 
MAX([DISTINCT | ALL] expr)
Purpose 

Returns the maximum value of an expression specified by the argument expr.

Example 
SELECT MAX(SAL) FROM EMP;

Returns the following result:

MAX(SAL)
---------
5000

3.3.39 MIN

Syntax 
MIN([DISTINCT | ALL] expr)

Purpose 

Returns the minimum value of an expression specified by the argument expr.

Example 
SELECT MIN(SAL), MAX(SAL) FROM EMP;

Returns the following result:

MIN(SAL)
---------
800

3.3.40 MINUTE

Syntax 
MINUTE (time_exp)

Purpose 

Returns the minute as an integer value in the range of 0-59.

Example 1 
SELECT {FN MINUTE ('14:03:01')} FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

{FNMINUTE('14:03:01')}
----------------------
3

Example 2 
SELECT {fn MINUTE({fn CURTIME()})} FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

{FNMINUTE({FNCURTIME()})}
-------------------------
23

3.3.41 MOD

Syntax 
MOD (m,n)

Purpose 

Returns the remainder of m divided by n. Returns m if n is 0.

Example 
SELECT MOD (26,11) "ABLOMOV" FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

ABLOMOV
---------
4

3.3.42 MONTH

Syntax 
MONTH (date_exp)
Purpose 

Returns the month as an integer value in the range of 1-12.

Example 1 
SELECT {FN MONTH ('06-15-1966')} FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

{FNMONTH('06-15-1966')}
-----------------------
6

Example 2 
SELECT {fn MONTH({fn CURDATE()})} FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

{FNMONTH({FNCURDATE()})}
------------------------
4

3.3.43 MONTHNAME

Syntax 
{ fn MONTHNAME (date_exp) }

Purpose 

Returns the name of the month as a string.

Example 
select {fn monthname({fn curdate()})} from dual;

Returns the current month of the year as a string.

3.3.44 MONTHS_BETWEEN
Syntax 
MONTHS_BETWEEN(d1, d2 )

Purpose 

Returns number of months between dates d1 and d2. If d1 is later than d2, result is

positive;if earlier, negative. If d1 and d2 are either the same days of the month or both
last days of months, the result is always an integer. Otherwise, Oracle Lite calculates
the fractional portion of the result based on a 31-day month and considers the
difference in time components of d1 and d2.

Example 
SELECT MONTHS_BETWEEN(
TO_DATE('02-02-1995','MM-DD-YYYY'),
TO_DATE('01-01-1995','MM-DD-YYYY') ) "Months"
FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

Months
---------
1.0322581

3.3.45 NEXT_DAY

Syntax 
NEXT_DAY(d, char)

Purpose 

Returns the date of the first weekday named by char that is later than the date d. The
argument char must be a day of the week in your session's date language. The return
value has the same hours, minutes, and seconds component as the argument d.

Example 
SELECT NEXT_DAY('15-MAR-92','TUESDAY') "NEXT DAY" FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

NEXT DAY
----------
1992-03-17

3.3.46 NOW

Syntax 
NOW

Purpose 

Returns the current local date and local time as a timestamp value but only displays
the current local date by default. You can view current local time information by
using NOW as a value of the TO_CHAR function and by including a time format. See
Example 2.

Example 1 
SELECT {FN NOW()} FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

{FNNOW()}
----------
1999-04-07

Example 2 
SELECT TO_CHAR ({fn NOW ('YYYY, Month, DD, HH24:MM:SS')}) FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

TO_CHAR({FNNOW('YYYY
----------------------------------------
1999-04-07 12:55:31

3.3.47 NVL

Syntax 
NVL(expr1, expr2)

Purpose 
If expr1 is null, returns expr2; if expr1 is not null, returns expr1. The
arguments expr1 and expr2 must be of the same datatype.

Example 1 
SELECT ename, NVL(TO_CHAR(COMM),'NOT APPLICABLE') "COMMISSION"
FROM emp
WHERE deptno = 30;

Returns the following result:

ENAME COMMISSION
---------- ----------------
BLAKE NOT APPLICABLE
MARTIN 1400.00
ALLEN 300.00
TURNER .00
JAMES NOT APPLICABLE
WARD 500.00

6 rows selected.

Example 2 
SELECT {fn IFNULL(Emp.Ename, 'Unknown')},
NVL (Emp.comm, 0) FROM EMP;

Returns the following result:

{FNIFNULL( 'UNKNOWN')}
---------- -----------
KING 0
BLAKE 0
CLARK 0
JONES 0
MARTIN 1400
ALLEN 300
TURNER 0
JAMES 0
WARD 500
FORD 0
SMITH 0
SCOTT 0
ADAMS 0
MILLER 0

14 rows selected.

Example 3 
SELECT sal+NVL(comm, 0) FROM EMP;
Returns the following result:
SAL+NVL(COMM
------------
5000
2850
2450
2975
2650
1900
1500
950
1750
3000
800
3000
1100
1300

14 rows selected.

ODBC Function 
{fn IFNULL (expr1, expr2)}

3.3.48 POSITION

Syntax 
POSITION ( <substring_value_expression>
IN <value_expression> )

Table 3-8 Arguments Used with the POSITION Function

Argument Description
<value_expression> a source string to search in.
<substring_value_expression> a sub-string to search for.
<start_len_cnt> the starting position for the search

Purpose 

Returns the starting position of the first occurrence of a sub-string in a string.

Usage Notes 
If the length of <substring_value_expression> is 0, the result is null. If
<substring_value_expression> occurs in <value_expression>, the result is the position
of the first character of <substring_value_expression>. Otherwise, the result is 0. If
<start_len_cnt> is omitted, the function starts the search from position 1. For
additional information, see the INSTR and INSTRB functions.

Example 
SELECT POSITION ('CAT' IN 'CATCH') FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

POSITION('CAT'IN'CATCH')
------------------------
1

ODBC Function 
{fn LOCATE ( <substring_value_expression> ,
<value_expression>[, <start_len_cnt> ] ) }

3.3.49 QUARTER

Syntax 
{ fn QUARTER ( <value_expression> ) }

Table 3-9 Arguments Used with the QUARTER Function

Argument Description
<value_expression> A date on which the quarter is computed. The result is between 1 and 4,
where 1 represents January 1 through March 31.

Purpose 

Returns the quarter of a date as an integer.

Example 
SELECT {fn QUARTER ({fn CURDATE()})} FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

{FNQUARTER({FNCURDATE()})}
--------------------------
2

3.3.50 REPLACE

Syntax 
REPLACE(char, search_string [, replacement_string])

Purpose 

Returns char with every occurrence of search_string replaced

with replacement_string, where char, search_string, and replacement_string are string
arguments.

Usage Notes 

If replacement_string is omitted or null, all occurrences of search_string are removed.

If search_string is null, then char is returned. This function provides a super-set of the
functionality provided by the TRANSLATE function. TRANSLATE provides-single
character, one-to-one, substitution. REPLACE allows you to substitute one string for
another as well as to remove character strings.

Example 
SELECT REPLACE('JACK and JUE','J','BL') "Changes" FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

Changes
---------------
BLACK and BLUE

3.3.51 ROUND - Date Function

Syntax 
ROUND(d [,fmt])
The following table lists the format models to be used with the ROUND (and
TRUNC) date function, and the units to which it rounds dates. The default model,
'DD', returns the date rounded to the day with a time of midnight.

Table 3-10 The Format Models with the ROUND Date Function

Formal Model Rounding Unit

CC or SCC Century
YYYY, SYYYY, Year (rounds up on July 1)

YEAR, SYEAR,

YYY, YY, Y
IYYY, IYY, IY, I ISO Year
Q Quarter (rounds up in the sixteenth day of the second month of the
quarter)
MONTH, MON, MM, Month (rounds up on the sixteenth day)
RM
WW Same day of the week as the first day of the year
IW Same day of the week as the first day of the ISO year
W Same day of the week as the first day of the month
DDD, DD, J Day
DAY, DY, D Starting day of the week.
HH, HH12, HH24 Hour
MI Minute

Purpose 

Returns d rounded to the unit specified by the format model fmt. If you omit fmt, d is

rounded to the nearest day.

Example 
SELECT ROUND(TO_DATE('27-OCT-92'),'YEAR')
"FIRST OF THE YEAR" FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

FIRST OF
---------
1993-01-0

3.3.52 ROUND - Number Function

Syntax 
ROUND(n [,m ])

Purpose 

Returns n rounded to m places to the right of the decimal point; if m is omitted, to 0

places. m can be negative to round off digits left of the decimal point. m must be an
integer.

Example 1 
SELECT ROUND (54.339, 2) FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

ROUND(54.339
------------
54.34

3.3.53 RPAD

Syntax 
RPAD(char1,n [,char2 ])

Purpose 

Returns char1, right-padded to length n with char2 replicated as many times as

necessary; char2 defaults to a single blank. If char1 is longer than n, this function
returns the portion of char1 that fits in n.

The argument n is the total length of the return value as it is displayed on your
terminal screen. In most character sets, this is also the number of characters in the
return value. However, in some multi-byte character sets, the display length of a
character string can differ from the number of characters in the string.

Example 
SELECT RPAD('ename',12,'ab') "RPAD example"
FROM emp
WHERE ename = 'TURNER';

Returns the following result:

RPAD example
-------------
enameabababa

3.3.54 RTRIM

Syntax 
RTRIM(char [,set])

Purpose 

Returns the string argument char, with its right-most characters removed following
the last character which is not in the string argument set. This defaults to ' ' (a single
space).

Example 1 
SELECT RTRIM ('TURNERyxXxy', 'xy') "RTRIM example" FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

RTRIM examp
-----------
TURNERyxX

Example 2 
SELECT {fn RTRIM ('TURNERyxXxy', 'xy')} FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

{{FNRTRIM('T
-----------
TURNERyxX

ODBC Function 
{fn RTRIM (char)} (trims leading blanks)
3.3.55 SECOND

Syntax 
SECOND (time_exp)

Purpose 

Returns the second as an integer value in the range of 0-59.

Example 1 
SELECT {FN SECOND ('14:03:01')} FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

{FNSECOND('14:03:01')}
----------------------
1

Example 2 
SELECT {fn SECOND({fn CURTIME()})} FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

{FNSECOND({FNCURTIME()})}
-------------------------
59

3.3.56 STDDEV

Syntax 
STDDEV([DISTINCT|ALL] x)

Purpose 

Returns the standard deviation of x, a number. Oracle Lite calculates the standard
deviation as the square root of the variance defined for the VARIANCE group
function.

Example 
SELECT STDDEV(sal) "Deviation" FROM emp;
Returns the following result:
Deviation
---------
1182.5032

3.3.57 SUBSTR

Syntax 
SUBSTR(char, m [, n ])

Purpose 

Returns a portion of the string argument char, beginning with the character at

position m and n characters long.

Usage Notes 

If m is positive, SUBSTR counts from the beginning of char to find the first character.
If m is negative, SUBSTR counts backwards from the end of char. The value m cannot
be 0. If n is omitted, SUBSTR returns all characters to the end of char. The
value ncannot be less than 1.

Example 
SELECT SUBSTR('ABCDEFG',3,4) "Subs" FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

Subs
----
CDEF

3.3.58 SUBSTRB

Syntax 
SUBSTRB(char, m [,n])

Purpose 
Returns a portion of the string argument char, beginning with the byte at
position m and n bytes long. The same as SUBSTR, except that the
arguments m and n specify bytes rather than characters. For a single-byte database
character set, SUBSTRB is equivalent to SUBSTR.

Example 
SELECT SUBSTRB('ABCDEFG',5,4) "Substring with bytes" FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

Substring with bytes
--------------------
EFG

3.3.59 SUM

Syntax 
SUM([DISTINCT | ALL] n)

Purpose 

Returns the sum of values of n.

Example 
SELECT deptno, SUM(sal) TotalSalary FROM emp GROUP BY deptno;

Returns the following result:

DEPTNO TOTALSALARY
--------- -----------
10 8750
20 10875
30 9400

3.3.60 SYSDATE

Syntax 
SYSDATE

Purpose 
Returns the current date and time. Requires no arguments.

Usage Notes 

You cannot use this function in the condition of the Oracle Lite DATE type column.
You can only use the time in a TIME column, and both date and time in a
TIMESTAMP column.

Example 
SELECT TO_CHAR(SYSDATE, 'MM-DD-YYYY HH24:MI:SS') NOW FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

NOW
-------------------
04-12-1999 19:13:48

3.3.61 TIMESTAMPADD

Syntax 
{fn TIMESTAMPADD (<interval>, <value_exp1 >, <value_exp2 >)}
<value_exp1 > + <value_exp2 >

Table 3-11 Arguments Used with the TIMESTAMPADD Function

Argument Description
<interval> Specifies the unit of the second operand, <value_exp1>. The following
keywords are valid values for intervals:

SQL_TSI_FRAC_SECOND

SQL_TSI_SECOND

SQL_TSI_MINUTE

SQL_TSI_HOUR

SQL_TSI_DAY
Argument Description

SQL_TSI_WEEK

SQL_TSI_MONTH

SQL_TSI_QUARTER

SQL_TSI_YEAR
<value_exp1> an integer
<value_exp2> a timestamp
<value_expression> an operand

Purpose 

Adds a date-time value to the current timestamp.

Example 

The following example adds one day to the current timestamp for 1999-04-13:
SELECT {fn TIMESTAMPADD (SQL_TSI_DAY, 1, {fn NOW()})} FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

{FNTIMESTA
----------
1999-04-14

3.3.62 TIMESTAMPDIFF

Syntax 
{fn TIMESTAMPDIFF (<interval>, <value_exp1 >, <value_exp2 >)}
<value_expression > - <value_expression >

Table 3-12 Arguments Used with the TIMESTAMPDIFF Function

Argument Description
<interval> specifies the unit of the second operand, <value_exp1>. The following
Argument Description
keywords are valid values for intervals:

SQL_TSI_FRAC_SECOND

SQL_TSI_SECOND

SQL_TSI_MINUTE

SQL_TSI_HOUR

SQL_TSI_DAY

SQL_TSI_WEEK

SQL_TSI_MONTH

SQL_TSI_QUARTER

SQL_TSI_YEAR
<value_exp1> an integer
<value_exp2> a timestamp
<value_expression> an operand

Purpose 

Calculates the difference between two timestamp values using a specified interval.

Example 1 
SELECT {fn TIMESTAMPDIFF (SQL_TSI_DAY, {fn CURDATE()}, '1998-12-09')} FROM
DUAL;

Returns the following result:

{FNTIMESTAMPDIFF(SQL_TSI_DAY
----------------------------
-125

Example 2 
SELECT ENAME, {fn TIMESTAMPDIFF (SQL_TSI_YEAR, {fn CURDATE()},HIREDATE)} FROM
EMP;
Returns the following result:
ENAME {FNTIMESTAMPDIFF(SQL_TSI_YEA
---------- ----------------------------
KING -17
BLAKE -17
CLARK -17
JONES -18
MARTIN -17
ALLEN -18
TURNER -17
JAMES -17
WARD -18
FORD -17
SMITH -18
SCOTT -16
ADAMS -16
MILLER -17

14 rows selected.

3.3.63 TO_CHAR

Syntax for Dates 

TO_CHAR(d [, fmt])

Syntax for Numbers 

TO_CHAR(n [, fmt])

Purpose 

Converts a date or number to a value of the VARCHAR2 datatype, using the optional
format fmt.

Table 3-13 Arguments Used with the TO_CHAR Function

Argument Description
d date column or SYSDATE
fmt format string
n number column or literal

Usage Notes 

 If you omit fmt, the argument d or n is converted to a VARCHAR2 value. For

dates, the argument d is returned in the default date format. For numbers, the
 argument n is converted to a value exactly long enough to hold its significant
digits.
 Date literals must be preceded by the DATE keyword when used as arguments
to TO_CHAR.

You can specify a default date format for all databases on your computer by setting
the NLS_DATE_FORMAT parameter in the POLITE.INI file. See the Oracle Lite
User's Guide for more information on setting the NLS_DATE_FORMAT parameter
in the POLITE.INI file.

Example 
SELECT TO_CHAR (SYSDATE, 'Day, Month, DD, YYYY')"TO_CHAR example" FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

TO_CHAR example
--------------------------------
Saturday , May , 22, 1999

3.3.64 TO_DATE

Syntax 
TO_DATE(char [, fmt ])

Purpose 

Converts the character string argument char to a value of the DATE datatype.

The fmt argument is a date format specifying the format of char.

Example 
SELECT TO_DATE('January 26, 1996, 12:38 A.M.', 'Month dd YYYY HH:MI A.M.')
FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

TO_CHAR(TO_DATE('JANUARY26
----------------------------------------
1996-01-26 12:38:00

3.3.65 TO_NUMBER
Syntax 
TO_NUMBER(char [, fmt ])

Purpose 

Converts the string argument char that contains a number in the format specified by

the optional format model fmt, to a return value of the NUMBER datatype.

Usage Notes 

 For information about date and number formats, see Formats.

 Do not use the TO_DATE function with a DATE value for the char argument.
 The returned DATE value can have a different century value than the
original char, depending on fmt or the default date format.
 Dates in the Oracle format (such as '06-JUN-85' and '6-JUN-1985'), the SQL-
92 format (such as '1989-02-28'), or the format specified by the
NLS_DATE_FORMAT parameter are converted automatically when inserted
into a date column.
 You can specify a default date format for all databases on your computer by
setting the NLS_DATE_FORMAT parameter in the POLITE.INI file. See
the Oracle Lite User's Guide for more information on setting the
NLS_DATE_FORMAT parameter in the POLITE.INI file.

Example 

The following example updates the salary of an employee named Blake according to
the value specified in the TO_NUMBER function. In this example, you first view
Blake's salary. Then, update Blake's salary and view it again.
SELECT * FROM EMP WHERE ENAME = 'BLAKE';

Returns the following result:

EMPNO ENAME JOB MGR HIREDATE SAL COMM
DEPTNO
--------- ---------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
---------
7698 BLAKE MANAGER 7839 1981-05-0 2850
30
UPDATE EMP SET SAL = SAL + TO_NUMBER('100.52','9,999.99') WHERE ENAME =
'BLAKE';

Returns the following result:

1 row updated.

SELECT * FROM EMP WHERE ENAME = 'BLAKE';

Returns the following result:

EMPNO ENAME JOB MGR HIREDATE SAL COMM
DEPTNO
--------- ---------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------
---------
7698 BLAKE MANAGER 7839 1981-05-0 2950.52
30

3.3.66 TRANSLATE

Syntax 
TRANSLATE(char, from, to)

Purpose 

Returns char with all occurrences of each character in from replaced by its

corresponding character in to, where char, from, and to are string arguments.

Usage Notes 

 Characters in char that are not in from are not replaced.

 The argument from can contain more characters than to. In this case, the extra
characters at the end of from have no corresponding characters in to. If these
extra characters appear in char, they are removed from the return value.

You cannot use an empty string for to to remove from the return value all characters
in from. TRANSLATE interprets the empty string as null, and if this function has a
null argument, it returns null.

Example 
SELECT TRANSLATE('2KRW229', '0123456789ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ',
'9999999999XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX') "Licence" FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

Licence
-------
9XXX999

3.3.67 TRIM

Syntax 
TRIM( [[<trim_spec >] char ]
FROM ] string )

If <trim_spec> is omitted, then BOTH is implied. If char is omitted, then a space

character is implied.

Table 3-14 Arguments Used with the TRIM Function

Argument Description
<trim_spec> a specification: LEADING, TRAILING, or BOTH
char a single character
string the target string to be trimmed

Purpose 

Removes leading and/or trailing blanks (or other characters) from a string.

Example 
SELECT TRIM ('OLD' FROM 'OLDMAN') FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

TRIM('
------
MAN

3.3.68 TRUNC
Syntax with Numeric Arguments 
TRUNC(n [, m])

Syntax with Date Arguments 

TRUNC(d [, fmt])

Purpose with Numeric Arguments 

Returns n truncated to m decimal places, where m and n are numeric arguments. If m is

omitted, truncates to 0 places. If m is negative, truncates (makes zero) m digits to the
left of the decimal point.

Purpose with Date Arguments 

Returns the date d with its time portion truncated to the time unit specified by the
format model fmt. If you omit fmt, then d is truncated to the nearest day.

Usage Notes 

The following table lists the format models to be used with the TRUNC (and
ROUND) date function, and the units to which it rounds dates. The default model,
'DD', returns the date rounded to the day with a time of midnight.

Table 3-15 Arguments Used with the TRUNC Function

Format Model Rounding Unit

CC or SCC Century
YYYY, SYYYY, Year (rounds up on July 1)

YEAR, SYEAR,

YYY, YY, Y
IYYY, IYY, IY, I ISO Year
Q Quarter (rounds up in the sixteenth day of the second month of the
quarter)
MONTH, MON, MM, Month (rounds up on the sixteenth day)
RM
WW Same day of the week as the first day of the year
Format Model Rounding Unit
IW Same day of the week as the first day of the ISO year
W Same day of the week as the first day of the month
DDD, DD, J Day
DAY, DY, D Starting day of the week
HH, HH12, HH24 Hour
MI Minute

Example 1 
SELECT TRUNC(TO_DATE('27-OCT-92', 'DD-MON-YY'), 'YEAR') "First Of The Year"
FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

First Of T
----------
1992-01-01

Example 2 
SELECT TRUNC(15.79,1) "Truncate" FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

Truncate
---------
15.7

Example 3 
SELECT TRUNC(15.79,-1) "Truncate" FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

Truncate
---------
10

3.3.69 UPPER

Syntax 
UPPER(char)
Purpose 

Returns the string argument char with all its letters converted to uppercase. The return
value has the same datatype as char.

Example 
SELECT UPPER('Carol') FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

UPPER
-----
CAROL

ODBC Function 
{fn UCASE (char)}

3.3.70 USER

Syntax 
USER

Purpose 

Returns the current schema name as a character string.

Example 1 
SELECT USER "User" FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

User
--------
SYSTEM

Example 2 
SELECT {fn USER()} FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

{FNUSER()}
------------------------------
SYSTEM

ODBC Function 
{ fn USER()}

3.3.71 VARIANCE

Syntax 
VARIANCE([DISTINCT|ALL] x)

Purpose 

Returns variance of x, a number. Oracle Lite calculates the variance of x using this
formula:

xi is one of the elements of x.

n is the number of elements in the set x. If n is 1, the variance is defined to be 0.

Example 
SELECT VARIANCE(sal) "Variance" FROM emp;

Returns the following result:

Variance
---------
1398313.9

3.3.72 WEEK

Syntax 
{ fn WEEK ( <value_expression> ) }

Purpose 

Returns the week of the year as an integer.

Table 3-16 Arguments Used with the WEEK Function

Argument Description
<value_expression> A date on which the week is computed. The result is between 1 and 53.

Example 1 
SELECT {fn WEEK({fn CURDATE()})} FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

{FNWEEK({FNCURDATE()})}
-----------------------
16

Example2 
SELECT {fn week('1999-06-15')} FROM DUAL;

Returns the following:

EK('1999-06-15')}
-----------------
25

3.3.73 YEAR

Syntax 
YEAR (date_exp)

Purpose 

Returns the YEAR as an integer.

Example 1 
SELECT {FN YEAR ('06-15-1966')} FROM DUAL;

Returns the following result:

{FNYEAR('06-15-1966')}
----------------------
1966

Example 2 
SELECT {fn YEAR({fn CURDATE()})} FROM DUAL;
Returns the following result:
{FNYEAR({FNCURDATE()})}
-----------------------
1999