Ex. No.

6 SQL FUNCTIONS Date :

SQL functions are of two types

(i) Single row functions or scalar functions
 Returns only one value for every row queried in the table
 Can be used in Select clause and where clause
 It can be broadly classified into 5 categories
o Date Functions
o Character Functions
o Conversion functions
o Numeric functions
o Miscellaneous functions
(ii) Group functions or multiple-row functions

Explore the following functions and write the output

Note : The exercises that follow mostly uses system table ‘dual’. It is a table which is automatically
created by Oracle along with the data dictionary. Dual table has one column defined to be of varchar2
type and contains only one row with value ‘x’.

I. Date Functions

Functions Value Returned Input Output

to_date(str,’format’) Converts the string Select to_date(’10-02-09’,’dd-mm-yy’)
ina given format from dual;
into Oracle date.
to_char(date,’format’) Reformats date Select to_char(sysdate,’dy dd mon
according to format yyyy’) from dual;
months_between(d1,d2) No. of months Select months_between(sysdate,
between two dates to_date(’10-10-07’,’dd-mm-yy’) )
from dual;
II. Character Functions

Functions Value Returned Input Output

initcap(char) First letter of each Select initcap(‘jesus christ’) from dual;
word capitalized
lower(char) Lower case Select lower(‘DIED’) from dual;
upper(char) Upper case Select upper(‘for Us’) from dual;
ltrim(char, set) Initial characters Select ltrim(‘lordourgod’,’lord’)
removed up to the from dual;
character not in set.
rtrim(char, set) Final characters Select rtrim(‘godlovesyou’,’you’)
removed after the from dual;
last character not in
set.
replace(char, search, Replace ‘search’ Select replace(‘jack and jue’,’j’,’bl’)
repl) string by ‘repl’ from dual;
string in ‘char’.
substr(char, m, n) Substring of ‘char’ Select
at ‘m’ of size ‘n’ substr(‘wages of sin is death’,10,3)
char long. from dual;

III. Numeric Functions

Functions Value Returned Input Output

Abs(n) Absolute value of n Select abs(-15) from dual;
Ceil(n) Smallest int >= n Select ceil(33.645) from dual;
Exp(n) en Select exp(2) from dual;
Floor(n) Largest int <= n Select floor(100.2) from dual;
Mod(m,n) Remainder of m Select mod(17,3) from dual;
divided by n
Power(m,n) m power n Select power(5,3) from dual;
Round(m,n) m rounded to n Select round(125.67854,2) from dual;
decimal places
Sign(n) If n<0, -1 if n=0, 0 Select sin(-19) from dual;
otherwise 1.
Trunc(m,n) m truncated to n Select trunc(125.5764,2) from dual;
decimal places
 GROUP FUNCTIONS
Common Group Functions
• AVG : Average value of a set
• COUNT : Numbers of non null values
• MAX : Maximum of a set
• MIN : Minimum of a set
• STDDEV : Standard Deviation of a set
• SUM : Sum of a set
• VARIANCE : Variance of a set

Syntax :
SELECT column, group_function(column)
FROM table
[WHERE condition]
[GROUP BY group_column_or_expression]
[HAVING group_condition]
[ORDER BY column];

 Group functions ignore null values

 Group by Clause is used to modularize rows in a table into smaller groups
 Columns that are not a part of the Group Functions should be included in the
Group by clause
 Any column or expression in the SELECT list that is not an aggregate function must
be in the GROUP BY clause
 Group Functions cannot be placed in the where clause
 HAVING clause is to restrict groups Groups satisfying the HAVING condition are
displayed

 Order of evaluation of the clauses :

o WHERE clause
o GROUP BY clause
o HAVING clause

EMPNO ENAME JOB MG HIREDATE SAL COMM DEPTNO

 R
7369 SMITH CLERK 7902 17-DEC-80 800 20
7499 ALLEN SALESMAN 7698 20-FEB-81 1600 300 30
7521 WARD SALESMAN 7698 22-FEB-81 1250 500 30
7566 JONES MANAGER 7839 02-APR-81 2975 20
7654 MARTIN SALESMAN 7698 28-SEP-81 1250 1400 30
7698 BLAKE MANAGER 7839 01-MAY-81 2850 30
7782 CLARK MANAGER 7839 09-JUN-81 2450 10
7788 SCOTT ANALYST 7566 19-APR-87 3000 20
7839 KING PRESIDENT 17-NOV-81 5000 10
7844 TURNER SALESMAN 7698 08-SEP-81 1500 0 30
7876 ADAMS CLERK 7788 23-MAY-87 1100 20
7900 JAMES CLERK 7698 03-DEC-81 950 30
7902 FORD ANALYST 7566 03-DEC-81 3000 20
7934 MILLER CLERK 7782 23-JAN-82 1300 10

Data for DEPT table

Q1) Find number of rows in the table EMP

SQL >
Q2) Find number of designations available in EMP table.
SQL>

Q3) What is the difference between the following queries

SQL > select count(comm) from emp;
SQL > select count(nvl(comm,0)) from emp;

Q4) Find maximum, minimum and average salary in EMP table.

SQL>

Q5) Find number of employees who work in department number 30

SQL>

Q6) Find the maximum salary paid to a ‘CLERK’

SQL>
Q7) List the jobs and number of employees in each job. The result should be in the
descending order of the number of employees.
SQL>

Q8) List the total salary, maximum and minimum salary and average salary of the
employees jobwise.
SQL>

Q9) List the total salary, maximum and minimum salary and average salary of the
employees jobwise, for department 20 and display only those rows having an
average salary > 1000.
SQL>

Q10) List the job and total salary of employees jobwise, for jobs other than
‘PRESIDENT’ and display only those rows having total salary > 5000.
SQL>