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FUNCTIONS

Functions can be categorized as follows.
  • Single row functions
  • Group functions

SINGLE ROW FUNCTIONS

Single row functions can be categorized into five.
These will be applied for each row and produces individual output for each row.
  • Numeric functions
  • String functions
  • Date functions
  • Miscellaneous functions
  • Conversion functions

NUMERIC FUNCTIONS

  1. Abs
  2. Sign
  3. Sqrt
  4. Mod
  5. Nvl
  6. Power
  7. Exp
  8. Ln
  9. Log
  10. Ceil
  11. Floor
  12. Round
  13. Trunk
  14. Bitand
  15. Greatest
  16. Least
  17. Coalesce

  1. ABS :

    Absolute value is the measure of the magnitude of value.
    Absolute value is always a positive number.

    Syntax:
    abs (value)

    Ex:
    SQL> select abs(5), abs(-5), abs(0), abs(null) from dual;

    ABS(5)    ABS(-5)     ABS(0)  ABS(NULL)
    ------    -------     ------  ---------
     5        -5           0
    

  2. SIGN :
    Sign gives the sign of a value.

    Syntax:
    sign (value)

    Ex:
    SQL> select sign(5), sign(-5), sign(0), sign(null) from dual;

    SIGN(5)   SIGN(-5)    SIGN(0) SIGN(NULL)
    -------   --------    ------- ----------
     1         -1          	0
    
  3. SQRT :

    This will give the square root of the given value.

    Syntax:
    sqrt (value) -- here value must be positive.

    Ex:
    SQL> select sqrt(4), sqrt(0), sqrt(null), sqrt(1) from dual;

    SQRT(4)    SQRT(0) SQRT(NULL)    SQRT(1)
    -------    ------- ----------    ----------
     2           0                     1
    
  4. MOD :

    This will give the remainder.

    Syntax:
    mod (value, divisor)

    Ex:
    SQL> select mod(7,4), mod(1,5), mod(null,null), mod(0,0), mod(-7,4) from dual;

    MOD(7,4)   MOD(1,5) MOD(NULL,NULL)   MOD(0,0)  MOD(-7,4)
    --------   -------- --------------   --------  ---------
     3          1                         0        	-3
    
  5. NVL :

    This will substitutes the specified value in the place of null values.

    Syntax:
    nvl (null_col, replacement_value)

    Ex:
    SQL> select * from student; -- here for 3rd row marks value is null

    NO   NAME      MARKS
    --   ----      ---------
    1    a         100
    2    b         200
    3    c
    
    SQL> select no, name, nvl(marks,300) from student;
    NO  NAME      NVL(MARKS,300)
    --  ----      --------------
    1  	a             100
    2 	b             200
    3 	c             300
    
    SQL> select nvl(1,2), nvl(2,3), nvl(4,3), nvl(5,4) from dual;
      NVL(1,2)   NVL(2,3)   NVL(4,3)   NVL(5,4)
      --------   --------   --------   --------
       1          2            4        5
    
    SQL> select nvl(0,0), nvl(1,1), nvl(null,null), nvl(4,4) from dual;
      
      NVL(0,0)   NVL(1,1) NVL(null,null)  NVL(4,4)
      --------   -------- --------------  ----------
        0          1                        4
    
  6. POWER :
    Power is the ability to raise a value to a given exponent.

    Syntax:
    power (value, exponent)

    Ex:
    SQL> select power(2,5), power(0,0), power(1,1), power(null,null), power(2,-5) from dual;

    POWER(2,5) POWER(0,0) POWER(1,1) POWER(NULL,NULL) POWER(2,-5)
    ---------- ---------- --------- ----------------- ---------------
     32         1           1                       	.03125
    
  7. EXP :
    This will raise e value to the give power.

    Syntax:
    exp (value)

    Ex:
    SQL> select exp(1), exp(2), exp(0), exp(null), exp(-2) from dual;

    EXP(1)     	EXP(2)    EXP(0)    EXP(NULL)    EXP(-2)
    --------    ---------   ------    ---------    ----------
    2.71828183  7.3890561     1                    .135335283
    
  8. LN :

    This is based on natural or base e logarithm.

    Syntax:
    ln (value) -- here value must be greater than zero which is positive only.

    Ex:
    SQL> select ln(1), ln(2), ln(null) from dual;

     LN(1)      LN(2)      LN(NULL)
     ------    -------     ------------
      0 	   .693147181
    
    Ln and Exp are reciprocal to each other.
    EXP (3) = 20.0855369
    LN (20.0855369) = 3
  9. LOG :

    This is based on 10 based logarithm.

    Syntax:
    log (10, value) -- here value must be greater than zero which is positive only.

    Ex:
    SQL> select log(10,100), log(10,2), log(10,1), log(10,null) from dual;

    LOG(10,100)  LOG(10,2)   LOG(10,1) LOG(10,NULL)
    -----------  ----------- --------- -----------------
      2          .301029996     0
    
    LN (value) = LOG (EXP(1), value)
    SQL> select ln(3), log(exp(1),3) from dual;
      LN(3)      LOG(EXP(1),3)
    -------      -----------------
    1.09861229    1.09861229
    
  10. CEIL :

    This will produce a whole number that is greater than or equal to the specified value.

    Syntax:
    ceil (value)

    Ex:
    SQL> select ceil(5), ceil(5.1), ceil(-5), ceil( -5.1), ceil(0), ceil(null) from dual;

    CEIL(5)  CEIL(5.1)  CEIL(-5) CEIL(-5.1)  CEIL(0) CEIL(NULL)
    -------  ---------  -------- ----------  ------- ----------
      5        6          -5       -5          0
    
  11. FLOOR :
    This will produce a whole number that is less than or equal to the specified value.

    Syntax:
    floor (value)

    Ex:
    SQL> select floor(5), floor(5.1), floor(-5), floor( -5.1), floor(0), floor(null) from dual;

    FLOOR(5) FLOOR(5.1)  FLOOR(-5) FLOOR(-5.1)   FLOOR(0) FLOOR(NULL)
    -------- ----------  --------  -----------  --------- ----------- 
      5        5          -5          -6           0
    
  12. ROUND :
    This will rounds numbers to a given number of digits of precision.

    Syntax:
    round (value, precision)

    Ex:
    SQL> select round(123.2345), round(123.2345,2), round(123.2354,2) from dual;

    ROUND(123.2345)  ROUND(123.2345,0) ROUND(123.2345,2) ROUND(123.2354,2)
    ---------------  ----------------- ----------------- -----------------
      123              123               123.23            123.24
    
    SQL> select round(123.2345,-1), round(123.2345,-2), round(123.2345,-3), round(123.2345,-4) from dual;
        
    ROUND(123.2345,-1) ROUND(123.2345,-2) ROUND(123.2345,-3) ROUND(123.2345,-4)
    ------------------ ------------------ ------------------ ------------------
      120                100                  0           		0
    
    SQL> select round(123,0), round(123,1), round(123,2) from dual;
    ROUND(123,0) ROUND(123,1) ROUND(123,2)
    -----------  ------------ ------------
      123          123  		123
    
    SQL> select round(-123,0), round(-123,1), round(-123,2) from dual;
    ROUND(-123,0) ROUND(-123,1) ROUND(-123,2)
    ------------  ------------- -------------
     -123          -123          -123
    
    SQL> select round(123,-1), round(123,-2), round(123,-3), round(-123,-1), round(-123,- 2), round(-123,-3) from dual;
    		
    ROUND(123,-1) ROUND(123,-2) ROUND(123,-3) ROUND(-123,-1) ROUND(-123,-2) ROUND(-123,-3)
    ------------- ------------- ------------- -------------- -------------- --------------
       120         100            0              -120             -100            0
    
    SQL> select round(null,null), round(0,0), round(1,1), round(-1,-1), round(-2,-2) from dual;
    ROUND(NULL,NULL) ROUND(0,0) ROUND(1,1) ROUND(-1,-1) ROUND(-2,-2)
    ---------------- ---------- ---------- ------------ ------------
                        0           1          0            0
    
  13. TRUNC :

    This will truncates or chops off digits of precision from a number.

    Syntax:
    trunc (value, precision)

    Ex:
    SQL> select trunc(123.2345), trunc(123.2345,2), trunc(123.2354,2) from dual;

    TRUNC(123.2345) TRUNC(123.2345,2) TRUNC(123.2354,2)
    --------------- ----------------- -----------------
          123         123.23             123.23 
    
    SQL> select trunc(123.2345,-1), trunc(123.2345,-2), trunc(123.2345,-3), trunc(123.2345,-4) from dual;
    		 
    TRUNC(123.2345,-1) TRUNC(123.2345,-2) TRUNC(123.2345,-3) TRUNC(123.2345,-4)
    ------------------ ------------------ ------------------ ------------------
        120               100                0                   0
    
    SQL> select trunc(123,0), trunc(123,1), trunc(123,2) from dual;
    TRUNC(123,0) TRUNC(123,1) TRUNC(123,2)
    ------------ ------------ -----------
       123         123          123
    
    SQL> select trunc(-123,0), trunc(-123,1), trunc(-123,2) from dual;
    TRUNC(-123,0) TRUNC(-123,1) TRUNC(-123,2)
    ------------- ------------- -------------
     -123           -123          -123
    
    SQL> select trunc(123,-1), trunc(123,-2), trunc(123,-3), trunc(-123,-1), trunc(-123,2), trunc(-123,-3) from dual;
    		 
    TRUNC(123,-1) TRUNC(123,-2) TRUNC(123,-3) TRUNC(-123,-1) TRUNC(-123,2) TRUNC(-123,-3)
    ------------- ------------- ------------- -------------- ------------- --------------
        120           100             0           -120          -123              0
    
    SQL> select trunc(null,null), trunc(0,0), trunc(1,1), trunc(-1,-1), trunc(-2,-2) from dual;
    TRUNC(NULL,NULL) TRUNC(0,0) TRUNC(1,1) TRUNC(-1,-1) TRUNC(-2,-2)
    ---------------- ---------- ---------- ------------ ----------------
                       0            1          0             0
    
  14. BITAND :

    This will perform bitwise and operation.

    Syntax:
    bitand (value1, value2)

    Ex:
    SQL> select bitand(2,3), bitand(0,0), bitand(1,1), bitand(null,null), bitand(-2,-3) from dual;

    		  
    BITAND(2,3) BITAND(0,0) BITAND(1,1)  BITAND(NULL,NULL) BITAND(-2,-3)
    ----------- ----------  -----------   ---------------- -------------
       2           	0           1                              -4
    
  15. GREATEST :

    This will give the greatest number.

    Syntax:
    greatest (value1, value2, value3 ... valuen)

    Ex:
    SQL> select greatest(1, 2, 3), greatest(-1, -2, -3) from dual;

    GREATEST(1,2,3) GREATEST(-1,-2,-3)
    --------------- ------------------
         3                 	-1
    
    • If all the values are zeros then it will display zero.
    • If all the parameters are nulls then it will display nothing.
    • If any of the parameters is null it will display nothing.
  16. LEAST

    This will give the least number.

    Syntax:
    least (value1, value2, value3 ... valuen)

    Ex:
    SQL> select least(1, 2, 3), least(-1, -2, -3) from dual;

    LEAST(1,2,3)    LEAST(-1,-2,-3)
    ------------    ---------------
         1             	-3
    
    • If all the values are zeros then it will display zero.
    • If all the parameters are nulls then it will display nothing.
    • If any of the parameters is null it will display nothing.
  17. COALESCE :

    This will return first non-null value.

    Syntax:
    coalesce (value1, value2, value3 ... valuen)

    Ex:
    SQL> select coalesce(1,2,3), coalesce(null,2,null,5) from dual;

    COALESCE(1,2,3)     COALESCE(NULL,2,NULL,5)
    ---------------     -----------------------
         1                       2
    

STRING FUNCTIONS

  1. Initcap
  2. Upper
  3. Lower
  4. Length
  5. Rpad
  6. Lpad
  7. Ltrim
  8. Rtrim
  9. Trim
  10. Translate
  11. Replace
  12. Soundex
  13. Concat ( ' || ' Concatenation operator)
  14. Ascii
  15. Chr
  16. Substr
  17. Instr
  18. Decode
  19. Greatest
  20. Least
  21. Coalesce

  1. INITCAP :

    This will capitalize the initial letter of the string.

    Syntax:
    initcap (string)

    Ex:
    SQL> select initcap('computer') from dual;

    INITCAP
    --------
    Computer
    

  2. UPPER :

    This will convert the string into uppercase.

    Syntax:
    upper (string)

    Ex:
    SQL> select upper('computer') from dual;

    UPPER
    ---------
    COMPUTER
    

  3. LOWER :
    This will convert the string into lowercase.

    Syntax:
    lower (string)

    Ex:
    SQL> select lower('COMPUTER') from dual;

    LOWER
    ---------
    computer
    
  4. LENGTH :
    This will give length of the string.

    Syntax:
    length (string)

    Ex:
    SQL> select length('computer') from dual;

    LENGTH
    -------
      8
    
  5. RPAD :
    This will allows you to pad the right side of a column with any set of characters.

    Syntax:
    rpad (string, length [, padding_char])

    Ex:
    SQL> select rpad('computer',15,'*'), rpad('computer',15,'*#') from dual;

    RPAD('COMPUTER'    RPAD('COMPUTER'
    ---------------    ----------------
    computer*******     computer*#*#*#*
    
    -- Default padding character was blank space.
  6. LPAD :

    This will allows you to pad the left side of a column with any set of characters.

    Syntax:
    lpad (string, length [, padding_char])

    Ex:
    SQL> select lpad('computer',15,'*'), lpad('computer',15,'*#') from dual;

    LPAD('COMPUTER'    LPAD('COMPUTER'
    ---------------   ------------------
    *******computer     *#*#*#*computer
    
    -- Default padding character was blank space.
  7. LTRIM :

    This will trim off unwanted characters from the left end of string.

    Syntax:
    ltrim (string [,unwanted_chars])

    Ex:
    SQL> select ltrim('computer','co'), ltrim('computer','com') from dual;

    LTRIM(     LTRIM
    --------  ---------
    mputer     puter
    
    SQL> select ltrim('computer','puter'), ltrim('computer','omputer') from dual;
    LTRIM('C     LTRIM('C
    ----------   ----------
    computer      computer
    
    -- If you haven't specify any unwanted characters it will display entire string.
  8. RTRIM :
    This will trim off unwanted characters from the right end of string.

    Syntax:
    rtrim (string [, unwanted_chars])

    Ex:
    SQL> select rtrim('computer','er'), rtrim('computer','ter') from dual;

    RTRIM(     RTRIM
    --------  ---------
    comput     compu
    
    SQL> select rtrim('computer','comput'), rtrim('computer','compute') from dual;
    RTRIM('C     RTRIM('C
    ----------   ----------
    computer     computer
    
    -- If you haven't specify any unwanted characters it will display entire string.
  9. TRIM :

    This will trim off unwanted characters from the both sides of string.

    Syntax:
    trim (unwanted_chars from string)

    Ex:
    SQL> select trim( 'i' from 'indiani') from dual;

    TRIM(
    -----
    ndian
    
    SQL> select trim( leading'i' from 'indiani') from dual; -- this will work as LTRIM
    TRIM(L
    ------
    ndiani
    
    SQL> select trim( trailing'i' from 'indiani') from dual; -- this will work as RTRIM
    TRIM(T
    ------
    Indian
    
  10. TRANSLATE
    This will replace the set of characters, character by character.

    Syntax:
    translate (string, old_chars, new_chars)

    Ex:
    SQL> select translate('india','in','xy') from dual;

    TRANS
    --------
    xydxa
    
  11. REPLACE :

    This will replace the set of characters, string by string.

    Syntax:
    replace (string, old_chars [, new_chars])

    Ex:
    SQL> select replace('india','in','xy'), replace('india','in') from dual;

    REPLACE   	REPLACE
    -----------  -----------
    Xydia         dia
    
  12. SOUNDEX :
    This will be used to find words that sound like other words, exclusively used in where clause.

    Syntax:
    soundex (string)

    Ex:
    SQL> select * from emp where soundex(ename) = soundex('SMIT');

    EMPNO  ENAME    JOB      MGR    HIREDATE      SAL     DEPTNO
    -----  ------  -----     ----  ------------   -----  --------
    7369   SMITH   CLERK     7902   17-DEC-80      500     20
    
  13. CONCAT :

    This will be used to combine two strings only.

    Syntax:
    concat (string1, string2)

    Ex:
    SQL> select concat('computer',' operator') from dual;

    CONCAT('COMPUTER'
    ------------------
    computer operator
    

    If you want to combine more than two strings you have to use concatenation operator (||).

    SQL> select 'how' || ' are' || ' you' from dual;
    		 
    'HOW'||'ARE
    ------------
    how are you
    
  14. ASCII :
    This will return the decimal representation in the database character set of the first character of the string.

    Syntax:
    ascii (string)

    Ex:
    SQL> select ascii('a'), ascii('apple') from dual;

    ASCII('A')  ASCII('APPLE')
    ------------  ------------
          97         97
    
  15. CHR :
    This will return the character having the binary equivalent to the string in either the database character set or the national character set.

    Syntax:
    chr (number)

    Ex:
    SQL> select chr(97) from dual;

    CHR
    -----
       a
    
  16. SUBSTR :
    This will be used to extract substrings.

    Syntax:
    substr (string, start_chr_count [, no_of_chars])

    Ex:
    SQL> select substr('computer',2), substr('computer',2,5), substr('computer',3,7) from dual;

    SUBSTR(     SUBST  	 SUBSTR
    --------   -------   --------
    omputer     omput     mputer
    
    • If no_of_chars parameter is negative then it will display nothing.
    • If both parameters except string are null or zeros then it will display nothing.
    • If no_of_chars parameter is greater than the length of the string then it ignores and calculates based on the orginal string length.
    • If start_chr_count is negative then it will extract the substring from right end.
    
    1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
    
    C	O	M	P	U	T	E	R
    
    -8	-7	-6	-5	-4	-3	-2	-1
    
    
  17. INSTR :
    This will allows you for searching through a string for set of characters.

    Syntax:
    instr (string, search_str [, start_chr_count [, occurrence] ])

    Ex:
    SQL> select instr('information','o',4,1), instr('information','o',4,2) from dual;

    INSTR('INFORMATION','O',4,1)          INSTR('INFORMATION','O',4,2)
    ---------------------------           ----------------------------
             4                           		10
    
    • If you are not specifying start_chr_count and occurrence then it will start search from the beginning and finds first occurrence only.
    • If both parameters start_chr_count and occurrence are null, it will display nothing.
  18. DECODE :
    Decode will act as value by value substitution. For every value of field, it will checks for a match in a series of if/then tests.

    Syntax:
    decode (value, if1, then1, if2, then2, ....... else);

    Ex:
    SQL> select sal, decode(sal,500,'Low',5000,'High','Medium') from emp;

           SAL     DECODE
          -----    ---------
           500 	 Low
          2500	 Medium
          2000 	Medium
          3500 	Medium
          3000 	Medium
          5000 	High
          4000 	Medium
          5000 	High
          1800 	Medium
          1200 	Medium
          2000 	Medium
          2700 	Medium
          2200 	Medium
          3200 	Medium  
    
    SQL> select decode(1,1,3), decode(1,2,3,4,4,6) from dual;
    DECODE(1,1,3) 	        DECODE(1,2,3,4,4,6)
    -----------------  ------------------------
                3                   	6
    
    • If the number of parameters are odd and different then decode will display nothing.
    • If the number of parameters are even and different then decode will display last value.
    • If all the parameters are null then decode will display nothing.
    • If all the parameters are zeros then decode will display zero.
  19. GREATEST :
    This will give the greatest string.

    Syntax:
    greatest (strng1, string2, string3 ... stringn)

    Ex:
    SQL> select greatest('a', 'b', 'c'), greatest('satish','srinu','saketh') from dual;

    GREAT 	  GREAT
    -------  -------
        c 	   srinu
    
    • If all the parameters are nulls then it will display nothing.
    • If any of the parameters is null it will display nothing.
  20. LEAST :
    This will give the least string.

    Syntax:
    greatest (strng1, string2, string3 ... stringn)

    Ex:
    SQL> select least('a', 'b', 'c'), least('satish','srinu','saketh') from dual;

    LEAST 	   LEAST
    -------  -------
        a 	   saketh
    
    • If all the parameters are nulls then it will display nothing.
    • If any of the parameters is null it will display nothing.
  21. COALESCE :
    This will gives the first non-null string.

    Syntax:
    coalesce (strng1, string2, string3 ... stringn)

    Ex:
    SQL> select coalesce('a','b','c'), coalesce(null,'a',null,'b') from dual;

    COALESCE 	COALESCE
    -----------   -----------
           a           a
    

DATE FUNCTIONS :

  1. Sysdate
  2. Current_date
  3. Current_timestamp
  4. Systimestamp
  5. Localtimestamp
  6. Dbtimezone
  7. Sessiontimezone
  8. To_char
  9. To_date
  10. Add_months
  11. Months_between
  12. Next_day
  13. Last_day
  14. Extract
  15. Greatest
  16. Least
  17. Round
  18. Trunc
  19. New_time
  20. Coalesce

Oracle default date format is DD-MON-YY.

We can change the default format to our desired format by using the following command.

SQL> alter session set nls_date_format = 'DD-MONTH-YYYY';
But this will expire once the session was closed.

  1. SYSDATE :
    This will give the current date and time.

    Ex:
    SQL> select sysdate from dual;

    SYSDATE
    -----------
    24-DEC-06
    
  2. CURRENT_DATE
    This will returns the current date in the session's timezone.

    Ex:
    SQL> select current_date from dual;

    CURRENT_DATE
    ------------------
         24-DEC-06
    
  3. CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
    This will returns the current timestamp with the active time zone information.

    Ex:
    SQL> select current_timestamp from dual;

    CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
    -----------------------------------------
    24-DEC-06 03.42.41.383369 AM +05:30
    
  4. SYSTIMESTAMP
    This will returns the system date, including fractional seconds and time zone of the database.

    Ex:
    SQL> select systimestamp from dual;

    		   
    SYSTIMESTAMP
    ------------------------------------
    24-DEC-06 03.49.31.830099 AM +05:30
    
  5. LOCALTIMESTAMP
    This will returns local timestamp in the active time zone information, with no time zone information shown.

    Ex:
    SQL> select localtimestamp from dual;

    LOCALTIMESTAMP
    -----------------------------
    24-DEC-06 03.44.18.502874 AM
    
  6. DBTIMEZONE
    This will returns the current database time zone in UTC format. (Coordinated Universal Time)

    Ex:
    SQL> select dbtimezone from dual;

    DBTIMEZONE
    ---------------
       -07:00  
    
  7. SESSIONTIMEZONE
    This will returns the value of the current session's time zone.

    Ex:
    SQL> select sessiontimezone from dual;

    SESSIONTIMEZONE
    ----------------
    +05:30
    
  8. TO_CHAR
    This will be used to extract various date formats. The available date formats as follows.

    Syntax:
    to_char (date, format)

    DATE FORMATS

      
    	D		--	No of days in week
    	DD		--	No of days in month
    	DDD		--	No of days in year
    	MM		--	No of month
    	MON		--	Three letter abbreviation of month
    	MONTH 	--	Fully spelled out month
    	RM		-- 	Roman numeral month
    	DY		--	Three letter abbreviated day
    	DAY		--	Fully spelled out day
    	Y		--	Last one digit of the year
    	YY		--	Last two digits of the year
    	YYY		--	Last three digits of the year
    	YYYY		--	Full four digit year
    	SYYYY	--	Signed year
    	I		--	One digit year from ISO standard
    	IY		--	Two digit year from ISO standard
    	IYY		--	Three digit year from ISO standard
    	IYYY		--	Four digit year from ISO standard
    	Y, YYY		--	Year with comma
    	YEAR		--	Fully spelled out year
    	CC		--	Century
    	Q		--	No of quarters
    	W		--	No of weeks in month
    	WW		-- 	No of weeks in year
    	IW		--	No of weeks in year from ISO standard
    	HH		--	Hours
    	MI		--	Minutes
    	SS		--	Seconds
    	FF		--	Fractional seconds
    	AM or PM	--	Displays AM or PM depending upon time of day
    	A.M or P.M	--	Displays A.M or P.M depending upon time of day
    	AD or BC	--	Displays AD or BC depending upon the date
    	A.D or B.C	--	Displays AD or BC depending upon the date
    	FM		--	Prefix to month or day, suppresses padding of month or day
    	TH		--	Suffix to a number
    	SP		--	suffix to a number to be spelled out
    	SPTH 		--	Suffix combination of TH and SP to be both spelled out
    	THSP		--	same as SPTH
    

    Ex:
    SQL> select to_char(sysdate,'dd month yyyy hh:mi:ss am dy') from dual;

    TO_CHAR(SYSDATE,'DD MONTH YYYYHH:MI
    ------------------------------------
    24 december  2006 02:03:23 pm sun	
    
    SQL> select to_char(sysdate,'dd month year') from dual;
    TO_CHAR(SYSDATE,'DDMONTHYEAR')
    -------------------------------
    24 december  two thousand six
    
    SQL> select to_char(sysdate,'dd fmmonth year') from dual;
    TO_CHAR(SYSDATE,'DD FMMONTH YEAR')
    ----------------------------------
    24 december two thousand six
    
    SQL> select to_char(sysdate,'ddth DDTH') from dual;
    TO_CHAR(S
    ------------
    24th 24TH
    
    SQL> select to_char(sysdate,'ddspth DDSPTH') from dual;
    TO_CHAR(SYSDATE,'DDSPTHDDSPTH
    -----------------------------
    twenty-fourth TWENTY-FOURTH
    
    SQL> select to_char(sysdate,'ddsp Ddsp DDSP ') from dual;
    TO_CHAR(SYSDATE,'DDSPDDSPDDSP')
    ------------------------------------
    twenty-four Twenty-Four TWENTY-FOUR
    
  9. TO_DATE
    This will be used to convert the string into data format.

    Syntax:
    to_date (date)

    Ex:
    SQL> select to_char(to_date('24/dec/2006','dd/mon/yyyy'), 'dd * month * day') from dual;

    TO_CHAR(TO_DATE('24/DEC/20
    --------------------------
    24 * december  * Sunday
    
    -- If you are not using to_char oracle will display output in default date format.
  10. ADD_MONTHS
    This will add the specified months to the given date.

    Syntax:
    add_months (date, no_of_months)

    Ex:
    SQL> select add_months(to_date('11-jan-1990','dd-mon-yyyy'), 5) from dual;

    ADD_MONTHS
    -----------
    11-JUN-90
    
    SQL> select add_months(to_date('11-jan-1990','dd-mon-yyyy'), -5) from dual;
    ADD_MONTH
    ----------
    11-AUG-89           
    
    • If no_of_months is zero then it will display the same date.
    • If no_of_months is null then it will display nothing.
  11. MONTHS_BETWEEN
    This will give difference of months between two dates.

    Syntax:
    months_between (date1, date2)

    Ex:
    SQL> select months_between(to_date('11-aug-1990','dd-mon-yyyy'), to_date('11-jan- 1990','dd-mon-yyyy')) from dual;

    MONTHS_BETWEEN(TO_DATE('11-AUG-1990','DD-MON-YYYY'),TO_DATE('11-JAN-1990','DD-MON-YYYY'))
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             7
    
    SQL> select months_between(to_date('11-jan-1990','dd-mon-yyyy'), to_date('11-aug- 1990','dd-mon-yyyy')) from dual;
    MONTHS_BETWEEN(TO_DATE('11-JAN-1990','DD-MON-YYYY'),TO_DATE('11-AUG-1990','DD-MON-YYYY'))
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              -7
    
  12. NEXT_DAY
    This will produce next day of the given day from the specified date.

    Syntax:
    next_day (date, day)

    Ex:
    SQL> select next_day(to_date('24-dec-2006','dd-mon-yyyy'),'sun') from dual;

    NEXT_DAY(
    ----------
    31-DEC-06
    
    -- If the day parameter is null then it will display nothing.
  13. LAST_DAY
    This will produce last day of the given date.

    Syntax:
    last_day (date)

    Ex:
    SQL> select last_day(to_date('24-dec-2006','dd-mon-yyyy'),'sun') from dual;

    LAST_DAY(
    ----------
    31-DEC-06
    
  14. EXTRACT
    This is used to extract a portion of the date value.

    Syntax:
    extract ((year | month | day | hour | minute | second), date)

    Ex:
    SQL> select extract(year from sysdate) from dual;

    		 
    EXTRACT(YEARFROMSYSDATE)
    ------------------------
              2006
    
    -- You can extract only one value at a time.
  15. GREATEST
    This will give the greatest date.

    Syntax:
    greatest (date1, date2, date3 ... daten)

    Ex:
    SQL> select greatest(to_date('11-jan-90','dd-mon-yy'),to_date('11-mar-90','dd-mon- yy'),to_date('11-apr-90','dd-mon-yy')) from dual;

      GREATEST(
      -----------
       11-APR-90
    
  16. LEAST
    This will give the least date.

    Syntax:
    least (date1, date2, date3 ... daten)

    Ex:
    SQL> select least(to_date('11-jan-90','dd-mon-yy'),to_date('11-mar-90','dd-mon- yy'),to_date('11-apr-90','dd-mon-yy')) from dual;

      LEAST(
      -----------
       11-JAN-90
    
  17. ROUND
    Round will rounds the date to which it was equal to or greater than the given date.

    Syntax:
    round (date, (day | month | year))

    If the second parameter was year then round will checks the month of the given date in the following ranges.
    	JAN	--	JUN	
    	JUL --	DEC
    	
    If the month falls between JAN and JUN then it returns the first day of the current year. If the month falls between JUL and DEC then it returns the first day of the next year.

    If the second parameter was month then round will checks the day of the given date in the following ranges.

    	1	--	15	
    	16 	--	31
    	
    If the day falls between 1 and 15 then it returns the first day of the current month. If the day falls between 16 and 31 then it returns the first day of the next month.

    If the second parameter was day then round will checks the week day of the given date in the following ranges.

    	SUN	--	WED
    	THU --	SUN
    	
    If the week day falls between SUN and WED then it returns the previous sunday.
    If the weekday falls between THU and SUN then it returns the next sunday.
    • If the second parameter was null then it returns nothing.
    • If the you are not specifying the second parameter then round will resets the time to the begining of the current day in case of user specified date.
    • If the you are not specifying the second parameter then round will resets the time to the begining of the next day in case of sysdate.
    Ex:
    SQL> select round(to_date('24-dec-04','dd-mon-yy'),'year'), round(to_date('11-mar- 06','dd-mon-yy'),'year') from dual;
    ROUND(TO_ 	ROUND(TO_
    ------------   ---------------
    01-JAN-05   	01-JAN-06
    
    SQL> select round(to_date('11-jan-04','dd-mon-yy'),'month'), round(to_date('18-jan- 04','dd-mon-yy'),'month') from dual;
    ROUND(TO_ 	ROUND(TO_
    -------------  ---------------
    01-JAN-04   	 01-FEB-04
    
    SQL> select round(to_date('26-dec-06','dd-mon-yy'),'day'), round(to_date('29-dec- 06','dd-mon-yy'),'day') from dual;
       
    ROUND(TO_	 ROUND(TO_
    --------------  --------------
    24-DEC-06   	  31-DEC-06
    
    SQL> select to_char(round(to_date('24-dec-06','dd-mon-yy')), 'dd mon yyyy hh:mi:ss am') from dual;
    TO_CHAR(ROUND(TO_DATE('
    ------------------------
    24 dec 2006 12:00:00 am
    
  18. TRUNC
    Trunc will chops off the date to which it was equal to or less than the given date.

    Syntax:
    trunc (date, (day | month | year))

    • If the second parameter was year then it always returns the first day of the current year.
    • If the second parameter was month then it always returns the first day of the current month.
    • If the second parameter was day then it always returns the previous sunday.
    • If the second parameter was null then it returns nothing.
    • If the you are not specifying the second parameter then trunk will resets the time to the begining of the current day.

    Ex:
    SQL> select trunc(to_date('24-dec-04','dd-mon-yy'),'year'), trunc(to_date('11-mar- 06','dd-mon-yy'),'year') from dual;

    TRUNC(TO_	 TRUNC(TO_
    -------------  ------------
    01-JAN-04   	 01-JAN-06
    
    SQL> select trunc(to_date('11-jan-04','dd-mon-yy'),'month'), trunc(to_date('18-jan- 04','dd-mon-yy'),'month') from dual;
    TRUNC(TO_ 	TRUNC(TO_
    -------------  ------------
    01-JAN-04   	 01-JAN-04
    
    SQL> select trunc(to_date('26-dec-06','dd-mon-yy'),'day'), trunc(to_date('29-dec-06','dd- mon-yy'),'day') from dual;
    TRUNC(TO_ 	TRUNC(TO_
    -------------  --------
    24-DEC-06 	24-DEC-06
    
    SQL> select to_char(trunc(to_date('24-dec-06','dd-mon-yy')), 'dd mon yyyy hh:mi:ss am') from dual;
    TO_CHAR(TRUNC(TO_DATE('
    ------------------------
    24 dec 2006 12:00:00 am
    
  19. NEW_TIME
    This will give the desired timezone's date and time.

    Syntax:
    new_time (date, current_timezone, desired_timezone)

    Available timezones are as follows.              TIMEZONES
    		AST/ADT	--	Atlantic standard/day light time
    		BST/BDT	--	Bering standard/day light time
    		CST/CDT	--	Central standard/day light time
    		EST/EDT	--	Eastern standard/day light time
    		GMT    	--	Greenwich mean time
    		HST/HDT	--	Alaska-Hawaii standard/day light time
    		MST/MDT	--	Mountain standard/day light time
    		NST	 --	Newfoundland standard time
    		PST/PDT	--	Pacific standard/day light time
    		YST/YDT	--	Yukon standard/day light time
    

    Ex:
    SQL> select to_char(new_time(sysdate,'gmt','yst'),'dd mon yyyy hh:mi:ss am') from dual;

    TO_CHAR(NEW_TIME(SYSDAT
    ------------------------
    24 dec 2006 02:51:20 pm
    
    SQL> select to_char(new_time(sysdate,'gmt','est'),'dd mon yyyy hh:mi:ss am') from dual;
    TO_CHAR(NEW_TIME(SYSDAT
    -----------------------
    24 dec 2006 06:51:26 pm
    
  20. COALESCE
    This will give the first non-null date.

    Syntax:
    coalesce (date1, date2, date3 ... daten)

    Ex:
    SQL> select coalesce('12-jan-90','13-jan-99'), coalesce(null,'12-jan-90','23-mar-98',null) from dual;

    COALESCE(    COALESCE(
    ----------  ------------
    12-jan-90     12-jan-90
    

MISCELLANEOUS  FUNCTIONS

  • Uid
  • User
  • Vsize
  • Rank
  • Dense_rank
  1. UID
    This will returns the integer value corresponding to the user currently logged in.

    Ex:
    SQL> select uid from dual;

           UID
          -----
           319
    
  2. USER
    This will returns the login's user name.

    Ex:
    SQL> select user from dual;

    USER
    ------
    SAKETH
    
  3. VSIZE
    This will returns the number of bytes in the expression.

    Ex:
    SQL> select vsize(123), vsize('computer'), vsize('12-jan-90') from dual;

    VSIZE(123)   VSIZE('COMPUTER')   VSIZE('12-JAN-90')
    ----------   -----------------  ------------------
         3            	8                9
    
  4. RANK
    This will give the non-sequential ranking.

    Ex:
    SQL> select rownum,sal from (select sal from emp order by sal desc);

           ROWNUM    SAL
        ---------- ----------
             1       5000
             2       3000
             3       3000
             4       2975
             5       2850
             6       2450
             7       1600
             8       1500
             9       1300
            10       1250
            11       1250
            12       1100
            13       1000
            14        950
            15        800
    
    SQL> select rank(2975) within group(order by sal desc) from emp;
    	 
    RANK(2975)WITHINGROUP(ORDERBYSALDESC)
    ------------------------------------
                  4
    
  5. DENSE_RANK
    This will give the sequential ranking.

    Ex:
    SQL> select dense_rank(2975) within group(order by sal desc) from emp;

    DENSE_RANK(2975)WITHINGROUP(ORDERBYSALDESC)
    ------------------------------------------
                      3
    

CONVERSION FUNCTIONS

  • Bin_to_num
  • Chartorowid
  • Rowidtochar
  • To_number
  • To_char
  • To_date
  1. BIN_TO_NUM
    This will convert the binary value to its numerical equivalent.

    Syntax:
    bin_to_num( binary_bits)

    Ex:
    SQL> select bin_to_num(1,1,0) from dual;

    BIN_TO_NUM(1,1,0)
    -----------------
           6
    
    • If all the bits are zero then it produces zero.
    • If all the bits are null then it produces an error.
  2. CHARTOROWID
    This will convert a character string to act like an internal oracle row identifier or rowid.
  3. ROWIDTOCHAR
    This will convert an internal oracle row identifier or rowid to character string.
  4. TO_NUMBER
    This will convert a char or varchar to number.
  5. TO_CHAR
    This will convert a number or date to character string.
  6. TO_DATE
    This will convert a number, char or varchar to a date.

GROUP FUNCTIONS

GROUP FUNCTIONS

  • Sum
  • Avg
  • Max
  • Min
  • Count
Group functions will be applied on all the rows but produces single output.
  1. SUM
    This will give the sum of the values of the specified column.
    Syntax:
    sum (column)
    Ex:

    SQL> select sum(sal) from emp;
      SUM(SAL)
       ----------
         38600
    
  2. AVG
    This will give the average of the values of the specified column.
    Syntax:
    avg (column)
    Ex:

    SQL> select avg(sal) from emp;
       AVG(SAL)
       ---------------
       2757.14286
    
  3. MAX :
    This will give the maximum of the values of the specified column.
    Syntax:
    max (column)
    Ex:

    SQL> select max(sal) from emp;
        MAX(SAL)
       ----------
         5000
    
  4. MIN
    This will give the minimum of the values of the specified column.
    Syntax:
    min (column)
    Ex:

    SQL> select min(sal) from emp;
       MIN(SAL)
       ----------
         500
    
  5. COUNT
    This will give the count of the values of the specified column.
    Syntax:
    count (column)
    Ex:

    SQL> select count(sal),count(*) from emp;
    COUNT(SAL)   COUNT(*)
    --------------    ------------
            14         	      14
    
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