cast

CAST function [Data type conversion]

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Function
Returns the value of an expression converted to a supplied data type.

Syntax
CAST ( expression AS data type )

Parameters
expression     The expression to be converted.

data type     The target data type.

Example
The following function ensures a string is used as a date:

CAST( '2000-10-31' AS DATE )
The value of the expression 1 + 2 is calculated, and the result cast into a single-character string.

CAST( 1 + 2 AS CHAR )
You can use the CAST function to shorten strings:

CAST( Surname AS CHAR(10) )
Usage
If you do not indicate a length for character string types, the database server chooses an appropriate length. If neither precision nor scale is specified for a DECIMAL conversion, the database server selects appropriate values.

Standards and compatibility
SQL/92     This function is SQL/92 compatible.

SQL/99     Core feature.

Sybase     Not supported in Adaptive Server Enterprise.