Oracle/PLSQL: Coalesce Function

In Oracle/PLSQL, the coalesce function returns the first non-null expression in the list. If all expressions evaluate to null, then the coalesce function will return null.

Syntax

The syntax for the coalesce function is:

coalesce( expr1, expr2, ... expr_n )

expr1 to expr_n are the expressions to test for non-null values.

Applies To

• Oracle 11g, Oracle 10g, Oracle 9i

For Example

You could use the coalesce function in an SQL statement as follows:

SELECT coalesce( address1, address2, address3 ) result

FROM suppliers;

The above coalesce statement is equivalent to the following IF-THEN-ELSE statement:

IF address1 is not null THEN

   result := address1;

ELSIF address2 is not null THEN

   result := address2;

ELSIF address3 is not null THEN

   result := address3;

ELSE

   result := null;

END IF;

The coalesce function will compare each value, one by one.