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When working with data in SQL (Structured Query Language), it’s common to encounter tasks that involve understanding, manipulating, and analyzing text strings. One such task is finding the length of a string. This can be extremely useful in numerous scenarios, from validating data input to shaping data for further analysis. In SQL, this can be done using the built-in function called LENGTH or LEN (depending on your SQL dialect).
LENGTH in SQL:
The LENGTH function is used in SQL to get the length of a string. The syntax is as follows:
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SELECT LENGTH(column_name) FROM table_name; |
This code would return the length of the string present in the column “column_name” for each record in the chosen “table_name”.
For example:
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SELECT LENGTH('SQL Programming') as StringLength; |
The code snippet above would return the number 15, which is the total number of characters in the string ‘SQL Programming’.
LEN in SQL Server:
In SQL Server, the function used to get the length of a string is LEN. The syntax is similar to LENGTH, as follows:
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SELECT LEN(column_name) FROM table_name; |
For instance:
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SELECT LEN('SQL Programming') as StringLength; |
The above query would also return the number 15.
Important Note:
It should be noted that the LENGTH function counts spaces as characters, while the LEN function in SQL Server does not count trailing spaces.
Whether you are using LENGTH or LEN, these are useful functions for any SQL programmer when it comes to handling and analyzing string data.