TO_CHAR function [String]

Converts character data from any supported character set into the CHAR character set for the database.

Syntax
TO_CHAR( string-expression [, source-charset-name ] )
Parameters
  • string-expression   The string to be converted.

  • source-charset-name   The character set of the string.

Remarks

If source-charset-name is specified, then this function is equivalent to:

CAST( CSCONVERT( CAST( string-expression AS BINARY ),
 'db_charset', source-charset-name )
   AS CHAR );

For more information about db_charset, see CSCONVERT function [String].

If source-charset-name is not specified, then this function is equivalent to:

CAST( string-expression AS CHAR );
See also
Standards and compatibility
  • SQL/2003   Vendor extension.

Example

If you have a BINARY value containing data in the cp850 character set, the following statement converts the data to the CHAR character set and data type:

SELECT TO_CHAR( 'cp850_data', 'cp850' );