lpad oracle

lpad is a built-in Oracle function that allows you to left pad a string with a specific character to reach a desired length.

Syntax

The syntax for the lpad function is as follows:

lpad(string, length, [pad_string])

Where:

• string is the string to be padded
• length is the desired length of the new padded string
• pad_string (optional) is the character to use for padding. By default, a space character is used.

Example

The following example illustrates the use of the lpad function:

SELECT lpad('oracle', 10) as padded_string
FROM dual;

This SQL statement will return a result set with a single column named padded_string with the value ' oracle', which is the original string padded with spaces on the left to reach a total length of 10 characters.

Conclusion

lpad is a useful function for padding strings to a specific length. It can help you format your output and make your code more readable. However, it is important to note that the lpad function is specific to Oracle, and may not be available in other database systems.