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LENGTH()

Overview

LENGTH() returns the number of characters in a specified string, including any leading or trailing blanks. This function is useful for string validation, data cleaning, and text analysis where you need to determine the size of a string.

Function Format

LENGTH(string)

Return Value

LENGTH() returns an integer value

Examples

LENGTH("APPLES") = 6                (counts all characters)
LENGTH(" APPLES ") = 8              (includes leading and trailing spaces)
LENGTH(TRIM(" APPLES ")) = 6        (spaces removed before counting)
LENGTH("") = 0                      (empty string)
LENGTH(NULL) = NULL                 (NULL input)
LENGTH("Hello World") = 11          (includes space between words)

Notes

• Important behaviors:
  • Counts all characters, including spaces
  • Returns 0 for empty strings
  • Returns NULL for NULL input
  • Counts each character exactly once
• Common use cases include:
  • String validation
  • Data cleaning
  • Text analysis
  • Input validation
  • String manipulation
• To exclude leading and trailing spaces from the count:
  • Use TRIM() before LENGTH()
  • Example: LENGTH(TRIM(" APPLES "))
• The function can be used with:
  • String literals
  • String columns
  • String expressions
  • String functions
• This function is often used in combination with other string functions like TRIM(), LEFT(), and RIGHT() for more complex string manipulations.

See Also

• TRIM()
• LEFT()
• RIGHT()
• SUBSTR()