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PROPER()

Overview

PROPER() converts text to proper case, where the first letter of each word is capitalized and all other letters are lowercase. This function is useful for formatting names, titles, and other text that should follow proper capitalization rules.

Function Format

PROPER(string)

Return Value

PROPER() returns a character string

Examples

PROPER("apples") = "Apples"                    (single word)
PROPER("apples and oranges") = "Apples And Oranges"  (multiple words)
PROPER("JOHN DOE") = "John Doe"                (all caps)
PROPER("mary-jane") = "Mary-Jane"              (with hyphen)
PROPER("o'brien") = "O'Brien"                  (with apostrophe)
PROPER("") = ""                                (empty string)
PROPER(NULL) = NULL                            (NULL handling)

Notes

• Important behaviors:
  • Capitalizes first letter of each word
  • Converts all other letters to lowercase
  • Treats spaces, hyphens, and apostrophes as word boundaries
  • Preserves non-letter characters
  • Returns NULL for NULL input
• Common use cases include:
  • Name formatting
  • Title capitalization
  • Address formatting
  • Data cleaning
  • Report generation
• The function can be used with:
  • String literals
  • Text columns
  • String expressions
  • Concatenated strings
• This function is often used in combination with other string functions for text formatting and cleaning.
• For other case conversions, use UPPER() or LOWER() functions.

See Also

• UPPER()
• LOWER()
• TRIM()