TO_CHAR (date conversion)

Syntax

Purpose

TO_CHAR converts d of DATE datatype to a value of VARCHAR2 datatype in the format specified by the date format fmt. If you omit fmt, d is converted to a VARCHAR2 value in the default date format. For information on date formats, see "Format Models".

The 'nlsparams' specifies the language in which month and day names and abbreviations are returned. This argument can have this form:

'NLS_DATE_LANGUAGE = language' 

If you omit nlsparams, this function uses the default date language for your session.

Example

SELECT TO_CHAR(HIREDATE, 'Month DD, YYYY')
    "New date format" FROM emp
    WHERE ename = 'BLAKE';
 
New date format
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May       01, 1981