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ABS

Syntax

Description of the illustration abs.gif

Purpose

ABS returns the absolute value of n.

This function takes as an argument any numeric datatype or any nonnumeric datatype that can be implicitly converted to a numeric datatype. The function returns the same datatype as the numeric datatype of the argument.

See Also:

Table 2-10, "Implicit Type Conversion Matrix" for more information on implicit conversion

Examples

The following example returns the absolute value of -15:

SELECT ABS(-15) "Absolute" FROM DUAL;

  Absolute
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        15