The TRIM function in SQL is used to remove specified prefix or suffix from a string. The most common pattern being removed is white spaces. This function is called differently in different databases:

• MySQL: TRIM(), RTRIM(), LTRIM()
• Oracle: RTRIM(), LTRIM()
• SQL Server: RTRIM(), LTRIM()

The syntax for these trim functions are:

TRIM([[LOCATION] [remstr] FROM ] str): [LOCATION] can be either LEADING, TRAILING, or BOTH. This function gets rid of the [remstr] pattern from either the beginning of the string or the end of the string, or both. If no [remstr] is specified, white spaces are removed.

LTRIM(str): Removes all white spaces from the beginning of the string.

RTRIM(str): Removes all white spaces at the end of the string.

Example 1:

SELECT TRIM('   Sample   ');

Result:

'Sample'

Example 2:

SELECT LTRIM('   Sample   ');

Result:

'Sample   '

Example 3:

SELECT RTRIM('   Sample   ');

Result:

'   Sample'

Link to this page: If you find this page useful, we encourage you to link to this page. Simply copy and paste the code below to your website, blog, or profile.

<a href="http://www.1keydata.com/sql/sql-trim.html">SQL Trim Functions</a>