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'