Oracle to_timestamp

PL/SQL (Procedural Language/Structured Query Language) is a programming language for working with SQL in Oracle databases. It allows developers to combine the power of SQL with the flexibility and convenience of procedural programming to create powerful and efficient applications. PL/SQL includes a wide range of features, including control structures, data types, and more that make it a powerful and versatile language for working with SQL and Oracle databases.

In this tutorial, we will learn how to use the to_timestamp() function in PL/SQL to convert a string to a timestamp value.

Oracle to_timestamp() Function Syntax

The syntax for the TO_TIMESTAMP function in Oracle is:

TO_TIMESTAMP(timestamp_string, [format_mask], [nls_language])

The function takes a string representing a timestamp in a specified format and converts it to a timestamp value.

The timestamp_string is a string representing the timestamp to be converted. The accepted value types include CHAR, VARCHAR2, NCHAR, and NVARCHAR2. As of writing, the function does not support CLOB directly. However, you can pass a CLOB value via implicit type conversion
The format_mask is an optional parameter that specifies the format of the timestamp string. If not specified, the default format is used.
The nls_language is an optional parameter that specifies the language used for day and month names in the timestamp string. If not specified, the default language is used.

The function will return a timestamp value from the input type.

Example Function Usage

The following is a basic example demonstrating how to use the to_timestamp() function on Oracle databases:

SELECT TO_TIMESTAMP('2022-12-03 10:15:30', 'YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI:SS') as current_timestamp from dual;

This example converts the string ‘2022-12-03 10:15:30’ to a timestamp value using the specified format. The resulting timestamp value would be ‘December 03, 2022 10:15:30’ as shown in the output below:

Other examples are as shown:

Conclusion

The TO_TIMESTAMP function in Oracle is a powerful and versatile tool for converting string values to timestamp values. It can convert a wide range of timestamp formats, using format masks to specify the desired format of the resulting timestamp value. Using the TO_TIMESTAMP function, you can easily manipulate and work with timestamp data in your Oracle database, making it an essential part of any Oracle developer’s toolkit.

Oracle to_timestamp