LTRIM
Functions › Text › Change a string
Removes characters from the start of a string.
Syntax
LTRIM( <string> [, <characters> ] )
Arguments
| Argument | Description |
|---|---|
<string> | The text to trim. |
<characters> | Optional. The set of characters to remove. Each character counts on its own. Without it, white space is removed. |
Returns
Text. NULL when any argument is NULL.
Usage notes
- Without
<characters>it removes white space: spaces, tabs, line breaks. TRIM(LEADING <characters> FROM <string>)is the same call.- On large tables the engine runs
LTRIM( <string> )in the data store; with<characters>it runs after the rows are read.
Examples
Strip leading zeros:
SELECT i.number, LTRIM(i.number, '0') AS number_trimmed FROM data.invoices i
| number | number_trimmed |
|---|---|
| 000412 | 412 |
| 010020 | 10020 |