TO_CHAR

Converts a value of type DATE, TIMESTAMP, or TIMESTAMPTZ to a formatted string.

Syntax

TO_CHAR(<expression>, '<format>')

Parameters

Parameter	Description	Supported input types
`<expression>`	A date or time expression to be converted to text.	`DATE`, `TIMESTAMP`, `TIMESTAMPTZ`
`<format>`	A string literal that specifies the format of the `<expression>` to convert.	See below.

Accepted <format> patterns include:

Format option	Description	Example
`HH12` or `HH`	Hour of day (01–12)	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 18:24:58.085109', 'hh12 HH'); --> '06 06'`
`HH24`	Hour of day (00–23)	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 18:24:58.085109', 'HH24'); --> '18'`
`MI`	Minute (00–59)	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 18:24:58.085109', 'MI'); --> '24'`
`SS`	Second (00–59)	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 18:24:58.085109', 'SS'); --> '58'`
`SSSS` or `SSSSS`	Seconds past midnight (0–86399)	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 18:24:58.085109', 'SSSS'); --> '41098'`
`MS`	Millisecond (000–999)	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 18:24:58.085109', 'MS'); --> '085'`
`US`	Microsecond (000000–999999)	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 18:24:58.085109', 'US'); --> '085109'`
`Y,YYY`	Year (4 or more digits) with comma Y,YYY	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 18:24:58.085109', 'Y,YYY'); --> '2,023'`
`YYYY`	Year (4 or more digits)	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 18:24:58.085109', 'YYYY'); --> '2023'`
`YYY`	Last 3 digits of year	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 18:24:58.085109', 'YYY'); --> '023'`
`YY`	Last 2 digits of year	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 18:24:58.085109', 'YY'); --> '23'`
`Y`	Last digit of year	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 18:24:58.085109', 'Y'); --> '3'`
`IYYY`	ISO 8601 week-numbering year (4 or more digits)	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 18:24:58.085109', 'IYYY'); --> '2023'`
`IYY`	Last 3 digits of ISO 8601 week-numbering year	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 18:24:58.085109', 'IYY'); --> '023'`
`IY`	Last 2 digits of ISO 8601	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 18:24:58.085109', 'IY'); --> '23'`
`I`	Last digit of ISO 8601 week-numbering year	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 18:24:58.085109', 'I'); --> '3'`
`MM`	Month number (01–12)	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 18:24:58.085109', 'MM'); --> '03'`
`DDD`	Day of year (001–366)	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 18:24:58.085109', 'DDD'); --> '062'`
`DD`	Day of month (01–31)	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 18:24:58.085109', 'DD'); --> '03'`
`D`	Day of the week, Sunday (1) to Saturday (7)	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 18:24:58.085109', 'D'); --> '6'`
`ID`	ISO 8601 day of the week, Monday (1) to Sunday (7)	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 18:24:58.085109', 'ID'); --> '5'`
`W`	Week of month (1–5) (the first week starts on the first day of the month)	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 18:24:58.085109', 'W'); --> '1'`
`WW`	Week number of year (1–53) (the first week starts on the first day of the year)	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 18:24:58.085109', 'WW'); --> '09'`
`IW`	Week number of ISO 8601 week-numbering year (01–53) (the first Thursday of the year is in week 1)	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 18:24:58.085109', 'IW'); --> '09'`
`CC`	Century (2 digits) (the twenty-first century starts on 2001-01-01)	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 18:24:58.085109', 'CC'); --> '21'`
`Q`	Single digit quarter	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 18:24:58.085109', 'Q'); --> '1'`
`AM` or `PM`	Meridiem indicator upper case without periods	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 18:24:58.085109', 'hhAM'); --> '6PM'`
`am` or `pm`	Meridiem indicator lower case without periods	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 09:24:58', 'hhpm'); --> '9am'`
`A.M.` or `P.M.`	Meridiem indicator upper case with periods	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 18:24:58', 'hhP.M.'); --> '6P.M.'`
`a.m.` or `p.m.`	Meridiem indicator lower case with periods	`TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03 09:24:58', 'hha.m.'); --> '9a.m.'`
`MONTH`	Full upper case month name (blank-padded to 9 chars)	`TO_CHAR(DATE ‘2023-03-03’, ‘MONTH’); —> ‘MARCH ‘`
`Month`	Full capitalized month name (blank-padded to 9 chars)	`TO_CHAR(DATE ‘2023-08-07’, ‘Month’); —> ‘August ‘`
`month`	Full lower case month name (blank-padded to 9 chars)	`TO_CHAR(DATE '2023-09-10', 'month'); --> 'September'`
`MON`	Abbreviated upper case month name (3 chars)	`TO_CHAR(DATE '2023-07-03', 'MON'); --> 'JUL'`
`Mon`	Abbreviated capitalized month name (3 chars)	`TO_CHAR(DATE '2023-01-03', 'Mon'); --> 'Jan'`
`mon`	Abbreviated lower case month name (3 chars)	`TO_CHAR(DATE '2023-12-03', 'mon'); --> 'dec'`
`DAY`	Full upper case day name (blank-padded to 9 chars)	`TO_CHAR(DATE ‘2023-03-07’, ‘DAY’); —> ‘TUESDAY ‘`
`Day`	Full capitalized day name (blank-padded to 9 chars)	`TO_CHAR(DATE ‘2023-03-08’, ‘Day’); —> ‘Wednesday’`
`day`	Full lower case day name (blank-padded to 9 chars)	`TO_CHAR(DATE ‘2023-03-09’, ‘day’); —> ‘thursday ‘`
`DY`	Abbreviated upper case day name (3 chars in English)	`TO_CHAR(DATE '2023-03-09', 'DY'); --> 'THU'`
`Dy`	Abbreviated capitalized day name (3 chars in English)	`TO_CHAR(DATE '2023-03-10', 'Dy'); --> 'Fri'`
`dy`	Abbreviated lower case day name (3 chars in English)	`TO_CHAR(DATE '2023-03-11', 'dy'); --> 'sat'`
`RM`	Month in upper case Roman numerals (I–XII; I=January)	`TO_CHAR(DATE '2023-03-03', 'RM'); --> 'III'`
`rm`	Month in lower case Roman numerals (i–xii; i=January)	`TO_CHAR(DATE '2023-06-03', 'rm'); --> 'vi'`
`AD` or `BC`	Upper case era indicator without periods	`TO_CHAR(DATE '2023-03-03', 'BC'); --> 'AD'`
`ad` or `bc`	lower case era indicator without periods	`TO_CHAR(DATE '2023-03-03', 'ad'); --> 'ad'`
`A.D.` or `B.C.`	Upper case era indicator with periods	`TO_CHAR(DATE '2023-03-03', 'A.D.'); --> 'A.D.'`
`a.d.` or `b.c.`	Upper case era indicator with periods	`TO_CHAR(DATE '2023-03-03', 'b.c.'); --> 'a.d.'`
`TZ`	Upper case time-zone abbreviation	`SET timezone = 'America/Vancouver';` `TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03', 'TZ'); --> 'PST'`
`tz`	Lower case time-zone abbreviation	`SET timezone = 'Europe/Berlin';` `TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03', 'tz'); --> 'cet'`
`TZH`	Time zone hours	`SET TIMEZONE = 'America/Chicago';` `TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03', 'TZH'); --> '-06'`
`TZM`	Time zone minutes	`SET TIMEZONE = 'America/Chicago';` `TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03', 'tzm'); --> '00'`
`OF`	Time zone offset from UTC	`SET TIMEZONE = 'America/New_York';` `TO_CHAR(TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-03', 'OF'); --> '-08:00'`

Additionally, modifiers can be applied to the format patterns above to alter their behavior.

Format option	Description	Example
`FM` prefix	Suppress leading zeroes and padding blanks	`TO_CHAR(CURRENT_DATE, ‘Month YYYY’); —> ‘March 2023’` `TO_CHAR(CURRENT_DATE, 'FMMonth YYYY'); --> 'March 2023'`
`TH` suffix	Upper case ordinal number suffix	`TO_CHAR(CURRENT_TIMESTAMP, 'MMTH'); --> '1ST'`
`th` suffix	Lower case ordinal number suffix	`TO_CHAR(CURRENT_TIMESTAMP, 'MMth'); --> '3rd'`

Any character in the format string that is not recognized as a pattern is simply copied over without being replaced. Parts that are quoted " will be copied over independent of possibly valid patterns. Patterns are matched in lower and upper case if there is no other behavior described above.

Return Types

Formatted string based on the function’s specifications

Examples

The example below outputs the current local time in a formatted string. Note that the " around the words Date and Time are required, otherwise the characters D and I would be interpreted as valid patterns which would result in the output 6ate and T3me.

SELECT TO_CHAR(
    TIMESTAMPTZ '2023-03-02 06:33:26.466511',
    '"Date": FMMonth FMddth, YYYY "Time": FMHH12am (mi:ss.us) OF (TZ)'
);

to_char text
Date: March 2nd, 2023 Time: 6am (33:26.466511) +00 (UTC)

Rows: 1Execution time: 5.95ms

The following example outputs the current date in a formatted string with any time field set to 0 which indicates midnight. Note the quotation marks again that are required to prevent unintended replacements:

SELECT TO_CHAR(
    DATE '2023-03-02' ,
    '"The" fmDDDth "day in" YY "is a" fmDay "at midnight" hh24:mi:ss.us'
);

to_char text
The 61st day in 23 is a Thursday at midnight 00:00:00.000000

Rows: 1Execution time: 5.81ms

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​Syntax

​Parameters

​Return Types

​Examples

Syntax

Parameters

Return Types

Examples