Formatting Columns : COLUMN « SQL PLUS Session Environment « Oracle PL/SQL Tutorial

1. Oracle PL/SQL Tutorial
2. SQL PLUS Session Environment
3. COLUMN

COLUMN command formats the display of column headings and column data.

The simplified syntax for the COLUMN command is as follows:

COL[UMN] {column | alias} [options]

where

1. column specifies the column name.
2. alias specifies the column alias to be formatted. You can then reference your alias in the COLUMN command.
3. options specifies one or more options to be used to format the column or alias.
4. There are a number of options you can use with the COLUMN command.

The following table shows some of these options.

The format string in the previous table may take a number of formatting parameters.

The parameters you specify depend on the data stored in your column:

1. If your column contains characters, you can use Ax to format the characters, where x specifies the width for the characters. For example, A12 sets the width to 12 characters.
2. If your column contains numbers, you can use any of the number formats. For example, $99.99 sets the format to a dollar sign, followed by two digits, the decimal point, and another two digits.
3. If your column contains a date, you can use any of the date formats. For example, MM-DD-YYYY sets the format to a two-digit month (MM), a two-digit day (DD), and a four-digit year (YYYY).

Advanced SQL Functions in Oracle 10g (Wordware Applications Library)

(Paperback)

by Richard Earp (Author)

# Paperback: 350 pages

# Publisher: Wordware Publishing, Inc. (January 25, 2006)

# Language: English

# ISBN-10: 1598220217

# ISBN-13: 978-1598220216