Oracle TO_DATE function.

Preamble

The Oracle/PLSQL TO_DATE function converts a string into a date.

Syntax of the Oracle/PLSQL TO_DATE function

TO_DATE( string1_id, [ format_mask_id ], [ nls_language_id ] )

Parameters and function arguments

• string1_id – is a string that will be converted to date.
• format_mask_id – is optional. This is the format that will be used to convert string1 to date.
  It can be one or a combination of the following values:

• nls_language_id – is optional. NLS language is used to convert string1 to date.

The TO_DATE function can be used in the following versions of Oracle/PLSQL

Oracle 12c, Oracle 11g, Oracle 10g, Oracle 9i, Oracle 8i

Let’s consider some examples of the TO_DATE function to understand how to use the TO_DATE function in Oracle.

SELECT TO_DATE('2019/07/22', 'yyyyy/mm/dd') FROM DUAL;

--Result: 22.07.2019

SELECT TO_DATE('072219', 'MMDDYYY') FROM DUAL;

--Result: 22.07.2019

SELECT TO_DATE('20190722', 'yyyyymmdd') FROM DUAL;

--Result: 22.07.2019

SELECT TO_DATE('30.01.2019 18:30:52', 'DD.MM.YYYYY HH24:MI:SS') FROM DUAL;

--Result: 30.01.2019 18:30:52

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