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PLSQL | ABS Function

Last Updated : 06 Oct, 2019
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The PLSQL ABS function is used for returning the absolute value of a number. Absolute value is used for depicting the distance of a number on the number line from 0. The direction of the number from zero is not considered since the absolute value of a number is never negative. The ABS in PLSQL function takes as an argument any numeric data type or any non-numeric data type that can be implicitly converted to a numeric data type. The value returned by the PLSQL ABS function is of the same data type as the numeric data type of the argument. Syntax:
ABS( number )
Parameters Used: number - It is used to specify the number whose absolute value you want to know. Return Value: The ABS function in PLSQL returns a numeric value. Supported Versions of Oracle/PLSQL:
  1. Oracle 12c
  2. Oracle 11g
  3. Oracle 10g
  4. Oracle 9i
  5. Oracle 8i
Example-1: Using a positive numeric value as an argument in the ABS function.
DECLARE 
   Test_Number int := 20;
   
BEGIN 
   dbms_output.put_line(ABS(Test_Number)); 
   
END; 
Output:
20 
Example-2: Using a negative numeric value as an argument in the ABS function.
DECLARE 
   Test_Number int := -12;
   
BEGIN 
   dbms_output.put_line(ABS(Test_Number)); 
   
END; 
Output:
12 
Example-3: Using a negative numeric value with decimal as an argument in the ABS function.
DECLARE 
   Test_Number decimal(7, 2) := -12.23;
   
BEGIN 
   dbms_output.put_line(ABS(Test_Number)); 
   
END;  
Output:
12.23 
Example-4: Using an expression as an argument in the ABS function.
DECLARE 
   Test_Number decimal(11, 2) := (-20.45 * 2);
   
BEGIN 
   dbms_output.put_line(ABS(Test_Number)); 
   
END;   
Output:
40.9 
Example-5: Using ABS function with select query.
SELECT ABS(-20.45 * 1) FROM dual; 
Output:
20.45 
Advantages: The ABS function accepts any numeric datatype as well as any non-numeric datatype as an argument that can be implicitly converted to a numeric datatype.

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