Skip to content

ltrim-transact-sql.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
141 lines (102 loc) · 5.14 KB

ltrim-transact-sql.md

File metadata and controls

141 lines (102 loc) · 5.14 KB
title LTRIM (Transact-SQL)
description LTRIM returns a character string after truncating leading characters.
author markingmyname
ms.author maghan
ms.reviewer randolphwest
ms.date 05/16/2024
ms.service sql
ms.subservice t-sql
ms.topic reference
ms.custom
ignite-2025
f1_keywords
LTRIM
LTRIM_TSQL
helpviewer_keywords
leading blanks
deleting blank spaces
characters [SQL Server], blanks
removing blank spaces
LTRIM function
blank characters [SQL Server]
dev_langs
TSQL
monikerRange >=aps-pdw-2016 || =azuresqldb-current || =azure-sqldw-latest || >=sql-server-2016 || >=sql-server-linux-2017 || =azuresqldb-mi-current || =fabric || =fabric-sqldb

LTRIM (Transact-SQL)

[!INCLUDE sql-asdb-asdbmi-asa-pdw-fabricse-fabricdw-fabricsqldb]

::: moniker range="<=sql-server-ver15 || <=sql-server-linux-ver15 " Returns a character string after truncating all leading spaces. ::: moniker-end

::: moniker range=">=sql-server-ver16 || >=sql-server-linux-ver16 || = azure-sqldw-latest || = azuresqldb-current || = azuresqldb-mi-current ||=fabric" Removes space character char(32) or other specified characters from the start of a string. ::: moniker-end

:::image type="icon" source="../../includes/media/topic-link-icon.svg" border="false"::: Transact-SQL syntax conventions

Syntax

Syntax for SQL Server prior to [!INCLUDE sssql22-md]:

LTRIM ( character_expression )

Syntax for [!INCLUDE sssql22-md] and later, [!INCLUDE ssazuremi-md], [!INCLUDE ssazure-sqldb], [!INCLUDE ssazuresynapse_md], and [!INCLUDE fabric]:

Important

You need your database compatibility level set to 160 to use the optional characters argument.

LTRIM ( character_expression , [ characters ] )

Arguments

character_expression

An expression of character or binary data. character_expression can be a constant, variable, or column. character_expression must be of a data type, except text, ntext, and image, that is implicitly convertible to varchar. Otherwise, use CAST to explicitly convert character_expression.

characters

A literal, variable, or function call of any non-LOB character type (nvarchar, varchar, nchar, or char) containing characters that should be removed. nvarchar(max) and varchar(max) types aren't allowed.

Return types

Returns a character expression with a type of string argument where the space character char(32) or other specified characters are removed from the beginning of a character_expression. Returns NULL if input string is NULL.

Remarks

To enable the optional characters positional argument, enable database compatibility level 160 on the database that you connect to when executing queries.

Examples

A. Remove leading spaces

The following example uses LTRIM to remove leading spaces from a character expression.

SELECT LTRIM('     Five spaces are at the beginning of this string.');

[!INCLUDE ssResult]

---------------------------------------------------------------
  Five spaces are at the beginning of this string.

B: Remove leading spaces using a variable

The following example uses LTRIM to remove leading spaces from a character variable.

DECLARE @string_to_trim VARCHAR(60);
SET @string_to_trim = '     Five spaces are at the beginning of this string.';
SELECT
    @string_to_trim AS 'Original string',
    LTRIM(@string_to_trim) AS 'Without spaces';
GO

[!INCLUDE ssResult]

Original string                                            Without spaces
-----------------------------------------------------   ---------------------------------------------
     Five spaces are at the beginning of this string.    Five spaces are at the beginning of this string.

C. Remove specified characters from the beginning of a string

Important

You need your database compatibility level set to 160 to use the optional characters argument.

The following example removes the characters 123 from the beginning of the 123abc. string.

SELECT LTRIM('123abc.' , '123.');

[!INCLUDE ssResult]

abc.

Related content