Data Conversion

[Guest_imported]

I would appreciate if anyone can tell me how can I convert data retrieved from a varchar database column to an integer value in sql.
I need to join two tables but the data types of the columns that I am joining are different (one is integer and the other is varchar, though the value stored is an integer value as string)

any help is appreciated

 

[bperry]

If this is MS SQL Server, I find that this seems to work without explicit conversion. (I guess SQL Server does the conversion automatically.)

However, perhaps this would work for you:
(I think that CAST() is ANSI92?)

Select * from LetterTable l
INNER JOIN NumberTable n
ON CAST(l.LetId as int) = n.NumId

Whatever rdms you are working in, look around for a function (like Cast) to convert from one datatype to the other.

rgrds, etc
brian perry

 

[grega]

In Sybase, you would use the convert function.

Greg.

 

[crufty]

In Oracle, the TO_CHAR function will achieve NUMBER to VARCHAR or, if you want to go the other way, T0_NUMBER will achieve VARCHAR to NUMBER conversion.