SQL Server DATALENGTH() Function

Example

Return the length of an expression (in bytes):

SELECT DATALENGTH('W3Schools.com');
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Definition and Usage

The DATALENGTH() function returns the number of bytes used to represent an expression.

Note: The DATALENGTH() function counts both leading and trailing spaces when calculating the length of the expression.

Tip: Also see the LEN() function.

Syntax

DATALENGTH(expression)

Parameter Values

Parameter Description
expression Required. The data type to return the length for. If expression is NULL, it returns NULL

Technical Details

Works in: SQL Server (starting with 2008), Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Data Warehouse, Parallel Data Warehouse

More Examples

Example

Return the length of an expression (in bytes) (counts both leading and trailing spaces):

SELECT DATALENGTH('   W3Schools.com   ');
Try it Yourself »

Example

Return the length of an expression (in bytes):

SELECT DATALENGTH('2017-08');
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