SQL Server FORMAT() Function

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Example

Format a date:

DECLARE @d DATETIME = '12/01/2018';
SELECT FORMAT (@d, 'd', 'en-US') AS 'US English Result',
FORMAT (@d, 'd', 'no') AS 'Norwegian Result',
FORMAT (@d, 'd', 'zu') AS 'Zulu Result';

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Definition and Usage

The FORMAT() function formats a value with the specified format (and an optional culture in SQL Server 2017).

Use the FORMAT() function to format date/time values and number values. For general data type conversions, use CAST() or CONVERT().

Syntax

FORMAT(value, format, culture)

Parameter Values

Parameter	Description
value	Required. The value to be formatted
format	Required. The format pattern
culture	Optional. Specifies a culture (from SQL Server 2017)

Technical Details

Works in:	SQL Server (starting with 2012), Azure SQL Database

More Examples

Example

Format a number:

SELECT FORMAT(123456789, '##-##-#####');

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