Text functions

This lesson uses the unmodified DDI_SQL_Training dataset v1.0.0 on SQL Server 2019 or later. Build and measure text without changing the source columns.

Run the example

SELECT TOP (3) CustomerID,
       CONCAT(FirstName, N' ', LastName) AS FullName,
       LEN(FirstName) AS NameLength
FROM dbo.Customers
ORDER BY CustomerID;

Read it step by step

1. CONCAT combines the name parts with an explicit space.
2. LEN counts characters in FirstName, excluding trailing spaces.
3. ORDER BY CustomerID makes the three-row sample repeatable.

Check the result

FullName and NameLength are calculated result columns; the stored names remain separate.

Practice

Show CustomerID and the uppercase City for Customers 1 and 2.

SELECT CustomerID, UPPER(City) AS UpperCity
FROM dbo.Customers
WHERE CustomerID IN (1, 2)
ORDER BY CustomerID;