with the alias...
select substr(field,1,5) "Zip_Code" from your_table
Main Topics
Browse All TopicsI have a select all statement, but I want one of my fields (a zip code field) to be formated to pull in with only the first 5 digits. Where and how can I stipulate that?
SELECT *
FROM <table name>
LPAD("field",5) as "Zip_Code" (not sure where to put this)
This Question has been solved and asker verified All Experts Exchange premium technology solutions are available to subscription members.
Experts Exchange has been collecting answers to technology questions since 1996…3 million and counting! If you have a question, chances are we already have your answer.
If you can't find the exact answer you're looking for, ask our exclusive community of 50,000 experts. You’ll get a personalized answer from a trusted professional.
Thousands of free tech tips, tricks, how-to’s and tutorials are available in our peer reviewed articles section. See for yourself how smart our experts are, no login required.
Access the answers to your technology questions today.
30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.
Members of the expert community talk about why the experience at Experts Exchange is different than what you will find anywhere else.

Try it out and discover for yourself.
30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.
Join the community of experts here and help other tech pros by answering question in your area of expertise. You can earn FREE access to all Experts Exchange's premium features and resources.
you can put it before or after the *
select your_table.*, substr(field,1,5) "Zip_Code" from your_table
or
select substr(field,1,5) "Zip_Code", your_table.* from your_table
but, as you see in my examples, you must alias the * with the source, in this case "your_table"
note, since * is all columns, you will have both FIELD and "Zip_Code" columns in your output.
if you are trying to format a specific column from within the *, you can't.
so, if you want every column but you want to do something special to the zip code column you'll have to list them all.
Business Accounts
Answer for Membership
by: sdstuberPosted on 2009-05-01 at 11:15:46ID: 24281986
select substr(field,1,5) from your_table