The GREATEST function in Oracle SQL / PLSQL is used to get the greatest value out of the expressions provided.
The Syntax for the GREATEST function in Oracle SQL / PLSQL is:
SELECT GREATEST(expression1, expression2, expression3. . . ., expressionN)
FROM table_name;
Expression1, expression2, expression3 … expressionN are expressions evaluated by the greatest function.
- If the data types of the expressions are different then all the expressions are converted to expression1 data type.
- In character based comparison one character is considered greater than another if it has a higher character set.
Example 1:
SELECT GREATEST(3,6,12,3) FROM DUAL;
Will return “12”
Example 2:
SELECT GREATEST('3','6','12','3')
FROM DUAL;
Will return “6”
Example 3:
SELECT GREATEST('apples', 'grapes', 'bananas')
FROM DUAL;
Will return “grapes”