LEN

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Syntax

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Len string (scalar)

len(value)

• LEN takes one STRING argument. Use LENGTH for BINARY inputs.

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Arguments

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Returns

• Type: INTEGER; BIGINT for strings using large-string storage
• Possible values: A nonnegative Unicode character count.
• NULL behavior: Returns NULL for NULL input.

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Properties

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Usage notes

• Counts Unicode code points, not bytes.

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Examples

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Example values

SELECT len('é') AS characters, len(CAST(NULL AS STRING)) AS null_value;

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Unicode characters and trailing spaces

SELECT len('é猫') AS character_count, len('cat ') AS with_space;

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Limitations

• LEN accepts STRING inputs. Use LENGTH for BINARY.
• Large-string columns can return BIGINT even when query tools report INTEGER.