LENGTH

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Syntax

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String or binary

length(value)

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Alias: LEN (string only)

len(value)

• LEN accepts STRING. Use LENGTH for BINARY values.

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Arguments

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String, len string

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Binary

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Returns

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

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Len string

• 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

• STRING counts Unicode code points; BINARY counts bytes.

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Examples

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Typical behavior

SELECT length('é') AS characters, length(X'C3A9') AS bytes;

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Example values

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

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Limitations

• Large STRING or BINARY columns can return BIGINT counts. Other supported inputs return INTEGER. Query tools may report INTEGER even for a BIGINT result.
• LEN accepts STRING inputs. Use LENGTH for BINARY. Large-string columns can return BIGINT even when query tools report INTEGER.