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abs

The abs() function returns an absolute number (for example, the positive value of a number). The data type of the returned value will depend on the data type of the value passed to the abs() function.

Syntax

Here’s the syntax for the `abs()`function:

ABS(x)

The abs() function requires one argument:

  • x: An expression that evaluates to a number.

The abs() function will return the negation of the negative numbers.

Examples

Absolute value of a negative number

This example demonstrates how to use the abs() function to obtain the absolute value of a negative number:

SELECT ABS(-10.25);

This returns an absolute value of the passed argument:

+--------+
| f      |
+--------+
| 10.25  |
+--------+

abs() function with an expression

This example demonstrates how to use the abs() function with an expression to obtain the absolute value of the result:

SELECT ABS( 100 - 250);

The result of this statement is -150. However, the output is 150, as 150 is the positive version of -150.

+------+
| f    |
+------+
| 150  |
+------+

Use the abs() function with a table

This example demonstrates how to use the abs() function with a table to obtain the absolute values of all numbers in a specific column:

  1. First, create a table named absTable containing an initialValue column with some positive and negative values:

    CREATE TABLE absTable(initialValue float);

INSERT INTO absTable(initialValue)
VALUES
(550),
(-210),
(72.12),
(-87.93),
(-0.0);

  2. Next, use this query to find the absolute value of all numbers:

    SELECT initialValue, ABS(initialValue) AS absoluteValue
FROM absTable;

  3. This query retrieves all values in the “initialValue” column and their absolute values in the “absoluteValue” column. The output will look something like this:

    +---------------+----------------+
| initialValue  | absoluteValue  |
+---------------+----------------+
| 550           | 550            |
| -210          | 210            |
| 72.12         | 72.12          |
| -87.93        | 87.93          |
| -0            | 0              |
+---------------+----------------+