Scalar Functions - ODBC Driver for Teradata

Teradata Database supports a number of ODBC scalar functions, with additional scalar functions being added incrementally in new database releases. See Teradata® Database SQL Functions, Operators, Expressions, and Predicates, B035-1145 for the list of the currently supported scalar functions by Teradata Database.

When a client queries a scalar function using a function escape sequence (using the ‘{fn scalar-function}’ syntax, for example, ‘SELECT {fn MOD(x, y) }’), the ODBC Driver will determine whether the connected database supports the scalar function. If so, the ODBC Driver will send the query directly to the database (e.g., “SELECT MOD(x, y)”); if not, the driver will transform the user query to a query that the connected database supports (e.g., “SELECT((x) MOD (y))”).

A client may send a scalar function query without the function escape sequence, for example, “SELECT MOD(x, y)”. In this case, the ODBC Driver will send the client query to the database as is without performing any kind of checks or transformation. This query will succeed if the connected database supports the scalar function, it will fail otherwise. (For the MOD function, it is supported by the 16.20 Feature Update 1 Database, but not the 15.10 Database, for example.)

The following table details a few examples exhibiting the above described behavior.

SELECT {fn BIT_LENGTH('Teradata')}

SELECT(Octet_Length('Teradata')*8)

SELECT BIT_LENGTH('Teradata')

SELECT BIT_LENGTH('Teradata')

SELECT {fn DAYOFYEAR('2018-02-24') }

SELECT (((('2018-02-24')(DATE))-(((('2018-02-24')(DATE))/10000*10000+0101(DATE)))) + 1(TITLE 'DayOfYear()'))

SELECT DAYOFYEAR('2018-02-24')

SELECT DAYOFYEAR('2018-02-24')

The following functions were updated in Teradata Database to support the ODBC Driver-accepted syntax.

The following functions are now supported in Teradata Database version 16.20 Feature Update 1.