FLOOR FAQS

 1. What does the FLOOR function do in Oracle?

The FLOOR function in Oracle rounds a numeric value down to the nearest integer less than or equal to the number, regardless of the decimal part.

2. What is the syntax for the FLOOR function?

The basic syntax is:

FLOOR(number)

• number: The numeric value you want to round down to the nearest integer.

3. Does the FLOOR function round up or down?

The FLOOR function always rounds down to the nearest integer, even if the number is already an integer.

4. How does FLOOR handle positive and negative numbers?

• For positive numbers, it rounds down to the next lower integer.
• For negative numbers, it rounds down towards the most negative integer.

Example for Positive Number:

SELECT FLOOR(5.8) FROM dual; -- Output: 5

Example for Negative Number:

SELECT FLOOR(-5.8) FROM dual; -- Output: -6

5. What happens if I use FLOOR with an integer?

If the value is already an integer, the FLOOR function simply returns that integer.

Example:

SELECT FLOOR(6) FROM dual; -- Output: 6

6. Can I use FLOOR with decimal or floating-point numbers?

Yes, the FLOOR function works with decimal and floating-point numbers and will round them down to the nearest integer.

Example:

SELECT FLOOR(5.7) FROM dual; -- Output: 5

7. What is the difference between FLOOR and CEIL?

• FLOOR: Rounds down to the nearest integer.
• CEIL: Rounds up to the nearest integer.

Example:

SELECT FLOOR(5.7) FROM dual; -- Output: 5

SELECT CEIL(5.7) FROM dual; -- Output: 6

8. What happens if I pass a non-numeric value to the FLOOR function?

If you pass a non-numeric value, Oracle will return an error.

SELECT FLOOR('text') FROM dual; -- Error: invalid number

9. Can I use FLOOR with UPDATE statements?

Yes, you can use the FLOOR function in UPDATE statements to modify values by rounding them down.

Example:

UPDATE products

SET price = FLOOR(price)

WHERE price > 10;

This updates all rows where the price is greater than 10 and rounds the price down to the nearest integer.

10. How do I combine FLOOR with other functions?

You can combine FLOOR with other functions, such as AVG(), SUM(), or in CASE expressions.

Example with AVG():

SELECT FLOOR(AVG(salary)) FROM employees;

This query calculates the average salary and then rounds it down.

11. Is FLOOR performance-intensive?

The FLOOR function is quite efficient and typically doesn’t have a noticeable impact on performance. However, for large datasets or complex queries, the overall performance depends on how it's used within the context of the query.

12. Can FLOOR be used with time values?

Yes, you can use FLOOR for time-based calculations, such as rounding down the result of a time division.

Example with time (in minutes):

SELECT FLOOR(125 / 60) AS hours FROM dual;

-- Output: 2

This query rounds down the result of dividing 125 minutes by 60 (which would give 2.0833) to 2 hours.

13. What is the output of FLOOR(0)?

The FLOOR function rounds zero to itself:

SELECT FLOOR(0) FROM dual; -- Output: 0

14. What happens if I apply FLOOR to a very large number?

The FLOOR function can handle large numbers without any issue. It will round down to the nearest integer, and the result will depend on the numeric precision of your system.