NEXT_DAY

The NEXT_DAY function in Oracle is used to return the date of the next specified weekday after a given date. This function is commonly used for scheduling, determining the next occurrence of a particular weekday, or calculating dates for future business days based on a specific weekday.

 Syntax:

NEXT_DAY(start_date, weekday)

• start_date: The starting date (DATE, TIMESTAMP, or TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE) from which you want to calculate the next occurrence of a specified weekday.
• weekday: The day of the week you want to find (expressed as a string, e.g., 'SUNDAY', 'MONDAY', 'TUESDAY', etc.). This is case-insensitive.

Return Type:

• The function returns a DATE value representing the next occurrence of the specified weekday after the given start_date. If the given start_date already falls on the specified weekday, the function will return the next occurrence of that weekday.

 

Key Features of NEXT_DAY:

1.     Calculates the Next Occurrence of a Weekday:

• The NEXT_DAY function finds the next occurrence of the specified weekday after the provided start_date.

Example:

SELECT NEXT_DAY(DATE '2025-02-25', 'SUNDAY') FROM dual;

-- Result: 2025-03-02 (the next Sunday after February 25, 2025)

2.     Case-Insensitive Day Names:

• The weekday argument is case-insensitive, meaning 'sunday', 'SUNDAY', or 'SuNdAy' are all acceptable.

3.     Returns the Next Date, Not the Same Day:

• If the start_date is the same as the specified weekday, NEXT_DAY will return the next weekday, not the same one.

Example:

SELECT NEXT_DAY(DATE '2025-02-25', 'TUESDAY') FROM dual;

-- Result: 2025-03-04 (since the date is already a Tuesday, it gives the next Tuesday)

4.     Supports All Weekdays:

• You can specify any weekday as the weekday argument. These are the valid days of the week:
• 'SUNDAY', 'MONDAY', 'TUESDAY', 'WEDNESDAY', 'THURSDAY', 'FRIDAY', 'SATURDAY'

Example:

SELECT NEXT_DAY(DATE '2025-02-26', 'FRIDAY') FROM dual;

-- Result: 2025-02-28 (The next Friday after February 26, 2025)

5.     Time Component of start_date Is Ignored:

• If the start_date is a TIMESTAMP value with a time component, the NEXT_DAY function ignores the time part and focuses only on the date portion when calculating the next weekday.

Example:

SELECT NEXT_DAY(TIMESTAMP '2025-02-26 14:30:00', 'FRIDAY') FROM dual;

-- Result: 2025-02-28 (The time component is ignored)

 

Examples of NEXT_DAY Usage:

1. Find the Next Sunday after a Given Date:

• Find the next Sunday after 2025-02-25:

SELECT NEXT_DAY(DATE '2025-02-25', 'SUNDAY') FROM dual;

-- Result: 2025-03-02 (The next Sunday)

2. Find the Next Monday after a Given Date:

• Find the next Monday after 2025-02-26:

·        SELECT NEXT_DAY(DATE '2025-02-26', 'MONDAY') FROM dual;

·        -- Result: 2025-03-03 (The next Monday after February 26, 2025)

3. Find the Next Friday after a Given Date:

• Find the next Friday after 2025-02-26:

SELECT NEXT_DAY(DATE '2025-02-26', 'FRIDAY') FROM dual;

-- Result: 2025-02-28 (The next Friday after February 26, 2025)

4. Find the Next Wednesday after a Given Date:

• Find the next Wednesday after 2025-02-27:

SELECT NEXT_DAY(DATE '2025-02-27', 'WEDNESDAY') FROM dual;

-- Result: 2025-03-05 (The next Wednesday after February 27, 2025)

5. Working with TIMESTAMP Values:

• Find the next Saturday after 2025-02-28 15:00:00:

SELECT NEXT_DAY(TIMESTAMP '2025-02-28 15:00:00', 'SATURDAY') FROM dual;

-- Result: 2025-03-01 (The next Saturday, ignoring the time component)

6. Invalid Weekday Argument:

• If an invalid weekday is provided, the query will return an error.

SELECT NEXT_DAY(DATE '2025-02-25', 'FUNDAY') FROM dual;

-- Error: ORA-00904: "FUNDAY": invalid identifier

 

Handling Time Zones with NEXT_DAY:

• If the start_date is of type TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE, Oracle will ignore the time zone part of the start_date and focus only on the date portion when calculating the next weekday. The result will be a date in the session's time zone.

Example:

SELECT NEXT_DAY(TIMESTAMP '2025-02-26 14:00:00 +00:00', 'SUNDAY') FROM dual;

-- Result: 2025-03-01 (ignores the time zone and focuses on the date part)

 

Important Considerations:

1.     Day of Week Consideration:

• The NEXT_DAY function works by comparing the day of the week of the start_date and finding the next occurrence of the specified weekday. It does not consider the current time of the start_date but only the date.

2.     Time Component is Ignored:

• The function does not consider the time portion of the date when calculating the next occurrence of the specified weekday.

3.     Using with Business Logic:

• NEXT_DAY is useful in various business applications, such as scheduling tasks, generating reports, or determining when a particular event will occur based on a recurring schedule (e.g., finding the next business day).

4.     Performance:

• The NEXT_DAY function is fast for calculating the next weekday, and since it is based on simple arithmetic, it performs well even with large datasets.

 

Common Use Cases:

1.     Schedule Calculations:

• Finding the next business day (e.g., Monday, if Friday is the end of the workweek).

Example: Calculate the next working day after a holiday:

SELECT NEXT_DAY(DATE '2025-12-25', 'MONDAY') FROM dual;

-- Result: 2025-12-29 (The next Monday after Christmas Day)

2.     Recurring Event Scheduling:

• If you need to determine when a recurring event happens next (e.g., the next occurrence of a weekly meeting).

Example: Find the next occurrence of a weekly meeting on Wednesday:

SELECT NEXT_DAY(SYSDATE, 'WEDNESDAY') FROM dual;

3.     Financial and Business Logic:

• For applications in finance or business, where you need to find when the next event falls on a particular weekday (such as payment due dates, scheduled meetings, or product launches).

4.     Calendar Management:

• Useful in calendar systems to calculate future dates based on certain weekday rules.

 

Summary:

The NEXT_DAY function in Oracle is a useful tool to find the next occurrence of a specified weekday after a given date. It works with both DATE and TIMESTAMP values and is commonly used for scheduling tasks, calculating business days, and determining the next occurrence of a recurring event. By ignoring the time component, it provides an efficient way to calculate the next desired weekday, whether it's for meetings, reports, or business deadlines.