SQL MID() Function
The MID() Function
The MID() function is used to extract characters from a text field.
SQL MID() Syntax
SELECT MID(column_name,start,length)
AS some_name FROM table_name;
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| column_name | Required. The field to extract characters from |
| start | Required. Specifies the starting position (starts at 1) |
| length | Optional. The number of characters to return. If omitted, the MID() function returns the rest of the text |
Note: The equivalent function for SQL Server is SUBSTRING():
SELECT SUBSTRING(column_name,start,length)
AS some_name FROM table_name;
Demo Database
In this tutorial we will use the well-known Northwind sample database.
Below is a selection from the "Customers" table:
| CustomerID | CustomerName | ContactName | Address | City | PostalCode | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Alfreds Futterkiste | Maria Anders | Obere Str. 57 | Berlin | 12209 | Germany |
| 2 | Ana Trujillo Emparedados y helados | Ana Trujillo | Avda. de la Constitución 2222 | México D.F. | 05021 | Mexico |
| 3 | Antonio Moreno Taquería | Antonio Moreno | Mataderos 2312 | México D.F. | 05023 | Mexico |
| 4 |
Around the Horn | Thomas Hardy | 120 Hanover Sq. | London | WA1 1DP | UK |
| 5 | Berglunds snabbköp | Christina Berglund | Berguvsvägen 8 | Luleå | S-958 22 | Sweden |
SQL MID() Example
The following SQL statement selects the first four characters from the "City" column from the "Customers" table:
