SQL FORMAT() function

The FORMAT() function is used to format the display of fields.

SQL FORMAT() syntax 

SELECT FORMAT(column_name,format) FROM table_name;

parameter describe
column_name Required.To format the field.
format Required.Specify format.

Demonstrate the database

In this tutorial, we'll use the well-known Northwind sample database.

Here's the data from the Products table:

ProductID ProductName SupplierID CategoryID Unit Price
1 Chais 1 1 10 boxes x 20 bags 18
2 Chang 1 1 24 - 12 oz bottles 19
3 Aniseed Syrup 1 2 12 - 550 ml bottles 10
4 Chef Anton's Cajun Seasoning 2 2 48 - 6 oz jars 21.35
5 Chef Anton's Gumbo Mix 2 2 36 boxes 25

SQL FORMAT() instance

The following SQL statement picks the product name from the "Products" table and the price for the day (formatted as YYYY-MM-DD):

SELECT ProductName, Price, FORMAT(Now(),'YYYY-MM-DD') AS PerDate
FROM Products;