VALUE( ) function
Converts a character string to a numeric value.
Syntax
VALUE(string, decimals)
Parameters
Name | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
string |
character |
The field, literal, or expression to convert. |
decimals | numeric |
The number of decimal places to include in the output. |
Output
Numeric.
Examples
Basic examples
Returns -123.400:
VALUE("123.4-", 3)
Returns 123456.00:
VALUE("$123,456", 2)
Returns -77.45:
VALUE("77.45CR", 2)
Returns -123457:
VALUE(" (123,456.78)", 0)
Field input
Returns character values in the Salary field as numbers without any decimal places:
VALUE(Salary, 0)
Remarks
How it works
This function converts character data to numeric data. You can use the VALUE( ) function if you need to convert character expressions or field values to numeric values for use in Analytics commands.
Numeric input formatting
VALUE( ) accepts numbers in any format. You can use any numeric formatting accepted by the Print data type such as punctuation, leading or trailing signs, and parentheses as input.
Negative values
The VALUE( ) function can interpret different indicators of negative values such as parentheses and the minus sign. It can also interpret CR (credit) and DR (debit). For example:
Returns -1000.00:
VALUE("(1000)", 2)
VALUE("1000CR", 2)
Decimal vs integer values
If the string value does not include decimals, Analytics treats the number as an integer. For example:
Returns 123.00:
VALUE("123", 2)
If the number of decimals specified by decimals is less than the number in the field or expression, the result is rounded. For example:
Returns "10.6":
VALUE("10.56", 1)
Related functions
The VALUE( ) function is the opposite of the STRING( ) function, which converts numeric data to character data.