Sure, let me illustrate:
Oracle SQL is a powerful database language that is extensively used in managing and organizing data in databases. Among many functionalities, one of the intriguing features is the ability to play with dates in SQL. Something that often arises is the need to get a quarter from a date. This task is quite straightforward with Oracle SQL.
SELECT EXTRACT(QUARTER FROM DATE ‘2020-03-26’) “Quarter”
FROM dual;
This SQL script returns the quarter of the year from the given date. The function EXTRACT in combination with the QUARTER allows us to do this.
Understanding the EXTRACT function
The EXTRACT function in Oracle SQL is used to get a single part from a date or interval value. For instance, you get the year, month, or day from a date, or even fractions of a second if you’re dealing with interval data types. In this situation, we are using the EXTRACT function to get the quarter information from a date.
EXTRACT takes two arguments: the first is the field that you want to extract, and the second is the source from which to extract the data. In our case, we are extracting the QUARTER from a specified date. The FROM keyword is used to specify the date from which we are extracting the quarter.
Understanding QUARTER in SQL
In SQL, a quarter refers to one fourth of a year. Quarters are often used in business and other fields to provide a more granular view of data. A quarter splits a year into four equally sized periods, each made up of three months. For example, the first quarter of the year includes January, February, and March. Using the EXTRACT function in relation to a QUARTER can be highly useful in arranging and interpreting your data on a quarterly basis.
In conclusion, the quarter is an effective way of organizing and understanding the time-series data. The EXTRACT function offered by SQL can easily help developers retrieve the quarter from a specific data quickly and easily. Always remember, a successful application of these functions would require a correct understanding of the functionalities they offer and the context they’re being used in.
