SIGN

The SIGN function takes a single argument, which can be any numeric data type such as INTEGER, FLOAT, or DECIMAL, and returns a value of -1, 0, or 1, depending on the sign of the input argument.

Syntax

SELECT SIGN(expr);

Arguments

Parameter

Description

numeric_expression

Numeric data types

Return

The SIGN function returns the same data type as inserted, with the exception of REAL, which is converted to DOUBLE.

Depending on the sign of the input argument, the return is:

  • -1, if the input expression is negative

  • 0, if the input expression is zero

  • 1, if the input expression is positive

Example

SELECT SIGN(-10), SIGN(0), SIGN(5) ;

Output:

sign | sign0 | sign1
-----+------+-------
  -1 |   0  |   1