SQL RTRIM() Function

The RTRIM() function is used in SQL to remove extra spaces from the right end of a string. It helps clean and standardize text data for better storage and comparison.

• Does not remove leading (left-side) spaces.
• Supported by major databases like MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle and Azure SQL.

Query:

SELECT RTRIM('Hello World     ') AS TrimmedText;

Output:

• Removes extra spaces from the right side of the text.
• Returns the cleaned result as TrimmedText.

Syntax:

RTRIM( input_text,[Trim_Characters]);

OR

RTRIM(column_name) AS trimmed_name
FROM table_name;

• RTRIM(input_text, [Trim_Characters]) removes specified characters from the right side of the text.
• RTRIM(column_name) removes trailing spaces from a column and displays it as trimmed_name.

Examples of SQL RTRIM Function

Let's see some examples of RTRIM function in SQL and understand it's working with examples of different use cases.

Example 1: Using RTRIM Function to Remove Trailing Spaces from a String

The RTRIM function in SQL is used to remove trailing spaces from a string. Here are a few examples to illustrate its usage:

Query:

SELECT
    '[' || '          Geeks for Geeks          ' || ']' AS Before_RTRIM,
    '[' || RTRIM('          Geeks for Geeks          ') || ']' AS After_RTRIM;

Output:

• Displays the original string with leading and trailing spaces as "Before RTRIM()".
• Removes only the right-side (trailing) spaces and shows the result as "After RTRIM()".

Example 2: Using RTRIM Function on Table Column

First, we create a table GFG, with following commands in which we add names with trailing whitespaces.

SELECT
    id,
    '[' || name || ']' AS name,
    '[' || RTRIM(name) || ']' AS trimmed_name
FROM GFG;

Output:

Example 3: Using RTRIM Function With a Variable

This example demonstrates how the RTRIM() function is used with a variable to remove trailing spaces and return a cleaned result.

Query:

DELIMITER //

CREATE PROCEDURE RTRIM_Example()
BEGIN
    -- Declare a variable
    DECLARE input_string VARCHAR(15);
    -- Assign a value to the variable
    SET input_string = 'Hello          ';
    -- Use the variable in a query
    SELECT CONCAT(RTRIM(input_string), ' World') AS result;
END //
DELIMITER ;

-- Call the stored procedure
CALL RTRIM_Example();

Output:

• Creates a stored procedure that trims trailing spaces using RTRIM().
• Uses CONCAT() to append "World" to the trimmed string.
• Executes the procedure with CALL RTRIM_Example().
• Changes the delimiter to // so the entire procedure is treated as a single statement.