select replace(translate(col,A,B),'x',null) from table where A is string of all ascii chars except '0' to '9' B is string the same length as A consisting entirely of 'x' hth connor --- Oracle <oracle_list@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > I have a column with data such as : > > abc123 > 123 > abcde > > I want to write a query which returns only numbers from the column , if > there are none, then default to 999 > So i would have: > > 123 > 123 > 999 > > Any ideas on the syntax? > ===== Connor McDonald Co-author: "Mastering Oracle PL/SQL - Practical Solutions" ISBN: 1590592174 web: http://www.oracledba.co.uk web: http://www.oaktable.net email: connor_mcdonald@xxxxxxxxx Coming Soon! "Oracle Insight - Tales of the OakTable" "GIVE a man a fish and he will eat for a day. But TEACH him how to fish, and...he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day" ------------------------------------------------------------ ___________________________________________________________ALL-NEW Yahoo! Messenger - sooooo many all-new ways to express yourself http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe send email to: oracle-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx put 'unsubscribe' in the subject line. -- Archives are at //www.freelists.org/archives/oracle-l/ FAQ is at //www.freelists.org/help/fom-serve/cache/1.html -----------------------------------------------------------------