You can by using -1: http://docs.oracle.com/cd/B19306_01/server.102/b14200/functions068.htm On Tue, Jan 10, 2012 at 1:58 PM, Eugene Pipko <eugene.pipko@xxxxxxxxxxxx>wrote: > Hi all, > I need to be able to parse list of customers by first/last names. > The problems is that each name can come in many different ways. > For instance: > 'Eugene Pipko' > 'Eugene Pipko' -- many blanks in between > 'Eugene A Pipko' -- mid initial with one space in between > 'Eugene A. Pipko' -- mid initial with a dot and multiple spaces > > I am thinking of getting first name using substr('Eugene > Pipko',1,instrt('Eugene Pipko',' ',1,1)) to start searching from the > beginning of the name. > Now, the last name can be found by looking backwards till the first blank, > but ... I don't know how to do it. I can user substr() to search backwards, > but I need to find first blank starting from the end. > Can instr() be used to search in reverse? > > [cid:image001.png@01CCCF86.CDDE0A70] > > > > -- > //www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-l > > > -- //www.freelists.org/webpage/oracle-l