Understanding the TO_CHAR and TO_DATE conversion functions

Each Date or Time value consists of individual elements to be handled. The format must be explicitly specified during the value construction, or the ANSI norm must be applied to ensure correct mapping and evaluation. Date and Time values can be composed of either character strings or numerals, depending on the context. Similarly, getting individual elements from a particular value can be done using a numerical or textual representation. The TO_CHAR and TO_DATE functions ensure the core functionality of obtaining elements and transforming values. As evident from the name of the function itself, the transformation from a string or number to a date is performed by the TO_DATE function. To obtain individual elements from the date, the TO_CHAR function is generally used. These functions behave similarly. Using them in a common structure, the value itself is defined in the first parameter. The second parameter determines the structure...