# TO\$1NUMBER
<a name="TO_NUMBER"></a>

TO\$1NUMBER converts a string to a numeric (decimal) value. 

## Syntax
<a name="TO_NUMBER-synopsis"></a>

```
to_number(string, format)
```

## Arguments
<a name="TO_NUMBER-arguments"></a>

 *string*   
String to be converted. The format must be a literal value. 

 *format*   
The second argument is a format string that indicates how the character string should be parsed to create the numeric value. For example, the format `'99D999'` specifies that the string to be converted consists of five digits with the decimal point in the third position. For example, `to_number('12.345','99D999')` returns `12.345` as a numeric value. For a list of valid formats, see [Numeric format strings](Numeric_formating.md). 

## Return type
<a name="TO_NUMBER-return-type"></a>

TO\$1NUMBER returns a DECIMAL number. 

If the conversion to *format* fails, then an error is returned. 

## Examples
<a name="TO_NUMBER-examples"></a>

The following example converts the string `12,454.8-` to a number: 

```
select to_number('12,454.8-', '99G999D9S');

to_number
-----------
-12454.8
```

The following example converts the string `$ 12,454.88` to a number: 

```
select to_number('$ 12,454.88', 'L 99G999D99');

to_number
-----------
12454.88
```

The following example converts the string `$ 2,012,454.88` to a number: 

```
select to_number('$ 2,012,454.88', 'L 9,999,999.99');

to_number
-----------
2012454.88
```