SQL Essentials: RPAD and LPAD Functions Explained

Overview

RPAD and LPAD are string functions in NetSuite's Saved Search Formulas that allow you to pad a string with a specified character to a certain length.

RPAD adds padding to the right, while LPAD adds padding to the left. These functions are useful for formatting text, especially when you need to ensure consistent lengths for data presentation or comparison.

In simpler terms, imagine you have a list of product names of varying lengths, and you want to format them so that they all look aligned in a report. RPAD and LPAD can help you achieve this by adding extra characters (like spaces or dashes) to make each product name the same length.