What is the difference between TO_CHAR and TO_DATE?

TO_CHAR converts a DATE to a formatted string. TO_DATE converts a string to a DATE using a format mask. This tool simulates TO_CHAR behavior — formatting a known date with your pattern.

Why does my format string not work?

Oracle format masks are case-sensitive and require exact tokens (e.g., MM not mm, YYYY not yyyy). Literal text must be in double quotes. Check the token reference below for valid patterns.

How do I include literal text in the output?

Wrap literal text in double quotes inside the format string. Example: 'Month "of" YYYY' outputs 'January of 2024'.

What date formats can I input?

ISO 8601 (2024-01-15), ISO with time (2024-01-15T10:30:00), DD/MM/YYYY, DD-MM-YYYY, YYYY/MM/DD, or any format JavaScript Date.parse() accepts.

Does this handle NLS settings?

This tool uses English month/day names (NLS_DATE_LANGUAGE = AMERICAN). For other languages, the output would differ (e.g., MONTH in Spanish = ENERO).

Oracle Date Format Tester

Test Oracle TO_CHAR / TO_DATE format masks instantly. Enter a date and format string to see the formatted output.

Input Date

Enter a date

Format String

Case-sensitive. Use double quotes for literal text: "of"

Formatted Output

Invalid date

Format Token Reference

Token	Description
YYYY	4-digit year (2024)
YYY	3-digit year (024)
YY	2-digit year (24)
Y	1-digit year (4)
IYYY	ISO 4-digit year
IY	ISO 2-digit year
RRRR	Round-trip year (handles 2-digit)
RR	Round-trip 2-digit year
MM	Month number (01-12)
MON	Abbreviated month (JAN)
MONTH	Full month name (JANUARY)
RM	Roman numeral month (I-XII)
DD	Day of month (01-31)
DDD	Day of year (001-366)
D	Day of week (1-7)
DAY	Full day name (MONDAY)
DY	Abbreviated day (MON)
J	Julian day number
HH24	Hour 24-hour (00-23)
HH12	Hour 12-hour (01-12)
HH	Hour 12-hour (01-12)
MI	Minute (00-59)
SS	Second (00-59)
SSSSS	Seconds past midnight (0-86399)
FF	Fractional seconds
AM/PM	Meridian indicator
A.M./P.M.	Meridian with dots
Q	Quarter (1-4)
W	Week of month (1-5)
WW	Week of year (1-53)
IW	ISO week of year (1-52/53)
CC	Century
SCC	Century with BC/AD
SP	Spell number (spelled out)
TH	Ordinal suffix (ST, ND, RD, TH)
SPTH	Spelled ordinal (FIRST, SECOND...)

Common Examples

YYYY-MM-DD

Standard ISO date

DD-MON-YYYY

Day-Month abbrev-Year

Month DD, YYYY

Full month name

MON DD, YYYY

Abbreviated month

Day, Month DD, YYYY

Day name + full date

YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI:SS

Full datetime 24hr

DD/MM/YYYY HH:MI AM

12-hour with AM/PM

YYYY-"Q"Q

Year and quarter

IW/IYYY

ISO week/year

DDSPTH "of" Month

Ordinal day (1st, 2nd...)

YYYY-MM-DD"T"HH24:MI:SS

ISO 8601

Julian day number

Modifiers

TH — Ordinal suffix: DDTH → 01ST, 02ND, 03RD
SP — Spell number: DDSP → ONE, TWO
SPTH — Spelled ordinal: DDSPTH → FIRST, SECOND
FM — Fill mode (suppress padding): FMMonth → January (no trailing spaces)
Literal text — Double quotes: 'of' → of

Tips

Oracle format masks are case-sensitive — use YYYY, MM, DD, HH24, MI, SS
TO_CHAR(date, 'YYYY-MM-DD') formats a date to string
TO_DATE('2024-01-15', 'YYYY-MM-DD') parses string to date
For 12-hour time use HH:MI AM; for 24-hour use HH24:MI
RR / RRRR handle 2-digit years with 50-year pivot (1950-2049)
Use IW + IYYY for ISO week/year

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