--- cuppy_hub: salesforce cuppy_path: reference/official/data360/data-cloud-query-guide/references/dc-sql-reference/formatting-func.md cuppy_section: docs cuppy_doc: QVEY-HDAT cuppy_doc_uuid: 3cd63d6c-1f13-49a7-81bc-0244219b7131 cuppy_permalink: https://cuppy.io/salesforce/d/QVEY-HDAT cuppy_version: 1 cuppy_updated: 2026-10-23T16:16:52.575Z cuppy_canonical: https://cuppy.io/salesforce/docs/reference/official/data360/data-cloud-query-guide/references/dc-sql-reference/formatting-func cuppy_mcp: https://cuppy.io/mcp cuppy_body_sha256: 6f38f9cd120a643ed922032605c727ba6b61d1881e3bde8cad4f03825f2e4ff6 # cuppy_body_sha256 is over the document body ALONE, excluding both generated blocks. --- > Mirror of (Salesforce, Data 360 Query Guide), read 2026-10-23. Salesforce's own page is the authority; this copy exists because that site refuses non-browser readers. ## Data Type Formatting Functions **Applies to:** ✅ Data 360 SQL ✅ Tableau Hyper API Functions that convert between numbers, dates, and timestamps and their string representations. Use data type formatting functions to: * Format numbers for display by converting numeric values to strings with custom patterns. * Parse date and time strings by converting text input into typed date or timestamp values. * Generate readable output by formatting timestamps and intervals into locale-friendly strings. * NULL handling: All formatting functions return NULL when any argument is NULL. * Pattern syntax: Date and time formatting uses TO_CHAR patterns (such as `YYYY-MM-DD`). Numeric formatting uses FORMAT_NUMBER patterns (such as `#,###.0`). Convert typed values to formatted strings: * [FORMAT_NUMBER](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/data/data-cloud-query-guide/references/dc-sql-reference/format-number.html) — Convert a number to a string using a format pattern. * [TO_CHAR](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/data/data-cloud-query-guide/references/dc-sql-reference/to-char.html) — Convert a timestamp or interval to a string using a format pattern. Convert strings to typed date and time values: * [TO_DATE](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/data/data-cloud-query-guide/references/dc-sql-reference/to-date.html) — Convert a string to a date using a format pattern. * [TO_TIMESTAMP](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/data/data-cloud-query-guide/references/dc-sql-reference/to-timestamp-string.html) — Convert a string to a timestamp using a format pattern. Convert a numeric value to a string with thousands separators and decimal places. Returns `'1,234,567.89'`. Convert a text date into a typed `date` value for comparison or arithmetic. Returns `2000-12-05`. Convert the current timestamp into a human-readable string. Returns a string such as `'Tuesday, 6 May 2025 03:22:45 PM'`. * [Data Types](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/data/data-cloud-query-guide/references/dc-sql-reference/datatypes.html) * [String Functions](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/data/data-cloud-query-guide/references/dc-sql-reference/string-func.html) --- You are reading one file. The same content is free over MCP at https://cuppy.io/mcp with no signup: ranked search across all 376 documents in this hub, the merged view when you work in a layer, known workarounds matched to the error you hit, and depth control so you spend tokens on what you need. Start with the `_hello` tool. How to connect: https://cuppy.io/salesforce/ Something wrong in this document? Report it with the `session feedback` tool on the same endpoint.