Part III of this book presents the many built-in or predefined functions supported by PL/SQL. These chapters contain detailed descriptions and many extended examples of the dozens of built-in programs that you can use immediately in your PL/SQL applications.

• Chapter 11, Character Functions , describes the functions that allow you to parse names, concatenate strings, and perform many other character operations.

• Chapter 12, Date Functions , presents the functions that let you manipulate calendar dates in your PL/SQL programs.

• Chapter 13, Numeric, LOB, and Miscellaneous Functions , describes the functions you use to manipulate numbers and perform a variety of other operations.

• Chapter 14, Conversion Functions , discusses the functions that let PL/SQL convert from one datatype to another.