How to use RTRIM in Sql Server

Intro

SQL provides the RTRIM function to remove extra white space to the right of the string. In this article, we will learn how to use RTRIM with SQL Server.

The Syntax

The basic syntax of a RTRIM is as follows:

SELECT RTRIM(string_name, length);

Getting Setup

For this, we will be using docker. This is recommended for more than just using SQL Server. To find how to install docker go here: https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/

Now create a file called docker-compose.yml and add the following.

version: "3.9"
services:
  db:
    image: "mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server"
    ports: 
      - 1433:1433
    environment:
        SA_PASSWORD: "Your_password123"
        ACCEPT_EULA: "Y"

Open a terminal and go to the folder the file is located. Then run the following.

docker-compose up

If you are looking for another good reference, you can check here: https://docs.docker.com/samples/aspnet-mssql-compose/.

A Simple Example

The basic example is straight forward. We can pass a string into the RTRIM function and it will remove the white space on the right.

SELECT RTRIM('Hello World!    ');

That's the gist of using the RTRIM function. We can also use RTRIM on a table. If you would like to try that, let's first set up a table.

Creating a DB

We start by creating an employee table to work with.

CREATE TABLE employees (
    first_name VARCHAR (50) NOT NULL,
    last_name VARCHAR (50) NOT NULL
);

Next, we can insert some data with extra right spaces

insert into employees (first_name, last_name) 
	values 
	('Keith  ', 'Holliday'),
	('Jon  ', 'Doe'),
	('Jane  ', 'Doe');

And, we can preview the data like so.

SELECT * FROM employees;

An Example

Now that we are set up, we can use RIGHT on our columns.

SELECT RTRIM(first_name) as first_name  FROM employees;