Amazon Redshift will no longer support the use of Python UDFs after June 30, 2026. We will start enforcing it in phases. For more information on the details of Python end of life and migration options, see the [ blog post ](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/big-data/amazon-redshift-python-user-defined-functions-will-reach-end-of-support-after-june-30-2026/) that was published on June 30, 2025. 

# TO\_NUMBER
<a name="r_TO_NUMBER"></a>

TO\_NUMBER converts a string to a numeric (decimal) value. 

**Note**  
We recommend that you use `FM` in your format string to suppress padding blanks and zeroes. For a list of valid formats, see [Numeric format strings](r_Numeric_formating.md).

## Syntax
<a name="r_TO_NUMBER-synopsis"></a>

```
to_number(string, format)
```

## Arguments
<a name="r_TO_NUMBER-arguments"></a>

 *string*   
String to be converted. The format must be a literal value. 

 *format*   
The second argument is a format string that indicates how the character string should be parsed to create the numeric value. For example, the format `'FM99D999'` specifies that the string to be converted consists of five digits with the decimal point in the third position. For example, `to_number('12.345','FM99D999')` returns `12.345` as a numeric value. For a list of valid formats, see [Numeric format strings](r_Numeric_formating.md). 

## Return type
<a name="r_TO_NUMBER-return-type"></a>

TO\_NUMBER returns a DECIMAL number. 

If the conversion to *format* fails, then an error is returned. 

## Examples
<a name="r_TO_NUMBER-examples"></a>

The following example converts the string `12,454.8-` to a number: 

```
select to_number('12,454.8-', 'FM99G999D9S');

to_number
-----------
-12454.8
```

The following example converts the string `$ 12,454.88` to a number: 

```
select to_number('$ 12,454.88', 'FML99G999D99');

to_number
-----------
12454.88
```

The following example converts the string `$ 2,012,454.88` to a number: 

```
select to_number('$ 2,012,454.88', 'FML9,999,999.99');

to_number
-----------
2012454.88
```