How to format date as 'Month Year' in Oracle SQL?

Need help with date formatting in Oracle SQL

I’m trying to create a new column that shows dates in a ‘Month Year’ format. Right now, I’m using this code:

SELECT
    TO_CHAR(
        NVL(first_date, NVL(second_date, third_date)),
        'MONTH - YYYY'
    ) AS formatted_date
FROM my_table

The problem is that this gives me a string. But I need it to be a date field instead. How can I change this to get a proper date column? Is there a way to keep the ‘Month Year’ format while still having it as a date type?

I tried looking into TO_DATE, but I’m not sure how to use it here. Any help would be great. Thanks!

Converting a ‘Month Year’ format to a proper date field can be tricky in Oracle SQL. The issue is that a date always includes a day, which your format doesn’t specify. One approach is to set the day to the first of the month:

SELECT
TRUNC(
NVL(first_date, NVL(second_date, third_date)),
‘MM’
) AS formatted_date
FROM my_table

This will give you a date field set to the first day of the month. You can then format it for display using TO_CHAR when needed. If you absolutely must have only ‘Month Year’ stored, consider using separate month and year columns instead of a date field. This might be more suitable for your specific use case.

hey there! have u considered using the LAST_DAY function? it might help u get what ur after. something like:

SELECT LAST_DAY(NVL(first_date, NVL(second_date, third_date))) AS formatted_date
FROM my_table

this sets it to the last day of the month. Then u can format it as ‘Month Year’ when displaying. what do u think? Would that work for ur needs?

yo, have u tried the ADD_MONTHS function? it could work like this:

SELECT ADD_MONTHS(TRUNC(NVL(first_date, NVL(second_date, third_date)), ‘MM’), 0) AS formatted_date
FROM my_table

this gives u the first day of the month as a date. u can format it later for display. hope this helps!