LEAST is one of the vital Numeric/Math functions of Oracle. It is used to get the least value from a list of expressions. The LEAST function is supported in the various versions of the Oracle/PLSQL, including, Oracle 12c, Oracle 11g, Oracle 10g, Oracle 9i and Oracle 8i.
Syntax:
LEAST( expr_1, expr_2, ... expr_n )
Parameters:
expr_1, expr_2, … expr_n: It is used to specify the expression to be evaluated.
Example 1:
LEAST( 5, 6, 9, 10 )
Output:
5
Explanation:
The LEAST value is 5 in the above expression.
Example 2:
LEAST( ‘5’, ‘6’, ‘9’, ‘10’ )
Output:
‘10’
Explanation:
Since it is a character comparison, hence ‘10’ here is LEAST since it has a lower character set value.
Example 3:
LEAST( ‘ant’, ‘boy’, ‘elephant’, ‘zebra’ )
Output:
‘ant’
Explanation:
Since it is a character comparison, hence ‘ant’ here is LEAST since it has a lower character set value.
Example 3:
LEAST( ‘ant’, ‘any’, ‘ani’, ‘ana’ )
Output:
‘ana’
Explanation:
Since it is a character comparison, hence ‘ana’ here is LEAST since it has a lower character set value.
