SQLite | SQLite Functions | Converting Strings to Uppercase or Lowercase (lower and upper Functions)

The lower function converts every character in a string to lowercase, while the upper function converts every character to uppercase. This article explains how to use both functions.

Using the lower and upper Functions

The lower function converts a string to lowercase. Its syntax is as follows.

lower(string)

It converts every character in the supplied string to lowercase. When you specify a column, it converts the values stored in that column.

The upper function converts a string to uppercase. Its syntax is as follows.

upper(string)

It converts every character in the supplied string to uppercase. When you specify a column, it converts the values stored in that column.

To try these functions, first create a table.

create table fruit (id integer, name text);
sqlite> create table fruit (id integer, name text);
sqlite> 

Insert the following data with INSERT statements.

insert into fruit values (1, 'Apple');
insert into fruit values (2, 'KiwiFruit');
insert into fruit values (3, 'Peach');
insert into fruit values (4, 'Strawberry');
sqlite> insert into fruit values (1, 'Apple');
sqlite> insert into fruit values (2, 'KiwiFruit');
sqlite> insert into fruit values (3, 'Peach');
sqlite> insert into fruit values (4, 'Strawberry');
sqlite> 

Use lower and upper to retrieve the values in the name column in lowercase and uppercase.

select name, lower(name), upper(name) from fruit;
sqlite> .mode column
sqlite> .header on
sqlite> 
sqlite> select name, lower(name), upper(name) from fruit;
name        lower(name)  upper(name)
----------  -----------  -----------
Apple       apple        APPLE      
KiwiFruit   kiwifruit    KIWIFRUIT  
Peach       peach        PEACH      
Strawberry  strawberry   STRAWBERRY 
sqlite> 

The stored values are returned in both lowercase and uppercase.

You can also pass a string directly to each function.

select lower('Flower'), upper('Flower');
sqlite> select lower('Flower'), upper('Flower');
lower('Flower')  upper('Flower')
---------------  ---------------
flower           FLOWER         
sqlite> 

The lower function returns the lowercase form, and the upper function returns the uppercase form.