PostgreSQL CEIL() Function

The PostgreSQL CEIL() function returns a number rounded up to the next whole number.

Syntax

The following illustrates the syntax of the CEIL() function:

CEIL(numeric_expression)

Arguments

The CEIL() function requires one argument:

1) numeric_expression

The numeric_expression is a number (or an expression that evaluates to a number) that is rounded up.

Return Value

The CEIL() function returns a value whose data type is the same as the input argument.

Examples

The following statement illustrates how to use the CEIL() function to round a number up to the nearest integer:

SELECT
    CEIL( 200.25 );

The result is:

ceil
------
  201
(1 row)

Let’s take the customer and payment tables in the sample database for the demonstration.

customer and payment tables The following example calculates the ceiling of amounts paid by customers for rentals:

SELECT
    first_name,
    last_name,
    CEIL(SUM( amount )) amt
FROM
    payment
INNER JOIN customer
        USING(customer_id)
GROUP BY
    customer_id
ORDER BY
    amt DESC;

The following picture illustrates the result:

PostgreSQL CEIL function example

Remarks

To round a number down to the nearest whole number, you use the FLOOR() function.

In this tutorial, you have learned how to use the PostgreSQL CEIL() function to round a number up to the nearest integer, greater than or equal to the number.