NORMALIZE

NORMALIZE is a SQL function used to transform a string into a standardized form, optimized for comparison and searching. The transformation process follows the Unicode normalization method. This function is an essential tool in data processing and analytics, helping ensure database uniformity.

Example

SELECT NORMALIZE('Ábc');

Output

'Abc'

Explanation

The NORMALIZE() function is used to transform a text string into a form that can be compared on an equivalent basis. In the provided example, the NORMALIZE function transforms the ‘Á’ character into ‘A’.

Example

CREATE EXTENSION IF NOT EXISTS isn;
CREATE TABLE test (col VARCHAR(10));
INSERT INTO test VALUES ('1234'), ('5678'), ('9123');
SELECT col, NORMALIZE(col) as normalized_col FROM test;

Output

 col  | normalized_col
------+---------------
1234  | 1234
5678  | 5678
9123  | 9123

Explanation

The NORMALIZE function in PostgreSQL transforms a string into its normalized form, which means it rearranges accented characters and similar entities into a standard form. In this example, the values in col are already normalized, hence the normalized output is equivalent to the input.

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