SQL Server REVERSE Function

Summary: in this tutorial, you will learn how to use the SQL Server REVERSE() function to return the reverse order of a string.

SQL Server REVERSE() function overview

The REVERSE() function accepts a string argument and returns the reverse order of that string.

The following shows the syntax of the REVERSE() function.

REVERSE ( input_string )  
Code language: SQL (Structured Query Language) (sql)

The input_string is a character string expression. Otherwise, you must use CAST to explicitly convert the input string to VARCHAR.

SQL Server REVERSE() function examples

Let’s take some examples of using the REVERSE() function

A) Using SQL Server REVERSE() function to reverse a string

This example uses the REVERSE() function to reverse the string 'ecnalubma':

SELECT 
    REVERSE('ecnalubma') result;
Code language: SQL (Structured Query Language) (sql)

The output is as follows:

result
---------
ambulance

(1 row affected)

B) Using SQL Server REVERSE() function to determine if a string is a palindrome

A palindrome is a word that reads the same backward as forwarding e.g., madam or redivider. The following example uses the REVERSE() function and CASE expression to check if a string is a palindrome.

DECLARE 
    @input VARCHAR(100) = 'redivider';

SELECT 
    CASE
        WHEN @input = REVERSE(@input)
        THEN 'Palindrome'
        ELSE 'Not Palindrome'
    END result;
Code language: SQL (Structured Query Language) (sql)

Here is the result:

result
--------------
Palindrome

(1 row affected)

In this tutorial, you have learned how to use the SQL Server REVERSE() function to return a reverse order of a string.