SQL LTRIM
Removes whitespace from the LEFT side only — TRIM's more surgical sibling, for when only one side needs fixing.
What & Why
LTRIM(text) strips whitespace from the beginning of a string only, leaving trailing whitespace (and everything in the middle) untouched.
See How It Works
BUSINESS QUESTION
Product wants leading spaces removed from feedback comments.
| id | user_id | feature_id | rating | nps_score | comment | created_at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 101 | 1 | 5 | 9 | Clear and useful | 2024-01-25 12:15:00+00 |
| 2 | 102 | 2 | 4 | NULL | Export worked well | 2024-02-20 15:40:00+00 |
| 3 | 103 | 1 | 4 | 7 | Helpful setup flow | 2024-03-18 09:05:00+00 |
| 4 | 104 | 3 | 3 | NULL | Needs clearer timing | 2024-04-08 17:30:00+00 |
EXAMPLE QUERY
SELECT
id AS feedback_id,
LTRIM(comment) AS left_trimmed_comment
FROM product.feedback
WHERE comment IS NOT NULL
ORDER BY feedback_id;RESULT — exact output from the displayed Queryflo rows
| feedback_id | left_trimmed_comment |
|---|---|
| 1 | Clear and useful |
| 2 | Export worked well |
| 3 | Helpful setup flow |
| 4 | Needs clearer timing |
The fixture comments have no leading spaces, so LTRIM preserves them.
Now You Try
Practice this concept
Product wants leading spaces removed from feedback comments.
Available schema
productPrefix tables with product.table_name.
feedback_idleft_trimmed_commentproduct.feedback| Column | Type |
|---|---|
| id | integer |
| user_id | integer |
| feature_id | integer |
| rating | integer |
| nps_score | integer |
| comment | text |
| created_at | timestamp with time zone |
| moderation_bucket | text |
query.sql
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