Question

This is the query I am using

SELECT TO_DATE(COL1,'mm/dd/yyyy') FROM TABLE1

COL1 is a varchar2(50) column and has date data in the format DD-MON-YY.
I want it to be output in ‘mm/dd/yyyy’ format.

I am getting this error:

ORA-01858: a non-numeric character was found where a numeric was expected
01858. 00000 – “a non-numeric character was found where a numeric was expected”
*Cause: The input data to be converted using a date format model was
incorrect. The input data did not contain a number where a number was
required by the format model.
*Action: Fix the input data or the date format model to make sure the
elements match in number and type. Then retry the operation.

Most of the values in this column are valid dates and I am not able to pin point the record with bad data.

How do I handle this error in my query?

Answer 1

SELECT TO_CHAR(TO_DATE(COL1,'dd-mon-yy'), 'mm/dd/yyyy') FROM TABLE1