SQL Server STUFF() Function

Example

Delete 3 characters from a string, starting in position 1, and then insert "HTML" in position 1:

SELECT STUFF('SQL Tutorial', 1, 3, 'HTML');
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Definition and Usage

The STUFF() function deletes a part of a string and then inserts another part into the string, starting at a specified position.

Tip: Also look at the REPLACE() function.

Syntax

STUFF(string, start, length, new_string)

Parameter Values

Parameter Description
string Required. The string to be modified
start Required. The position in string to start to delete some characters
length Required. The number of characters to delete from string
new_string Required. The new string to insert into string at the start position

Technical Details

Works in: SQL Server (starting with 2008), Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Data Warehouse, Parallel Data Warehouse

More Examples

Example

Delete 1 character from a string, starting in position 13, and then insert " is fun!" in position 13:

SELECT STUFF('SQL Tutorial!', 13, 1, ' is fun!');
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