Overview

The CEIL() function returns the nearest positive or negative integer value greater than or equal to the provided decimal input number.

Syntax

The syntax of the CEIL() function is as follows:

CEIL(x)

The CEIL() function requires one argument:

  • x: A positive or a negative decimal number (or an expression that evaluates to a decimal number).

Examples

Case #1: Rounding up a positive decimal value

The following example demonstrates how the CEIL() function rounds up a positive decimal value:

SELECT CEIL (300.55);

As shown below, it will return 301, as it is the nearest integer value greater than 300.55.

+------+
| f    |
+------+
| 301  |
+------+

Case #2: Rounding up a negative decimal value

The following example demonstrates how the CEIL() function rounds up a negative decimal value:

SELECT CEIL(-89.9) AS "Ceil";

The output of this statement will be -89, as -89 is the nearest integer value greater than or equal to -89.9, as shown below.

+-------+
| Ceil  |
+-------+
| -89   |
+-------+

Case #3: Using the CEIL() function with a table

The following example demonstrates how the CEIL() function can be used with a table to round up the values in a specific column:

  1. First, create a table called CeilRecords with the following query:
CREATE TABLE CeilRecords (numbers float);
  
INSERT INTO CeilRecords(numbers) 
VALUES 
    (-28.85),
    (-9.4),
    (0.87),
    (78.16),
    (42.16);

The above statement will create a table called “CeilRecords” with a column called “numbers” and insert 5 decimal values into it.

  1. The statement below can be used to retrieve and round up the value for all records in the column *numbers:
SELECT *, CEIL(numbers) AS CeilValue FROM CeilRecords;

The final result will contain the following:

  • A numbers column with initial decimal values.

  • A CeilValue column with rounded-up integer values.

+---------+------------+
| numbers  | CeilValue  |
+---------+------------+
| -28.85  | -28        |
| -9.4    | -9         |
| 0.87    | 1          |
| 78.16   | 79         |
| 42.16   | 43         |
+---------+------------+