SQL Server UNICODE() Function

 The UNICODE() function in SQL Server is used to return the integer Unicode value for the first character of a specified string. This value corresponds to the Unicode code point of the character.

Syntax

UNICODE(string_expression)

Parameters

• string_expression: A string (of type nchar, nvarchar, or ntext) from which the Unicode value of the first character is returned.

Return Value

• Returns an integer representing the Unicode code point of the first character in the string.
• If the input is an empty string, the function returns NULL.

Example Usage

1. Basic Example

SELECT UNICODE('A') AS UnicodeValue; -- Returns 65
SELECT UNICODE('Ω') AS UnicodeValue; -- Returns 937
SELECT UNICODE('🙂') AS UnicodeValue; -- Returns 9786 (if supported)

2. Handling Multicharacter Strings

The function evaluates only the first character.

SELECT UNICODE('Hello') AS UnicodeValue; -- Returns 72 (Unicode for 'H')

3. Empty String or NULL

SELECT UNICODE('') AS UnicodeValue; -- Returns NULL
SELECT UNICODE(NULL) AS UnicodeValue; -- Returns NULL

4. Working with Unicode Characters

SELECT UNICODE(N'you') AS UnicodeValue; -- Returns 20320
SELECT UNICODE(N'Character') AS UnicodeValue; -- Returns 23383

Notes

• Use N' prefix for Unicode strings to ensure proper handling.
• For reverse operation (getting the character from a Unicode code point), use the NCHAR() function:

SELECT NCHAR(65) AS Character; -- Returns 'A'

This function is particularly useful for applications where Unicode handling is necessary, such as internationalized text processing.