Functions

Type

Concept

Purpose

The 58 DataEase functions execute calculations, manipulate text, and perform other time-saving data-entry operations. There are nine groups of functions, briefly summarized below.

• The if function returns one of two values based on its evaluation of a specified condition as true or false.

• Date functions convert a date into a number representing the day, month, year, day of the week, or day of the year on which the specified date falls.

• Spell functions convert a date or numerical value into its equivalent text value.

• Time functions extract the hour, minutes, or seconds from a 24-hour format time value or assign the appropriate AM or PM suffix.

• Text functions are used to concatenate, truncate, or manipulate a text value.

• Financial functions calculate either the beginning value, end value, interest rate, installment amount, or number of payment periods for a financial transaction, given the values of the other four variables.

• Scientific functions raise a base value to a power, derive natural and base 10 logs, or derive the square root of a value.

• Trigonometric functions convert a numeric value into a value expressed in radians.

• Math functions perform common mathematical rounding operations or return the absolute value of a specified numeric value. The random function generates a pseudo random number.

For a full explanation of any DQL function, see the entry listed under the function's name in this Language Reference.