SQL Server SIGN() Function

SIGN() returns 1 for a positive numeric expression, 0 for zero, and -1 for a negative expression. Its return type depends on the input type. See Microsoft’s SIGN() reference.

Syntax

SIGN ( numeric_expression )

numeric_expression must be an exact or approximate numeric expression; bit is not supported.

Return type

Input type	Return type
`bigint`	`bigint`
`int`, `smallint`, `tinyint`	`int`
`money`, `smallmoney`	`money`
`numeric`, `decimal`	same `numeric`/`decimal` type
Other supported numeric types	`float`

Usage

The SIGN() function can be used in situations where it is necessary to check whether a number is positive, negative, or zero. It can also be used to check the sign of a given number before performing mathematical calculations.

Examples

Example 1

The following example shows the sign of -50, 0, and 50.

SELECT SIGN(-50) AS Negative,
       SIGN(0) AS Zero,
       SIGN(50) AS Positive;

Result:

Negative	Zero	Positive
-1	0	1

Example 2

The following example checks the sign of a column in a table.

CREATE TABLE Numbers (value INT);
INSERT INTO Numbers (value)
VALUES (-10), (0), (10);

SELECT value, SIGN(value) AS Sign
FROM Numbers;