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SQL Academy · Lesson

Integer vs Decimal Division

Avoid surprising results with casting.

A Surprising Result

Let's start with a puzzle. What do you think the following query returns?

If you expect 0.5, you may be surprised. In many SQL databases, dividing two integers gives an integer result — dropping the decimal part entirely.

SELECT 1 / 2 AS result;

Integer Division Explained

When both operands in a division are integers, SQL performs integer division. The result is truncated toward zero — no rounding, just the whole number part.

So 1 / 2 = 0, 7 / 3 = 2, and 9 / 4 = 2. The fractional part is silently discarded.

SELECT 7 / 3 AS truncated_result;

All lessons in this course

  1. Arithmetic and Operators
  2. Rounding and Truncating
  3. Integer vs Decimal Division
  4. Useful Math Functions
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