SQL Server RTRIM Function - Features, Examples and Equivalents

RTRIM function truncates all trailing blanks from a string.

Versions: SQL Server 2008 and 2005

Related functions for RTRIM in SQL Server:

RTRIM function truncates trailing spaces from a string expression:

  SELECT '|' + RTRIM('AB   ') + '|';
  -- Result: |AB|

Non-breaking Space CHAR(160) is not Removed

CHAR(160) (or   widely used in HTML) that can appear in VARCHAR and NVARCHAR is not removed by RTRIM:

  CREATE TABLE t_rtrim1
  (
     c1 VARCHAR(3),
     c2 NVARCHAR(3)
  );
 
  INSERT INTO t_rtrim1 VALUES ('A ', 'A ');
  INSERT INTO t_rtrim1 VALUES ('A' + CHAR(160), 'A' + CHAR(160));
 
  SELECT '''' + c1 + '''', '''' + RTRIM(c1) + '''' FROM t_rtrim1;
 
  SELECT '''' + c2 + '''', '''' + RTRIM(c2) + '''' FROM t_rtrim1;

Both queries return:

• SQL Server Reference
• RTRIM - SQL Server 2008 R2 Books Online