In Oracle SQL, you can cast a string as a date using the CAST() function. The CAST() function takes two arguments: the string to cast and the data type to cast it to. In this case, the data type to cast to is DATE.

For example, the following code casts the string '2023-07-18' as a date:

SQL

SELECT CAST('2023-07-18' AS DATE);

This code would return the date 2023-07-18.

The CAST() function can also be used to cast a string in a custom format to a date. For example, the following code casts the string '01-JAN-2023' in the format DD-MON-YYYY as a date:

SQL

SELECT CAST('01-JAN-2023' AS DATE);

This code would also return the date 2023-01-01.

The CAST() function is a powerful tool that you can use to cast different string formats into dates in Oracle. By using the CAST() function, you can ensure that your dates are stored in a consistent format.

Here are some examples of how to cast a string as a date in Oracle SQL:

SQL

-- Cast a string in the format "DD-MM-YYYY" as a date.
SELECT CAST('2023-07-18' AS DATE);

-- Cast a string in the format "YYYY-MM-DD" as a date.
SELECT CAST('20230718' AS DATE);

-- Cast a string in a custom format as a date.
SELECT CAST('01-JAN-2023' AS DATE);