This function is used to return the ASCII code of the first character in str.

ascii(string <str>)

**Table 1** Parameter
Parameter	Mandatory	Type	Description
str	Yes	STRING	If the value is of the BIGINT, DOUBLE, DECIMAL, or DATETIME type, the value is automatically converted to the STRING type for calculation. Example: ABC

The return value is of the BIGINT type.

If the value of str is not of the STRING, BIGINT, DOUBLE, DECIMAL, or DATETIME type, an error is reported.
If the value of str is NULL, NULL is returned.

Returns the ASCII code of the first character in string ABC. An example command is as follows:
The value 97 is returned.
```
select ascii('ABC'); 
```

The value of the input parameter is NULL. An example command is as follows:
The value NULL is returned.
```
select ascii(null);
```