---
title: SQL binary string functions
description: Use binary string functions to encode and decode binary string values in SQL queries.
url: https://docs.influxdata.com/influxdb3/enterprise/reference/sql/functions/binary-string/
estimated_tokens: 983
product: InfluxDB 3 Enterprise
version: enterprise
---

# SQL binary string functions

Use binary string functions to encode and decode binary string values in SQL queries.

-   [decode](#decode)
-   [encode](#encode)

## decode

Decode binary data from textual representation in string.

```sql
decode(expression, format)
```

### Arguments

-   **expression**: Expression containing encoded string data. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of string operators.
-   **format**: Encoding format of the encoded string. Supported formats are:
    -   base64
    -   hex

##### Related functions

[encode](#encode)

## encode

Encode binary data into a textual representation.

```sql
encode(expression, format)
```

### Arguments

-   **expression**: Expression containing string or binary data. Can be a constant, column, or function, and any combination of string operators.
-   **format**: Encoding format to use. Supported formats are:
    -   base64
    -   hex

##### Related functions

[decode](#decode)

[](#view-encode-query-example)

View `encode` query example

*The following example uses the [NOAA Bay Area weather sample data](/influxdb3/enterprise/reference/sample-data/#noaa-bay-area-weather-data).*

```sql
SELECT DISTINCT
  location,
  encode(location::string, 'hex') AS location_encoded
FROM weather
```

| location | location_encoded |
| --- | --- |
| Concord | 436f6e636f7264 |
| Hayward | 48617977617264 |
| San Francisco | 53616e204672616e636973636f |