MySQL Bugs: #34562: CAST does not accept standard-sql numeric types

Bug #34562	CAST does not accept standard-sql numeric types
Submitted:	14 Feb 2008 18:55	Modified:	22 Feb 2008 18:53
Reporter:	Ken Johanson	Email Updates:
Status:	Verified	Impact on me:	None
Category:	MySQL Server: Data Types	Severity:	S3 (Non-critical)
Version:	5.1.22-rc-log	OS:	Any
Assigned to:		CPU Architecture:	Any

Description:
The CAST function does not accept ansi/iso standard numeric-types (cast from char):

SELECT CAST('123' AS INTEGER) (spec defines as implict signed) -> Error
SELECT CAST('123' AS SIGNED INTEGER) -> 123 (signed-ness not in sql spec)

In addition to INTEGER, SMALLINT and BIGINT do not work.

How to repeat:
> SELECT CAST('123' AS INTEGER);

Thank you for a problem report. As current set of types supported is explicitely described in the manual, http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/cast-functions.html#function_cast, (whatever the reason is for having it) this is a reasonable and high-priority feature request, but not a bug, formally.

I must plea for changing this back to a bug. I feel that sql non-conformace is very much a bug, especially on a *essential* and basic function like CAST, and because there is no portable way to return these standard data-types in Mysql right now. All the other database implement this cast corrrectly.

While I agree that this is functionality we would like 
MySQL to support, the fact remains that -- since CAST 
currently has limited support by intent (as evidenced
in the Reference Manual) -- this is a feature request 
and not a bug.

"limited support by intent" for a base-level SQL standard??? And one if implemented that should cause no negative impact (breaking apps etc)? 

Not only did you change from D4 (Minor) to D5 (Feature request), you also changed the target version from 6.0 to none??? This is fodder so many mailing lists.