---
title: "POWER (Transact-SQL) | Microsoft Docs"
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---
# POWER (Transact-SQL)
[!INCLUDE[tsql-appliesto-ss2008-all_md](../../includes/tsql-appliesto-ss2008-all-md.md)]

  Returns the value of the specified expression to the specified power.  
  
 ![Topic link icon](../../database-engine/configure-windows/media/topic-link.gif "Topic link icon") [Transact-SQL Syntax Conventions](../../t-sql/language-elements/transact-sql-syntax-conventions-transact-sql.md)  
  
## Syntax  
  
```  
-- Syntax for SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Data Warehouse, Parallel Data Warehouse  
  
POWER ( float_expression , y )  
```  
  
## Arguments  
 *float_expression*  
 Is an [expression](../../t-sql/language-elements/expressions-transact-sql.md) of type **float** or of a type that can be implicitly converted to **float**.  
  
 *y*  
 Is the power to which to raise *float_expression*. *y* can be an expression of the exact numeric or approximate numeric data type category, except for the **bit** data type.  
  
## Return Types  
 Returns the same type as submitted in *float_expression*. For example, if a **decimal**(2,0) is submitted as *float_expression*, the result returned is **decimal**(2,0).  
  
## Examples  
  
### A. Using POWER to return the cube of a number  
 The following example demonstrates raising a number to the power of 3 (the cube of the number).  
  
```  
DECLARE @input1 float;  
DECLARE @input2 float;  
SET @input1= 2;  
SET @input2 = 2.5;  
SELECT POWER(@input1, 3) AS Result1, POWER(@input2, 3) AS Result2;  
```  
  
 [!INCLUDE[ssResult](../../includes/ssresult-md.md)]  
  
```  
Result1                Result2  
---------------------- ----------------------  
8                      15.625  
  
(1 row(s) affected)  
```  
  
### B. Using POWER to show results of data type conversion  
 The following example shows how the *float_expression* preserves the data type which can return unexpected results.  
  
```  
SELECT   
POWER(CAST(2.0 AS float), -100.0) AS FloatResult,  
POWER(2, -100.0) AS IntegerResult,  
POWER(CAST(2.0 AS int), -100.0) AS IntegerResult,  
POWER(2.0, -100.0) AS Decimal1Result,  
POWER(2.00, -100.0) AS Decimal2Result,  
POWER(CAST(2.0 AS decimal(5,2)), -100.0) AS Decimal2Result;  
GO  
```  
  
 [!INCLUDE[ssResult](../../includes/ssresult-md.md)]  
  
```  
FloatResult            IntegerResult IntegerResult Decimal1Result Decimal2Result Decimal2Result  
---------------------- ------------- ------------- -------------- -------------- --------------  
7.88860905221012E-31   0             0             0.0            0.00           0.00  
```  
  
### C. Using POWER  
 The following example returns `POWER` results for `2`.  
  
```  
DECLARE @value int, @counter int;  
SET @value = 2;  
SET @counter = 1;  
  
WHILE @counter < 5  
   BEGIN  
      SELECT POWER(@value, @counter)  
      SET NOCOUNT ON  
      SET @counter = @counter + 1  
      SET NOCOUNT OFF  
   END;  
GO  
```  
  
 [!INCLUDE[ssResult](../../includes/ssresult-md.md)]  
  
```  
-----------   
2             
  
(1 row(s) affected)  
  
-----------   
4             
  
(1 row(s) affected)  
  
-----------   
8             
  
(1 row(s) affected)  
  
-----------   
16            
  
(1 row(s) affected)  
```  
  
## Examples: [!INCLUDE[ssSDWfull](../../includes/sssdwfull-md.md)] and [!INCLUDE[ssPDW](../../includes/sspdw-md.md)]  
  
### D: Using POWER to return the cube of a number  
 The following example shows returns `POWER` results for `2.0` to the 3rd power.  
  
```  
SELECT POWER(2.0, 3);  
```  
  
 [!INCLUDE[ssResult](../../includes/ssresult-md.md)]  
  
 `------------`  
  
 `8.0`  
  
## See Also  
 [decimal and numeric &#40;Transact-SQL&#41;](../../t-sql/data-types/decimal-and-numeric-transact-sql.md)   
 [float and real &#40;Transact-SQL&#41;](../../t-sql/data-types/float-and-real-transact-sql.md)   
 [int, bigint, smallint, and tinyint &#40;Transact-SQL&#41;](../../t-sql/data-types/int-bigint-smallint-and-tinyint-transact-sql.md)   
 [Mathematical Functions &#40;Transact-SQL&#41;](../../t-sql/functions/mathematical-functions-transact-sql.md)   
 [money and smallmoney &#40;Transact-SQL&#41;](../../t-sql/data-types/money-and-smallmoney-transact-sql.md)