---
title: "CEILING (Transact-SQL)"
description: "CEILING (Transact-SQL)"
author: markingmyname
ms.author: maghan
ms.date: "07/24/2017"
ms.service: sql
ms.subservice: t-sql
ms.topic: reference
f1_keywords:
  - "CEILING_TSQL"
  - "CEILING"
helpviewer_keywords:
  - "smallest integer great than or equal to expression"
  - "integers [SQL Server]"
  - "CEILING function [Transact-SQL]"
dev_langs:
  - "TSQL"
monikerRange: ">= aps-pdw-2016 || = azuresqldb-current || = azure-sqldw-latest || >= sql-server-2016 || >= sql-server-linux-2017 || = azuresqldb-mi-current||=fabric"
---
# CEILING (Transact-SQL)
[!INCLUDE [sql-asdb-asdbmi-asa-pdw-fabricse-fabricdw](../../includes/applies-to-version/sql-asdb-asdbmi-asa-pdw-fabricse-fabricdw.md)]

This function returns the smallest integer greater than, or equal to, the specified numeric expression.
  
:::image type="icon" source="../../includes/media/topic-link-icon.svg" border="false"::: [Transact-SQL syntax conventions](../../t-sql/language-elements/transact-sql-syntax-conventions-transact-sql.md)
  
## Syntax  
  
```syntaxsql
CEILING ( numeric_expression )  
```  
  
[!INCLUDE[sql-server-tsql-previous-offline-documentation](../../includes/sql-server-tsql-previous-offline-documentation.md)]

## Arguments
*numeric_expression*  
An [expression](../../t-sql/language-elements/expressions-transact-sql.md) of the exact numeric or approximate numeric data type category.
  
## Return types
The return type depends on the input type of *numeric_expression*:
 
|Input type|Return type|  
|----------|-----------|  
|**float**, **real**|**float**|
|**decimal(*p*, *s*)**|**decimal(38, *s*)**|
|**int**, **smallint**, **tinyint**|**int**|
|**bigint**|**bigint**|
|**money**, **smallmoney**|**money**|
|**bit**|**float**|

If the result does not fit in the return type, an arithmetic overflow error occurs.
  
## Examples  
This example shows positive numeric, negative numeric, and zero value inputs for the CEILING function.
  
```sql
SELECT CEILING($123.45), CEILING($-123.45), CEILING($0.0);  
GO  
```  
  
[!INCLUDE[ssResult](../../includes/ssresult-md.md)]
  
```
--------- --------- -------------------------   
124.00    -123.00    0.00                       
  
(1 row(s) affected)  
```  
  
## See also
[System Functions (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-functions/system-functions-category-transact-sql.md)