Method 1: Using CAST or CONVERT Function

The CAST and CONVERT functions in MySQL are powerful tools for data type conversion. To convert an INT column to VARCHAR, you can use these functions as follows:

SELECT CAST(int_column AS VARCHAR(255)) AS varchar_column
FROM your_table;

or

SELECT CONVERT(int_column, CHAR(255)) AS varchar_column
FROM your_table;

This method leverages the built-in casting functions to directly convert the INT column to VARCHAR. The function takes care of the conversion by transforming each INT value into its corresponding string representation.

Output:

Method 2: Using CONCAT or CONCAT_WS Function

Another approach involves using the CONCAT or CONCAT_WS (concatenate with separator) function along with an empty string to convert the INT column to VARCHAR:

SELECT CONCAT('', int_column) AS varchar_column
FROM your_table;

By concatenating an empty string with the INT column, MySQL implicitly converts the INT values to strings. This method is concise and offers a quick way to achieve the conversion.

Output:

Method 3: Using CAST with CONCAT Function

In this method, we combine the CAST function with CONCAT to convert INT to VARCHAR:

SELECT CONCAT(CAST(int_column AS CHAR), '') AS varchar_column
FROM your_table;

Here, we first cast the INT column to CHAR and then concatenate an empty string to perform the conversion. This method is similar to Method 1 but showcases how functions can be combined creatively.

Output:

Method 4: Using FORMAT Function

MySQL's FORMAT function provides a powerful way to format numbers. While its primary purpose is to format numbers with thousands separators and decimal points, we can also use it to convert INT to VARCHAR:

SELECT FORMAT(int_column, 0) AS varchar_column
FROM your_table;

By setting the decimal places parameter to 0, we instruct the FORMAT function to return an integer-like string representation of the INT column.

Output:

Method 5: Using CONCAT and CAST with String Literals

This method combines CONCAT and CAST while including string literals to achieve the INT to VARCHAR conversion:

SELECT CONCAT('Value: ', CAST(int_column AS CHAR)) AS varchar_column
FROM your_table;

By incorporating string literals, you can add additional context or labels to your converted VARCHAR column.

Output: