SCAN versus SUBSTR Functions

The SUBSTR function is similar to the SCAN function. Here is a brief comparison. 

Both the SCAN and SUBSTR functions can extract a substring from a character value:

• SCAN extracts words within a value that is marked by delimiters.

Example 

• SUBSTR extracts a portion of a value by starting at a specified location.

-The SUBSTR function is best used when you know the exact position of the string that

you want to extract from the character value.

Example 

the SCAN function is best used during the following actions:

• You know the order of the words in the character value.

• The starting position of the words varies.

• The words are marked by some delimiter.