## Syntax
```mermaid
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flowchart LR
Start((START)) --> DATE_CEIL[DATE_CEIL]:::quoted
DATE_CEIL --> End((END))
```
## Purpose
The `DATE_CEIL` SQL function returns the ceiling value of a `datetime`.
See also [[DATE_FLOOR]], [[DATE_ROUND]] and [[DATE_TRUNC]].
Parameters:
- Precision (`varchar2`): one of `millenium`, `century`, `decade`, `year`, `quarter`, `month`, `week`, `day`, `hour`, `minute`, `second`, `milliseconds` and `microseconds`.
- Date/time (`datetime`): the date/time to take ceiling of.
Returns: the ceiling with the defined precision of the input date/time as `datetime`. The original value is returned when an unlisted precision is specified.
## Examples
The following example retrieves the ceiling value of the system time using millennium precision:
```sql
select date_ceil('millenium', sysdateutc)
-------------------
01-01-3000 00:00:00
```
The following example retrieves the ceiling value of the system time using month precision:
```sql
select date_ceil('month', to_date('19870315', 'YYYYMMDD'))
-------------------
01-04-1987 00:00:00
```