## Syntax
```mermaid
%%{init: {
'theme': 'base',
'flowchart': { 'padding': '7', 'nodeSpacing': '20', 'rankSpacing': '20' },
'themeVariables': {
'fontSize': '11px',
'fontFamily': 'Arial'
}
}}%%
flowchart LR
Start((START)) --> | | LEFT[LEFT]:::quoted
LEFT --> End((END))
```
## Purpose
The `LEFT` SQL function extracts a substring from a value with the given length from the left side. Keyword is also used with joins.
Parameters:
- Input: Text to extract substring from.
- Length: Maximum length of the substring.
Returns: Substring from the left side of the input.