elasticsearch/docs/reference/query-languages/esql/_snippets/functions/examples/substring.md

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**Examples**

This example returns the first three characters of every last name:

```esql
FROM employees
| KEEP last_name
| EVAL ln_sub = SUBSTRING(last_name, 1, 3)
```

| last_name:keyword | ln_sub:keyword |
| --- | --- |
| Awdeh | Awd |
| Azuma | Azu |
| Baek | Bae |
| Bamford | Bam |
| Bernatsky | Ber |

A negative start position is interpreted as being relative to the end of the string. This example returns the last three characters of of every last name:

```esql
FROM employees
| KEEP last_name
| EVAL ln_sub = SUBSTRING(last_name, -3, 3)
```

| last_name:keyword | ln_sub:keyword |
| --- | --- |
| Awdeh | deh |
| Azuma | uma |
| Baek | aek |
| Bamford | ord |
| Bernatsky | sky |

If length is omitted, substring returns the remainder of the string. This example returns all characters except for the first:

```esql
FROM employees
| KEEP last_name
| EVAL ln_sub = SUBSTRING(last_name, 2)
```

| last_name:keyword | ln_sub:keyword |
| --- | --- |
| Awdeh | wdeh |
| Azuma | zuma |
| Baek | aek |
| Bamford | amford |
| Bernatsky | ernatsky |