What is the purpose of the Oracle LEAST function?

The LEAST function is a function in Oracle SQL that returns the minimum value from a list of parameters. It can accept multiple parameters and return the minimum value among them.

Here is an example usage of the LEAST function:

SELECT LEAST(10, 5, 8, 3) AS min_value FROM dual;

In the example above, the LEAST function is used to compare four numerical values in the parameter list and return the smallest one. After executing the SQL statement above, the result returned will be 3, as it is the minimum value among the four numbers.

The LEAST function is commonly used when comparing multiple values and choosing the smallest one, which can simplify code and improve the readability of queries.