Numeric functions have been developed that make it easier to understand and enter the required arguments. These functions have streamlined parameter lists, similar to those used by SQL functions. In some cases, these simplified functions provide slightly different functionality than previous versions of similar functions.
The simplified functions do not have an output argument. Each function returns a value that has a specific data type.
When used in a request against a relational data source, these functions are optimized (passed to the RDBMS for processing).