BOL ABS Overflow error?

Ugh... Why does books online state that ABS can cause an overflow error?

The example given:

The ABS function can produce an overflow error. For example, the tinyint data type can hold only values that range from 0 to 255:

Copy Code SELECT ABS(CONVERT(tinyint, -256)); GO

It's the convert function that causes the overflow error, not ABS itself, right?

Hi Robert,

You're correct. It is the CONVERT function that is causing the overflow error in this example. Thanks for pointing that error out. We'll update the topic with a corrected example in a future update to Books Online.

Here's a better example.

DECLARE @.si smallint

SET @.si = -32768

SELECT @.si = ABS(@.si)

Regards,

Gail