title: dbms_lob.getlength() vs. length() to find blob size in oracle
body: <p>I'm getting the same results from </p>
  
  <pre><code>select length(column_name) from table
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>as</p>
  
  <p><code>select dbms_lob.getlength(column_name) from table</code> </p>
  
  <p>However, the answers to
  <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/840966/what-is-an-elegant-way-to-return-a-readable-file-size-of-a-file-stored-in-an-or">this question</a> seem to favor using <code>dbms_lob.getlength()</code>.  </p>
  
  <p>Is there any benefit to using <code>dbms_lob.getlength()</code>? </p>
  
  <p>If it changes the answer, I know all of the blobs are .bmp images (never worked with blobs before).</p>