If str is longer than len, the return value is shortened to len characters.
mysql> mysql> SELECT LPAD('ABC',4,'??'); +--------------------+ | LPAD('ABC',4,'??') | +--------------------+ | ?ABC | +--------------------+ 1 row in set (0.00 sec) mysql> mysql> SELECT LPAD('ABC',1,'??'); +--------------------+ | LPAD('ABC',1,'??') | +--------------------+ | A | +--------------------+ 1 row in set (0.00 sec) mysql> mysql>