String to integer in SQL similar to atoi()

["Dennis Lovelady" <iseries@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi, Folks:

I have a column (fooCol) in a table (footab) that contains string data
looking like the following:
'961  6'
'2809  6'
'67  6'
'66  6'
'2879  6'
'2874  6'

(No, the second set is not always 6.  This is a column that was loaded
incorrectly due to lack of a comma at the source end, and I'm trying to find
an efficient way to live with it (longer story)).

I have need of *efficiently* returning the first set of digits and the
second set of digits as separate numeric values, so that they may be used in
an UPDATE or INSERT statement or embedded SQL where the result is numeric.

Any ideas?  I thought of using something like select left(foocol, instr(' ',
foocol)) (which is mySQL syntax) for the "left number", but I couldn't find
an instr equivalent and, even if I did it'd still be a string value.  The
second set would probably be a no-brainer after landing on a solution for
the first.

Thanks for any pointers.

Dennis Lovelady
http://www.linkedin.com/in/dennislovelady
--
"All progress is based upon a universal innate desire on the part of every
organism to live beyond its income."
        -- Samuel Butler