# Assignment Operators

> Assignment occurs during `insert` and `update` operations. When necessary eXtremeSQL will implicitly convert or coerce the type of a value being assigned to a column. Please see the Data Type Conversion page for further details. Data types can also be coerced explicitly using the `cast()` operator.

> The `cast()` operator can also be used to coerce column or expression values in the result set of a `select`.

> ## Syntax

>         select cast( expression as data_type )