Type / Encoding Functions

5 functions for hex/binary/base conversions, safe casting, and custom SQL expressions. The source column is always the implicit first input.

Function	Syntax	Parameters	Notes
`to_hex`	`to_hex(column)`	None.
`to_binary`	`to_binary(column)`	None.
`base_conv`	`base_conv(column, fromBase, toBase)`	`fromBase` default `10`. `toBase` default `16`.	Spark `conv()`.
`try_cast`	`try_cast(column, targetType, precision, scale)`	`targetType` — required. `precision`, `scale` — used for `decimal`.	Null-safe cast — returns null on failure instead of raising an error.
`custom_sql`	`custom_sql(expression)`	`expression` — arbitrary Spark SQL expression string.	Escape hatch for logic not covered by the built-in function catalog.