Converting data types to strings is a fundamental task in SQL. Different database systems offer slightly varying syntax, but the core principle remains the same: using functions to transform values into their string representations. This is essential for tasks like displaying data in reports, creating log files, or preparing data for integration with other systems. For instance, you might need to concatenate a customer's ID with their name, which requires converting the ID (likely an integer) to a string. Similarly, you might need to format a date for display in a user-friendly way. Understanding these conversions is vital for building robust and flexible SQL applications.