to_date function
Applies to: 
Databricks SQL Databricks Runtime
Returns expr cast to a date using an optional formatting.
Syntax
to_date(expr [, fmt] )
Arguments
expr: A STRING expression representing a date.- fmt: An optional format STRING expression.
Returns
A DATE.
If fmt is supplied, it must conform with Datetime patterns.
If fmt is not supplied, the function is a synonym for cast(expr AS DATE).
If fmt is malformed or its application does not result in a well formed date, the function raises an error.
Note
In Databricks Runtime, if spark.sql.ansi.enabled is false, the function returns NULL instead of an error for malformed dates.
Examples
> SELECT to_date('2009-07-30 04:17:52');
2009-07-30
> SELECT to_date('2016-12-31', 'yyyy-MM-dd');
2016-12-31