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Dates and Times in SQL Server: DATENAME()
Last time we looked at DATEPART(). This post is all about the DATENAME() function. So many similarities There are many similarities between DATEPART and DATENAME. Where DATEPART returns the date or time part as an integer, DATENAME returns the part as a character string. This DATENAME function also takes two parameters: the date or time[…]
Dates and Times in SQL Server: DATEPART()
In my previous posts in this series we’ve seen reference to Transact-SQL (T-SQL) functions that are used to get the specific part of a date and/or time (year, month, day, hour, minute, second, etc.). This week we’ll go through one of them and see how it works. Introducing DATEPART, a built-in function that takes two[…]
T-SQL aside: replace PRINT with RAISERROR
I was minding my own business innocently reading a blog post by Erik Darling, when this tip smacked me in the proverbial forehead. I even learned something that had always bothered me but had been too lazy to investigate further. Tip #4: Know Your Place Don’t be afraid to use RAISERROR to mark off sections[…]
Dates and Times in SQL Server: the problem with DATETIME
Recently I wrote a post about date and time functions you should never use, which contained an opinion I’ve expressed previously that some people have disagreed with, namely that DATETIME is a terrible data type which you should not be using in new development. The motivation for this position is that a better data type exists. As[…]
Virtual Log Files: 200 or 1000?
Last week I had the privilege of reviewing possibly the best SQL Server production environment I’ve seen in Canada. During the follow-up meeting, the senior DBA and I had a discussion about Virtual Log Files (VLFs), disagreeing on the maximum number of Virtual Log Files a transaction log should have. I said 200, he said[…]
Dates and Times in SQL Server: more functions you should never use
Previously we looked at four built-in functions to get the current date and time in SQL Server and Azure SQL Database using Transact-SQL (T-SQL). We identified that out of the options provided, SYSUTCDATETIME() is the recommended method because it relies on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), and uses the DATETIME2 data type which has a much higher[…]
A big thank you
Thank you! Thank you for reading my blog. Thank you for buying my book. Thank you for attending my sessions at SQLSaturdays and SQLBits. Thank you for providing session feedback to help me improve. Thank you for commenting on my posts, especially when I get things wrong. Thank you to the other SQL Server community[…]
Dates and Times in SQL Server: What about TIMESTAMP?
It occurred to me that we haven’t covered the TIMESTAMP data type in this series about dates and times. TIMESTAMP is the Windows Millennium Edition of data types. It has nothing to do with date and time. It’s a row version. Microsoft asks that we stop calling it TIMESTAMP and use ROWVERSION instead. Much like DECIMAL[…]
Dates and Times in SQL Server: T-SQL functions to get the current date and time
We have come on quite a journey so far. SQL Server and Azure SQL Database provide date and time data types to help you design the best possible database. You can read more about that here: Dates and Times in SQL Server: DATETIME Dates and Times in SQL Server: SMALLDATETIME Dates and Times in SQL[…]
Dates and Times in SQL Server: the science of time redux
Last time, we began an in-depth look at how time is measured. This post continues our journey. If any of you are students of Albert Einstein and his theory of relativity, this might seem familiar. How does a computer know what time it is? Inside the guts of every computer is a clock (called a[…]