What Is Data Type for Date in SQL Server?
When working with databases, it is essential to store and manipulate dates and times efficiently. SQL Server provides several data types for handling date and time values, each with its own unique characteristics.
Date Data Type
The Date data type in SQL Server is used to store only the date portion without any time information. It is represented as a string in the format ‘YYYY-MM-DD’ and can range from January 1, 0001, to December 31, 9999.
Here is an example of how to define a column with the Date data type:
CREATE TABLE MyTable (
DateColumn DATE
);
Time Data Type
The Time data type in SQL Server is used to store only the time portion without any date information. It is represented as a string in the format ‘hh:mm:ss.nnnnnnn’ (24-hour clock) and can range from 00:00:00.0000000 to 23:59:59.9999999.
To create a column with the Time data type, you can use the following syntax:
CREATE TABLE MyTable (
TimeColumn TIME
);
Datetime Data Type
The Datetime data type in SQL Server is used to store both date and time values together. It has a precision of up to three milliseconds and supports dates ranging from January 1, 1753, to December 31, 9999.
To define a column with the Datetime data type, you can use the following code:
CREATE TABLE MyTable (
DatetimeColumn DATETIME
);
Datetime2 Data Type
The Datetime2 data type in SQL Server is an extension of the Datetime data type that provides a higher precision of up to seven decimal places for fractional seconds. It supports a wider range of dates, from January 1, 0001, to December 31, 9999.
Here is an example of how to create a column with the Datetime2 data type:
CREATE TABLE MyTable (
Datetime2Column DATETIME2
);
Datetimeoffset Data Type
The Datetimeoffset data type in SQL Server is similar to the Datetime2 data type but also includes time zone information. It stores date and time values with an offset from UTC (Coordinated Universal Time).
To define a column with the Datetimeoffset data type, you can use the following syntax:
CREATE TABLE MyTable (
DatetimeoffsetColumn DATETIMEOFFSET
);
Conclusion
In SQL Server, there are several data types available for storing and manipulating date and time values. Choosing the appropriate data type depends on your specific requirements for precision, range, and whether or not time zone information needs to be included.
To summarize:
- The Date data type is used for storing only dates.
- The Time data type is used for storing only times.
- The Datetime data type is used for storing both dates and times.
- The Datetime2 data type provides higher precision and a wider range compared to Datetime.
- The Datetimeoffset data type includes time zone information.
By understanding the different date and time data types in SQL Server, you can ensure efficient and accurate storage and manipulation of temporal information in your databases.