[sql] SQL SERVER DATETIME FORMAT

Studying SQL Server there is something I am not sure of:

A datetime field with the value: 2012-02-26 09:34:00.000

If I select out of the table using:

CAST(dob2 AS VARCHAR(12) ) AS d1

It formats it as: Feb 26 2012

What I am unsure of his how or why SQL Server formats DateTime like that. If you use datetime2 it does not - anyone know why?

Compatibility Supports Says that Under compatibility level 110, the default style for CAST and CONVERT operations on time and datetime2 data types is always 121. If your query relies on the old behavior, use a compatibility level less than 110, or explicitly specify the 0 style in the affected query.

That means by default datetime2 is CAST as varchar to 121 format. For ex; col1 and col2 formats (below) are same (other than the 0s at the end)

SELECT CONVERT(varchar, GETDATE(), 121) col1,
       CAST(convert(datetime2,GETDATE()) as varchar) col2,
       CAST(GETDATE() as varchar) col3

SQL FIDDLE DEMO

--Results
COL1                    | COL2                          | COL3
2013-02-08 09:53:56.223 | 2013-02-08 09:53:56.2230000   | Feb 8 2013 9:53AM

FYI, if you use CONVERT instead of CAST you can use a third parameter to specify certain formats as listed here on MSDN

In MS SQL Server you can do:

SET DATEFORMAT ymd

case when isdate(inputdate) = 1 
then convert(datetime, cast(inputdate,datetime2), 103)
else
case when isdate(inputdate) = 0 
then convert(datetime, cast(inputdate,datetime2), 103)

try this:

select convert(varchar, dob2, 101)
select convert(varchar, dob2, 102)
select convert(varchar, dob2, 103)
select convert(varchar, dob2, 104)
select convert(varchar, dob2, 105)
select convert(varchar, dob2, 106)
select convert(varchar, dob2, 107)
select convert(varchar, dob2, 108)
select convert(varchar, dob2, 109)
select convert(varchar, dob2, 110)
select convert(varchar, dob2, 111)
select convert(varchar, dob2, 112)
select convert(varchar, dob2, 113)

refernces: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms187928.aspx

http://www.w3schools.com/sql/func_convert.asp

This is my favorite use of 112 and 114

select (convert(varchar, getdate(), 112)+ replace(convert(varchar, getdate(), 114),':','')) as 'Getdate() 

112 + 114 or YYYYMMDDHHMMSSMSS'

Result:

Getdate() 112 + 114 or YYYYMMDDHHMMSSMSS

20171016083349100