How to Retrieve Only the Date with SQL GetDate Function: Code Examples Included

Table of content

1. Introduction
2. Overview of SQL GetDate Function
3. Retrieving Only the Date with SQL GetDate Function
4. Code Example 1: Using CONVERT Function
5. Code Example 2: Using CAST Function
6. Code Example 3: Using Date Functions
7. Conclusion

Introduction

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When working with date and time data in SQL, it can be useful to retrieve only the date portion of the data. This can be achieved with the GetDate() function in SQL. The GetDate() function returns the current date and time in the system’s datetime format. However, you can easily modify the output to retrieve only the date portion using SQL date functions. In this article, we will look at some examples of how to retrieve only the date with SQL GetDate() function. These examples will include using SQL date functions such as CONVERT(), FORMAT(), and DATEPART(), among others.

Overview of SQL GetDate Function

The SQL GetDate function is a built-in function in Microsoft SQL Server that returns the current system timestamp in datetime format. It is often used in database programming to record the time and date of a certain event, such as the creation or modification of a record in a table.

The GetDate function can also be used to retrieve only the date portion of the timestamp, which is useful when filtering or sorting data by date. To extract only the date from the timestamp, you can use the CAST or CONVERT function to convert the datetime value to a date data type or use the DATEPART function to extract the year, month, and day values separately.

Here are some examples of how to use the SQL GetDate function to retrieve only the date:

• Using CAST function:
  SELECT CAST(GETDATE() AS DATE) AS Date_only
  This query will return the date portion of the current system timestamp in 'YYYY-MM-DD' format.

• Using CONVERT function:
  SELECT CONVERT(DATE, GETDATE()) AS Date_only
  This query returns the same result as the previous example but with a different syntax.

• Using DATEPART function:
  SELECT DATEPART(YEAR, GETDATE()) AS Year, DATEPART(MONTH, GETDATE()) AS Month, DATEPART(DAY, GETDATE()) AS Day
  This query extracts the year, month, and day values separately and returns them as individual columns in the result set.

By using the SQL GetDate function with date conversion or extraction functions, you can easily retrieve and manipulate date values in your SQL queries and applications.

Retrieving Only the Date with SQL GetDate Function

To retrieve only the date with the SQL GetDate function, you can use the CONVERT function. The CONVERT function allows you to convert a value from one data type to another. In this case, we will use the CONVERT function to extract only the date portion of the GetDate function.

Here are two examples of how to use the CONVERT function to retrieve only the date with the SQL GetDate function:

Example 1:

SELECT CONVERT(date, GETDATE())

This will return the current date in the format of ‘YYYY-MM-DD’. The CONVERT function converts the result of the GETDATE function to the date data type.

Example 2:

SELECT CONVERT(varchar, GETDATE(), 101)

This will also return the current date, but in a different format. The CONVERT function converts the result of the GETDATE function to the varchar data type, but the 101 argument specifies that the date should be formatted as ‘mm/dd/yyyy’.

In both examples, the SQL GetDate function is used to retrieve the current date and time. By using the CONVERT function, we can extract only the date portion of the GetDate function for use in our SQL query.

Code Example 1: Using CONVERT Function

One way to retrieve only the date with the SQL GetDate function is by using the CONVERT function. This method allows you to convert the current date and time into a specific date format and returns only the date portion.

Here is an example of how to use the CONVERT function to retrieve only the date:

SELECT CONVERT(date, GETDATE());

The output of this query will be the current date in the format of "YYYY-MM-DD".

You can also customize the date format by specifying the desired format code in the CONVERT function. For example, the following query will return the date in the format of "DD/MM/YYYY":

SELECT CONVERT(varchar(10), GETDATE(), 103);

In this case, the "103" code specifies the date format as dd/mm/yyyy.

Using the CONVERT function is a simple way to retrieve only the date with the SQL GetDate function. Experiment with different date formats to suit your needs.

Code Example 2: Using CAST Function

Another way to retrieve only the date with the SQL GetDate function is by using the CAST function. The CAST function is used to convert an expression to a specified data type.

Here's an example of how to use the CAST function to retrieve only the date from the GetDate function:

SELECT CAST(GETDATE() AS DATE) AS DateOnly

This code retrieves the current date and time using the GetDate function and then casts it as a date only using the CAST function. The "AS DateOnly" part of the code is used to provide a heading for the output column.

Output:

DateOnly
----------
2022-05-31

Note that when using the CAST function, the output format of the date may differ depending on the database system being used. Some systems may display the date as "mm/dd/yyyy" while others may display it as "yyyy-mm-dd".

Using the CAST function is an effective way to retrieve only the date using the GetDate function. It also provides flexibility in terms of how the date is displayed, making it a great option for those who need to customize their output format.

Code Example 3: Using Date Functions

In this example, we will explore how to use various date functions to retrieve only the date portion of the GetDate function in SQL. There are several date functions that we can use, including CONVERT, CAST, and DATEPART. Let's take a look at each of these in more detail.

1. Using CONVERT

One way to retrieve the date portion of GetDate is to use the CONVERT function. In this example, we will convert the GetDate function to a DATE data type:

SELECT CONVERT(DATE, GETDATE()) AS DateOnly;

This will return the date portion of GetDate, without the time component.

2. Using CAST

Another way to retrieve the date portion of GetDate is to use the CAST function. In this example, we will cast the GetDate function to a DATE data type:

SELECT CAST(GETDATE() AS DATE) AS DateOnly;

This will also return the date portion of GetDate, without the time component.

3. Using DATEPART

Finally, we can use the DATEPART function to retrieve specific parts of the date. In this example, we will use DATEPART to retrieve the year, month, and day from GetDate:

SELECT DATEPART(YEAR, GETDATE()) AS Year,
       DATEPART(MONTH, GETDATE()) AS Month,
       DATEPART(DAY, GETDATE()) AS Day;

This will return the year, month, and day of the current date.

By using these date functions, we can retrieve only the date portion of GetDate and perform various operations on it in SQL.

Conclusion

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In , SQL GetDate function is a very useful tool in retrieving the current date and time, but sometimes we only need the date. With different methods shown in this article, we can easily retrieve only the date with SQL GetDate function.

Using the built-in “CONVERT” function, we can easily convert the date and time format to various formats that best suit our needs. The “CAST” function can also be used to convert data types, but it is advised to use the CONVERT function instead.

Moreover, we can use “DAY” and “MONTH” functions to retrieve the day and month from the date, respectively. We can also use “DATEPART” to retrieve any part of the SQL GetDate function output.

All in all, by retrieving only the date with SQL GetDate function, we can focus on the relevant information in our data analysis and decision-making processes.