One of the most commonly used data types in SQL Server is [datetime] which unfortunately has some vagaries around how values get casted. A typical method for defining a [datetime] literal is to write it as a character string and then cast it appropriately. The cast syntax looks something like this: DECLARE @dt ...

When working with time intervals, we often want to ask a couple of basic questions: Which time periods are not covered by our intervals? These are known as ''gaps''. What are the time ranges that we are fully covering? These are known as ''islands''. If you're unfamiliar with ''gaps'' and ''islands'' I highly recommend reading some ...

I am rising to Adam's challenge for his very first T-SQL Tuesday, and blogging about datetime issues. Since I just finished a 9-hour teaching day in Stockholm, and I'm incredibly jetlagged, I decided to keep this simple. I'm very much looking forward to what everyone else is going to say! For as long as I've been providing TSQL support, starting ...

But did it actually work yesterday? If the day is Friday, Noverber 13th, or the 13th day of any other month, and your query blows up for the first time, one place to search for is character strings converted to datetime values. The following script illustrates the ...

T-SQL Tuesday is the SQL Server blogosphere's first recurring, revolving blog party. The idea is simple: Each month a blog will host the party, and about a week before the second Tuesday of the month a theme will be posted. Any blogger that wishes to participate is invited to write a post on the chosen topic. The event is called ''T-SQL ...