How Can I Customize Date and Time Formatting in SQL Server?

Custom Date/Time Formatting in SQL Server

When working with dates and times in SQL Server, it's often necessary to convert them into specific formats for display or data manipulation. This article explores techniques for customizing date and time formatting in SQL Server to meet specific requirements.

Extracting Date and Time Components

A common task is extracting specific components from a datetime field, such as the day of the month or the time in hours and minutes. The DATENAME function can be used to retrieve named components, such as DAY, MONTH, HOUR, and MINUTE.

Example:

SELECT DATENAME(DAY, GETDATE()) + ' ' + UPPER(LEFT(DATENAME(MONTH, GETDATE()), 3)) AS DDMMM;
SELECT CONVERT(VARCHAR(5), GETDATE(), 108) AS HHMMT;

Custom String Formatting

For more complex formatting, string concatenation and replacement techniques can be employed. REPLACE can be used to replace specific characters or sequences with desired values.

Example:

To extract the day of the month as "12OCT", the following code can be used:

SELECT REPLACE(DATENAME(DAY, GETDATE()), ' ', '') + UPPER(SUBSTRING(DATENAME(MONTH, GETDATE()), 1, 3)) AS DDMMM;

Time of Day (A.M./P.M.)

To indicate the time of day (A.M. and P.M.), the case statement can be used:

SELECT
    CASE
        WHEN DATEPART(HOUR, GETDATE()) < 12 THEN 'A'
        ELSE 'P'
    END AS AM_PM;

Conclusion

Custom date/time formatting in SQL Server requires a combination of functions and string manipulation techniques. By understanding the available functions and the principles of string manipulation, developers can create flexible solutions to meet their formatting needs.

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