How to Change DateTime Formats in SQL

Changing Datetime Formats in SQL

Do you need to change the format of a datetime value in your database? If so, you're in luck! SQL provides a few different ways to do this, depending on your needs.

The Solution

The solution is to use the DATE_FORMAT function. This function takes two arguments: the datetime value you want to format, and the format you want to use. For example, if you wanted to format a datetime value as YYYY-MM-DD, you would use the following query:

SELECT DATE_FORMAT(datetime_value, '%Y-%m-%d') FROM table_name;

Examples

Let's look at a few examples of how this function can be used. Suppose you have a table called events with the following data:

name      date
----------------
Party     2020-04-01
BBQ       2020-05-15

If you wanted to format the date column as MM/DD/YYYY, you would use the following query:

SELECT DATE_FORMAT(date, '%m/%d/%Y') FROM events;

This query would return the result 04/01/2020 and 05/15/2020, respectively.

Additional Info

The DATE_FORMAT function is supported by most major databases, including MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQL Server. However, the syntax may vary slightly depending on the database you are using. For more information, check out the documentation for your particular database. 🤓