How Can I Retrieve Only the Date from a SQL Server DateTime Datatype?

Extracting Just the Date from a SQL Server DateTime Field

SQL Server's GETDATE() function returns the current date and time as a DateTime value. This includes both date and time elements. If you only need the date, several methods achieve this.

One efficient approach uses DATEADD() and DATEDIFF(). By setting the interval to 'day' (dd), you effectively truncate the time component, leaving only the date.

The following query demonstrates this:

<code class="language-sql">SELECT DATEADD(dd, 0, DATEDIFF(dd, 0, GETDATE()))</code>

Here's the breakdown:

• DATEDIFF(dd, 0, GETDATE()): This calculates the number of days between the current date and a base date (0). This isolates the date portion.
• DATEADD(dd, 0, <result of DATEDIFF()>): This adds zero days to the result, maintaining the date while discarding the time component.

The output will be:

<code>2008-09-22 00:00:00.000</code>

This method is precise and avoids potential locale-specific issues that can arise from converting between varchar and datetime.

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