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Converting to datetime a char field with several possible date formats

  • February 12, 2013 at 11:52 pm

    #289440

    Comments posted to this topic are about the item Converting to datetime a char field with several possible date formats

  • April 14, 2013 at 4:49 pm

    #1606332

    Thanks for sharing your code but it just doesn't need to be so complex a thing. SQL Server will handle all sorts of date formats without any help. The only time it really runs into a problem is where you have DMY and MDY formats in the same column so it wouldn't be able to figure out if 3/7/2005 is in March or July in a mixed column... just like your code won't be able to.

    For code that follows one standard (eithe DMY or MDY) in a given column. No special processing for format is needed. For example:

    SET DATEFORMAT DMY

    SELECT SomeStringDate

    , ConvertedToDateTime = CAST(d.SomeStringDate AS DATETIME)

    FROM (

    SELECT '15-03-05' UNION ALL

    SELECT '15/03/08' UNION ALL

    SELECT '15/03/2005' UNION ALL

    SELECT '15.03.2005' UNION ALL

    SELECT 'March 15 2005' UNION ALL

    SELECT 'Mar 15 2005' UNION ALL

    SELECT '15 March 2005' UNION ALL

    SELECT '15 Mar 2005' UNION ALL

    SELECT '20050315'

    ) d (SomeStringDate)

    ;

    --Jeff Moden

    RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
    First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
    ________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

    Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

    Helpful Links:
    How to post code problems
    How to Post Performance Problems
    Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

  • April 15, 2013 at 1:34 am

    #1606366

    Thanks a lot, I did not know about SET DATEFORMAT

  • April 15, 2013 at 4:18 pm

    #1606649

    Glad to help. Thank you for the feedback.

    --Jeff Moden

    RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
    First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
    ________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

    Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.

    Helpful Links:
    How to post code problems
    How to Post Performance Problems
    Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

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