What is the difference between DATETIME and TIMESTAMP?

DATETIME stores date and time without timezone, while TIMESTAMP often includes timezone info and can auto-update on changes.

Can I store just a time without a date in SQL?

Yes, the TIME data type stores only the time of day without any date component.

Is INTERVAL supported in all SQL databases?

No, INTERVAL support varies by SQL dialect; some databases use functions instead for date/time arithmetic.

Topic 3130 min readStructured Tutorial

SQL Date and Time Data Types

Quick Answer

SQL provides specialized data types to store date and time values accurately, such as DATE for dates, TIME for times, DATETIME and TIMESTAMP for combined date and time, and INTERVAL for durations. Understanding these types helps manage temporal data effectively in databases.

Learning Objectives

Identify and describe the main SQL date and time data types.
Understand how to store and manipulate date and time values in SQL.
Learn best practices for using date and time types in database design.

Introduction

Handling dates and times is essential in many database applications.

SQL provides specialized data types to store and manipulate temporal data efficiently.

Time is what keeps everything from happening at once. – Ray Cummings

Course Progress0%

Was this topic helpful?

Your feedback helps us improve this lesson.

Topic information

Author

RPATechnology Team

Last Updated

June 2026

Suggested learning path

Related Courses

Continue learning with related technologies and tracks.

Programming LanguagesBeginner FriendlyCareer Focused

C# Programming Course for Beginners to Advanced | Learn C# and .NET

Master C# programming with a complete beginner-to-advanced course covering OOP, collections, LINQ, async programming, Entity Framework Core, ASP.NET Core, Web APIs, design patterns, and real-world projects.

Structured lessons

View Course

Learning Objectives

Introduction

Was this topic helpful?

Topic information

Recommended Next Topics

Boolean Data Types

Binary Data Types

Choosing Correct Data Types

Data Type Conversion

Related Topics

Related Courses

C# Programming Course for Beginners to Advanced | Learn C# and .NET

Overview of SQL Date and Time Data Types

The DATE Data Type

Example of DATE Usage

The TIME Data Type

Example of TIME Usage

DATETIME and TIMESTAMP Data Types

Example of DATETIME and TIMESTAMP Usage

The INTERVAL Data Type

Example of INTERVAL Usage

Practical Example

Examples

Best Practices

Common Mistakes

Hands-on Exercise

Create a Table with Date and Time Columns

Calculate Future Dates

Interview Questions

What is the difference between DATE and DATETIME in SQL?

When would you use a TIMESTAMP data type?

How does the INTERVAL type help in SQL?

MCQ Quiz

1. Which SQL data type is best suited for storing only the date without any time information?

2. What is the typical format used by the TIME data type in SQL?

3. How does the TIMESTAMP data type differ from DATETIME in many SQL implementations?

4. Which SQL data type would you use to represent a duration of 3 days to add to a date value?

5. Consider the SQL statement: CREATE TABLE shifts (start_time TIME); INSERT INTO shifts (start_time) VALUES ('09:30:00'); What does the 'start_time' column store?

Key Takeaways

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between DATETIME and TIMESTAMP?

Can I store just a time without a date in SQL?

Is INTERVAL supported in all SQL databases?

Summary

Best Practices

CREATE Statement

Java Programming Course for Developers and Interview Success | RPATechnology.in

Complete JavaScript Tutorial for Beginners to Advanced | JavaScript Programming Course

Complete MongoDB Tutorial for Beginners to Advanced | MongoDB Course

Complete MySQL Tutorial for Beginners to Advanced | MySQL Database Course

Complete Python Tutorial for Beginners to Advanced | Python Programming Course