CODEWITHSUNDEEP
sql-servert-sql
katit
katit

Reputation: 17905

What I can convert TimeStamp into?

I have a column of type timestamp which updates every time record updated.

We have some specific logic for syncronizing data and I'd like to store timestamp's value in other table so I can compare to source later. Can't make new column of type timestamp as it's auto-updated.

Which SQL type should I use in TableB for maximum performance and quicker CASTs on comparisons?

Upvotes: 0

Views: 100

Answers (2)

Gottfried Lesigang
Gottfried Lesigang

Reputation: 67291

Taken from the docs

timestamp is the synonym for the rowversion data type and is subject to the behavior of data type synonyms. In DDL statements, use rowversion instead of timestamp wherever possible. For more information, see Data Type Synonyms (Transact-SQL).

and

The timestamp syntax is deprecated.

and

Is a data type that exposes automatically generated, unique binary numbers within a database. rowversion is generally used as a mechanism for version-stamping table rows. The storage size is 8 bytes.

So putting this together: Think of TIMESTAMP (which should be ROWVERSION) as a meaningless 8-byte binary. If you really want to do something with it, you can store it as 8-byte binary or you can convert it to a type with a length of 8 bytes. In this case I'd suggest BIGINT.

Upvotes: 1

arce.est
arce.est

Reputation: 379

First, understand that timestamp is NOT a value of type date and time, but rather a unique identifier based on this type of data.

I suggest you review the documentation Date and Time Data Types and Functions (Transact-SQL) and choose the type of data that best suits your needs. This could be DATETIME2, DATETIMEOFFSET, DATETIME

Upvotes: 0

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