SQL Date Functions

Date functions are used to retrieve and manipulate date and time values stored in a database. They help generate reports, filter records based on dates, and extract specific parts such as the year, month, or day from a date.

According to the CBSE Class 12 Informatics Practices syllabus, the following SQL date functions are included:

• NOW()
• DATE()
• MONTH()
• MONTHNAME()
• YEAR()
• DAY()
• DAYNAME()

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Sample Table

EmpID	Name	JoiningDate
101	Amit	2023-05-12
102	Neha	2022-11-20
103	Rohan	2024-01-08

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1. NOW()

Syntax

NOW()

Example

SELECT NOW();

Sample Output

2026-07-24 10:30:45

Note: The output depends on the current system date and time.

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2. DATE()

Syntax

DATE(date_expression)

Example

SELECT DATE(NOW());

Sample Output

2026-07-24

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3. MONTH()

Syntax

MONTH(date)

Example

SELECT MONTH('2026-07-24');

Output

7

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Using MONTH() with a Table

SELECT Name,
       MONTH(JoiningDate)
FROM Employee;

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4. MONTHNAME()

Syntax

MONTHNAME(date)

Example

SELECT MONTHNAME('2026-07-24');

Output

July

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5. YEAR()

Syntax

YEAR(date)

Example

SELECT YEAR('2026-07-24');

Output

2026

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6. DAY()

Syntax

DAY(date)

Example

SELECT DAY('2026-07-24');

Output

24

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7. DAYNAME()

Syntax

DAYNAME(date)

Example

SELECT DAYNAME('2026-07-24');

Output

Friday

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Using Date Functions with a Table

Display Joining Year

SELECT Name,
       YEAR(JoiningDate)
FROM Employee;

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Display Joining Month Name

SELECT Name,
       MONTHNAME(JoiningDate)
FROM Employee;

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Display Joining Day

SELECT Name,
       DAY(JoiningDate)
FROM Employee;

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Display Day Name

SELECT Name,
       DAYNAME(JoiningDate)
FROM Employee;

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Comparison of Date Functions

Function	Purpose	Example
NOW()	Current date and time	NOW()
DATE()	Extract date	DATE(NOW())
MONTH()	Month number	MONTH('2026-07-24')
MONTHNAME()	Month name	MONTHNAME('2026-07-24')
YEAR()	Year	YEAR('2026-07-24')
DAY()	Day of month	DAY('2026-07-24')
DAYNAME()	Weekday name	DAYNAME('2026-07-24')

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Real-Life Applications

Function	Application
NOW()	Display current login time.
DATE()	Store only the date portion.
MONTH()	Generate monthly reports.
MONTHNAME()	Display readable month names.
YEAR()	Filter yearly records.
DAY()	Track daily transactions.
DAYNAME()	Find weekday-wise reports.

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Common Errors

Error	Reason
Incorrect Date Format	Date not written in YYYY-MM-DD format.
Unknown Column	Incorrect column name.
Syntax Error	Missing brackets or quotes.

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Quick Revision

Function	Returns
NOW()	Current date & time
DATE()	Date only
MONTH()	Month number
MONTHNAME()	Month name
YEAR()	Year
DAY()	Day of month
DAYNAME()	Weekday name

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CBSE Exam Tips

• NOW() returns both the current date and time.
• DATE() extracts only the date portion.
• MONTH() returns a numeric month (1–12).
• MONTHNAME() returns the full month name.
• DAY() returns the day of the month, while DAYNAME() returns the weekday name.
• Always write date literals in the YYYY-MM-DD format.

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Summary

SQL Date Functions help retrieve and manipulate date and time values stored in databases. Functions such as NOW(), DATE(), MONTH(), MONTHNAME(), YEAR(), DAY(), and DAYNAME() are widely used in reporting, filtering, and analyzing date-based information. These functions are important for both the CBSE Class 12 Informatics Practices theory and practical examinations.