DateTime2 vs DateTime in SQL Server
datetime, datetime2, sql, sql-server, t-sql
Solution
The MSDN documentation for datetime recommends using datetime2. Here is their recommendation:
Use the `time`, `date`, `datetime2` and `datetimeoffset` data types for new work. These types align with the SQL Standard. They are more portable. `time`, `datetime2` and `datetimeoffset` provide more seconds precision. `datetimeoffset` provides time zone support for globally deployed applications.
datetime2 has larger date range, a larger default fractional precision, and optional user-specified precision. Also depending on the user-specified precision it may use less storage.
Problem
Which one: - `datetime` - `datetime2` is the recommended way to store date and time in SQL Server 2008+? I'm aware of differences in precision (and storage space probably), but ignoring those for now, is there a best practice document on when to use what, or maybe we should just use `datetime2` only?