CURRENT_DATE and CURRENT_TIMESTAMP in SQL - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to select the current date.

SQL

SELECT [1];

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

ACURRENT_DATE

BNOW()

CGETDATE()

DTODAY

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using NOW() which returns date and time instead of just date.

Using GETDATE() which is specific to some SQL dialects.

Using TODAY which is not a valid SQL function.

The CURRENT_DATE keyword returns the current date in SQL.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to select the current date and time.

SQL

SELECT [1];

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

ACURRENT_DATE

BDATE()

CCURDATE()

DCURRENT_TIMESTAMP

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using CURRENT_DATE which returns only the date.

Using CURDATE() which is MySQL specific and returns only the date.

Using DATE() which extracts date from a datetime but is not a function to get current timestamp.

The CURRENT_TIMESTAMP keyword returns the current date and time in SQL.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the code to get the current timestamp.

SQL

SELECT [1] FROM dual;

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

ACURRENT_DATE

BNOW()

CCURRENT_TIMESTAMP

DGETDATE()

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using NOW without parentheses which causes syntax error.

Using GETDATE() which is SQL Server specific and may not work in all SQL dialects.

Using CURRENT_DATE which returns only the date.

In standard SQL, CURRENT_TIMESTAMP returns the current date and time. The dual table is used in some databases like Oracle.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to select the current date and current timestamp in one query.

SQL

SELECT [1] AS today, [2] AS now;

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

ACURRENT_DATE

BCURRENT_TIMESTAMP

CNOW()

DGETDATE()

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using NOW() for the date which returns date and time.

Using GETDATE() which is not standard SQL.

Mixing functions from different SQL dialects.

CURRENT_DATE returns the current date, and CURRENT_TIMESTAMP returns the current date and time.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a table showing current date, current timestamp, and the difference in days between them (should be zero).

SQL

SELECT [1] AS current_date, [2] AS current_timestamp, DATEDIFF(day, [1], [2]) AS diff_days;

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

ACURRENT_DATE

BCURRENT_TIMESTAMP

CNOW()

DGETDATE()

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using NOW() or GETDATE() inconsistently causing errors.

Mixing date and timestamp functions from different SQL dialects.

Incorrect order of arguments in DATEDIFF.

CURRENT_DATE and CURRENT_TIMESTAMP are used to get the date and timestamp. The Datediff function calculates the difference in days between them, which should be zero since they represent the same day.

Practice

1. What does the SQL function CURRENT_DATE return?

easy

A. The current date without the time part

B. The current time without the date part

C. The current date and time together

D. The date and time of the last database update

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the function purpose

   CURRENT_DATE is designed to return only the date part of the current moment.

2. Step 2: Compare with other functions

   CURRENT_TIMESTAMP returns date and time, but CURRENT_DATE excludes time.

3. Final Answer:

   The current date without the time part -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   CURRENT_DATE = date only [OK]

Hint: CURRENT_DATE returns only date, no time included [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing CURRENT_DATE with CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
• Expecting time part in CURRENT_DATE
• Thinking CURRENT_DATE returns last update time

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to get the current date and time in SQL?

easy

A. SELECT CURRENT_DATE();

B. SELECT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP;

C. SELECT NOW();

D. SELECT CURRENT_TIME;

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify correct function syntax

   CURRENT_TIMESTAMP is a standard SQL function and does not require parentheses.

2. Step 2: Check other options

   CURRENT_DATE() is invalid syntax because CURRENT_DATE does not use parentheses; NOW() is valid in some databases but not standard SQL; CURRENT_TIME returns only time.

3. Final Answer:

   SELECT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP; -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   CURRENT_TIMESTAMP syntax correct without parentheses [OK]

Hint: CURRENT_TIMESTAMP has no parentheses in standard SQL [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Adding parentheses to CURRENT_DATE or CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
• Using NOW() assuming it's standard SQL
• Confusing CURRENT_TIME with date and time

3. Given the SQL query:

SELECT CURRENT_DATE, CURRENT_TIMESTAMP FROM dual;

What will be the output format of CURRENT_TIMESTAMP?

medium

A. Only the date in YYYY-MM-DD format

B. A Unix timestamp number

C. Only the time in HH:MM:SS format

D. Date and time in YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS format

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand CURRENT_TIMESTAMP output

   CURRENT_TIMESTAMP returns both date and time, typically in the format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS.

2. Step 2: Compare with other options

   CURRENT_DATE returns only date; time-only or Unix timestamp are not returned by CURRENT_TIMESTAMP.

3. Final Answer:

   Date and time in YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS format -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   CURRENT_TIMESTAMP = date + time [OK]

Hint: CURRENT_TIMESTAMP always includes date and time [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting only date from CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
• Thinking CURRENT_TIMESTAMP returns Unix timestamp
• Confusing CURRENT_TIMESTAMP with CURRENT_TIME

4. You wrote this SQL query:

SELECT CURRENT_DATE(), CURRENT_TIMESTAMP() FROM users;

But it gives an error. What is the problem?

medium

A. CURRENT_DATE and CURRENT_TIMESTAMP should not have parentheses

B. The table name 'users' is missing quotes

C. CURRENT_DATE and CURRENT_TIMESTAMP are not valid SQL functions

D. You must use NOW() instead of CURRENT_TIMESTAMP

Solution

1. Step 1: Check function syntax

   In standard SQL, CURRENT_DATE and CURRENT_TIMESTAMP are special functions without parentheses.

2. Step 2: Validate other parts

   The table name 'users' does not require quotes; both functions are valid; NOW() is optional but not required.

3. Final Answer:

   CURRENT_DATE and CURRENT_TIMESTAMP should not have parentheses -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   No parentheses with CURRENT_DATE/TIMESTAMP [OK]

Hint: Remove parentheses from CURRENT_DATE and CURRENT_TIMESTAMP [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Adding parentheses to CURRENT_DATE or CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
• Thinking table names need quotes
• Replacing CURRENT_TIMESTAMP with NOW() unnecessarily

5. You want to insert a new record into a table events with a column created_at that stores the exact date and time of insertion. Which SQL statement correctly uses CURRENT_TIMESTAMP for this purpose?

hard

A. INSERT INTO events (name, created_at) VALUES ('Launch', CURRENT_DATE);

B. INSERT INTO events (name, created_at) VALUES ('Launch', CURRENT_TIME);

C. INSERT INTO events (name, created_at) VALUES ('Launch', CURRENT_TIMESTAMP);

D. INSERT INTO events (name, created_at) VALUES ('Launch', NOW());

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify correct timestamp function

   CURRENT_TIMESTAMP returns the full date and time, perfect for recording insertion time.

2. Step 2: Compare other options

   CURRENT_DATE lacks time; NOW() may work but is not standard SQL; CURRENT_TIME returns only time, missing date.

3. Final Answer:

   INSERT INTO events (name, created_at) VALUES ('Launch', CURRENT_TIMESTAMP); -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Use CURRENT_TIMESTAMP for full date and time [OK]

Hint: Use CURRENT_TIMESTAMP to store date and time on insert [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using CURRENT_DATE instead of CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
• Using CURRENT_TIME missing the date part
• Assuming NOW() is always standard SQL