CURRENT_DATE and CURRENT_TIMESTAMP in SQL - Step-by-Step Execution

Concept Flow - CURRENT_DATE and CURRENT_TIMESTAMP

Start Query

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Evaluate CURRENT_DATE

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Return current date only

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Evaluate CURRENT_TIMESTAMP

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Return current date and time

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Display results

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End Query

The query first gets the current date, then the current date and time, and finally shows both results.

Execution Sample

SQL

SELECT CURRENT_DATE AS today, CURRENT_TIMESTAMP AS now;

This query returns the current date and the current date with time.

Execution Table

Step	Action	Evaluation	Result
1	Start query execution	N/A	Query begins
2	Evaluate CURRENT_DATE	Gets current date only	2024-06-15
3	Evaluate CURRENT_TIMESTAMP	Gets current date and time	2024-06-15 14:23:45
4	Return results	Show both values in output	today=2024-06-15, now=2024-06-15 14:23:45
5	End query	All values returned	Query complete

💡 Query ends after returning current date and timestamp values

Variable Tracker

Variable	Start	After Evaluation	Final
today	NULL	2024-06-15	2024-06-15
now	NULL	2024-06-15 14:23:45	2024-06-15 14:23:45

Key Moments - 2 Insights

Why does CURRENT_DATE return only the date without time?

CURRENT_DATE is designed to return only the date part, as shown in execution_table step 2, so the time is not included.

Why does CURRENT_TIMESTAMP include both date and time?

CURRENT_TIMESTAMP returns the full date and time, as seen in execution_table step 3, because it captures the exact moment the query runs.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution_table, what value does 'today' have after evaluation?

A 2024-06-15

B 2024-06-15 14:23:45

C NULL

D 2024-01-01

💡 Hint

Check the 'today' variable value in variable_tracker after evaluation

At which step does the query get the current date and time?

A Step 2

B Step 3

C Step 4

D Step 5

💡 Hint

Look at execution_table step descriptions for CURRENT_TIMESTAMP evaluation

If you only want the date without time, which function should you use?

A CURRENT_TIMESTAMP

B NOW()

C CURRENT_DATE

D GETDATE()

💡 Hint

Refer to key_moments about which function returns date only

Concept Snapshot

CURRENT_DATE returns the current date only (YYYY-MM-DD).
CURRENT_TIMESTAMP returns current date and time (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS).
Use CURRENT_DATE when time is not needed.
Use CURRENT_TIMESTAMP to get exact current time.
Both are evaluated at query run time.

Full Transcript

This visual execution trace shows how SQL functions CURRENT_DATE and CURRENT_TIMESTAMP work. The query starts and first evaluates CURRENT_DATE, which returns only the date part like 2024-06-15. Then it evaluates CURRENT_TIMESTAMP, which returns the full date and time like 2024-06-15 14:23:45. Both values are returned as query output. The variable tracker shows how 'today' and 'now' variables get their values step by step. Key moments clarify that CURRENT_DATE excludes time, while CURRENT_TIMESTAMP includes it. The quiz questions help reinforce understanding by asking about values at specific steps and correct function usage. This helps beginners see exactly how these functions behave during query execution.