converting Epoch timestamp to sql server(human readable format)

Question

I have a problem in converting the Unix timestamp to sql server timestamp.

I have a data in excel sheet and I will import that data through a tool. So I am looking for a code or syntax which can convert that Epoch timestamp to sql server timestamp.

I have 3 different columns with the same format. How can I change the values in those columns.

For Example:

• Epoch timestamp ---1291388960
• sql server timestamp--- 2010-12-03 15:09:20.000

Answer 1

I have 3 different columns with the same format. How can I change the values in those columns.

To update 3 columns in a table, you can pair DATEADD seconds to the epoch (1 Jan 1970) with the column name, i.e.

update tbl set     datetimecol1 = dateadd(s, epochcol1, '19700101'),     datetimecol2 = dateadd(s, epochcol2, '19700101'),     datetimecol3 = dateadd(s, epochcol3, '19700101') 

You can't update in place since a bigint column cannot also be a datetime column. You have to update them into 3 other columns.

Answer 2

Use the DATEADD function:

SELECT DATEADD(ss, 1291388960, '19700101') 

...specifying a date of January 1st, 1970. In this example, it was provided in the YYYYMMDD format.

DATEADD will return a DATETIME data type, so if you have a table & column established -- you can use the function to INSERT/UPDATE depending on your needs. Provide details, and I'll clarify. Once you have a DATETIME to work with, you can use CAST or CONVERT to format the date in TSQL.