How to calculate the local datetime from a utc datetime in tsql (sql 2005)?

Question

i want to loop over a period of time in tsql, and print the utc datetimes and our local variant. We live in UTC +1, so i could easily add 1 hour, but in the summertime we live in UTC +2.

In C# i can create a datetime and use a method to ask for the UTC variant and vice versa.

Till now i have this:

declare @counter int
declare @localdate datetime
declare @utcdate datetime
 set @counter = 0
 while @counter < 100
 begin
   set @counter = @counter + 1
   print 'The counter is ' + cast(@counter as char)
  set @utcdate  = DATEADD(day,@counter,GETUTCDATE())
  --set @localdate = ????

  print  @localdate  
  print @utcdate
 end

Answer 1

I've been waiting for 5 years for a more elegant solution but since one has not emerged, I'll post what I've been using thus far...

CREATE FUNCTION [dbo].[UDTToLocalTime](@UDT AS DATETIME)  
RETURNS DATETIME
AS
BEGIN 
--====================================================
--Set the Timezone Offset (NOT During DST [Daylight Saving Time])
--====================================================
DECLARE @Offset AS SMALLINT
SET @Offset = -5

--====================================================
--Figure out the Offset Datetime
--====================================================
DECLARE @LocalDate AS DATETIME
SET @LocalDate = DATEADD(hh, @Offset, @UDT)

--====================================================
--Figure out the DST Offset for the UDT Datetime
--====================================================
DECLARE @DaylightSavingOffset AS SMALLINT
DECLARE @Year as SMALLINT
DECLARE @DSTStartDate AS DATETIME
DECLARE @DSTEndDate AS DATETIME
--Get Year
SET @Year = YEAR(@LocalDate)

--Get First Possible DST StartDay
IF (@Year > 2006) SET @DSTStartDate = CAST(@Year AS CHAR(4)) + '-03-08 02:00:00'
ELSE              SET @DSTStartDate = CAST(@Year AS CHAR(4)) + '-04-01 02:00:00'
--Get DST StartDate 
WHILE (DATENAME(dw, @DSTStartDate) <> 'sunday') SET @DSTStartDate = DATEADD(day, 1,@DSTStartDate)


--Get First Possible DST EndDate
IF (@Year > 2006) SET @DSTEndDate = CAST(@Year AS CHAR(4)) + '-11-01 02:00:00'
ELSE              SET @DSTEndDate = CAST(@Year AS CHAR(4)) + '-10-25 02:00:00'
--Get DST EndDate 
WHILE (DATENAME(dw, @DSTEndDate) <> 'sunday') SET @DSTEndDate = DATEADD(day,1,@DSTEndDate)

--Get DaylightSavingOffset
SET @DaylightSavingOffset = CASE WHEN @LocalDate BETWEEN @DSTStartDate AND @DSTEndDate THEN 1 ELSE 0 END

--====================================================
--Finally add the DST Offset 
--====================================================
RETURN DATEADD(hh, @DaylightSavingOffset, @LocalDate)
END



GO

Notes:

This is for North American servers that observer Daylight Saving Time. Please change the variable @Offest to the Timezone offset of the server running the SQL function (While NOT Observing the Daylight Savings time)...

--====================================================
--Set the Timezone Offset (NOT During DST [Daylight Saving Time])
--====================================================
DECLARE @Offset AS SMALLINT
SET @Offset = -5

As the DST rules change update them here...

--Get First Possible DST StartDay
IF (@Year > 2006) SET @DSTStartDate = CAST(@Year AS CHAR(4)) + '-03-08 02:00:00'
ELSE              SET @DSTStartDate = CAST(@Year AS CHAR(4)) + '-04-01 02:00:00'
--Get DST StartDate 
WHILE (DATENAME(dw, @DSTStartDate) <> 'sunday') SET @DSTStartDate = DATEADD(day, 1,@DSTStartDate)


--Get First Possible DST EndDate
IF (@Year > 2006) SET @DSTEndDate = CAST(@Year AS CHAR(4)) + '-11-01 02:00:00'
ELSE              SET @DSTEndDate = CAST(@Year AS CHAR(4)) + '-10-25 02:00:00'
--Get DST EndDate 
WHILE (DATENAME(dw, @DSTEndDate) <> 'sunday') SET @DSTEndDate = DATEADD(day,1,@DSTEndDate)

Cheers,