DATEDIFF Statement help!

  • Hi,

    I'm trying to use a DATEDIFF statement so I only see data from the last 7 days

    How would I write that if I don't have a time stamp in a table to reference?

    If I could reference something I know I could do

    Where DATEDIFF (dd, example.tabletime, getdate ()) < 7

    I need to do it without referencing a value in a table and not sure how

  • If you haven't got a timestamp date/time column in your table, how can you tell if something is more than 7 days old?

    Does your table have an assocoation with any other tables containing dates?

    “Write the query the simplest way. If through testing it becomes clear that the performance is inadequate, consider alternative query forms.” - Gail Shaw

    For fast, accurate and documented assistance in answering your questions, please read this article.
    Understanding and using APPLY, (I) and (II) Paul White
    Hidden RBAR: Triangular Joins / The "Numbers" or "Tally" Table: What it is and how it replaces a loop Jeff Moden

  • I am using the Date from the getdate and used below where clause to find out the last 7 days data

    DECLARE @dt Date

    SET @dt = GETDATE()

    where searchdate Between @dt-7 and @dt

    Regards,
    Mitesh OSwal
    +918698619998

  • Thanks for the reply

    I modified my query but it returns an error

    Delcare @dt date

    Set @dt = GETDATE()

    select distinct v1.name 'Machine Name', v1. 'Username', t1.displayname 'Unlicensed Application', t1.installdate 'Install Date'

    from Inv_AddRemoveProgram t1

    left outer join vcomputer v1

    on t1._resourceguid = v1.guid

    where searchdate between @dt-7 and @dt

    ERROR: Must declare the scalar variable "@dt"

  • joey6401c (1/6/2014)


    Thanks for the reply

    I modified my query but it returns an error

    Delcare @dt date

    Set @dt = GETDATE()

    select distinct v1.name 'Machine Name', v1. 'Username', t1.displayname 'Unlicensed Application', t1.installdate 'Install Date'

    from Inv_AddRemoveProgram t1

    left outer join vcomputer v1

    on t1._resourceguid = v1.guid

    where searchdate between @dt-7 and @dt

    ERROR: Must declare the scalar variable "@dt"

    DECLARE @dt date

    “Write the query the simplest way. If through testing it becomes clear that the performance is inadequate, consider alternative query forms.” - Gail Shaw

    For fast, accurate and documented assistance in answering your questions, please read this article.
    Understanding and using APPLY, (I) and (II) Paul White
    Hidden RBAR: Triangular Joins / The "Numbers" or "Tally" Table: What it is and how it replaces a loop Jeff Moden

  • joey6401c (1/6/2014)


    Thanks for the reply

    I modified my query but it returns an error

    Delcare @dt date

    Set @dt = GETDATE()

    select distinct v1.name 'Machine Name', v1. 'Username', t1.displayname 'Unlicensed Application', t1.installdate 'Install Date'

    from Inv_AddRemoveProgram t1

    left outer join vcomputer v1

    on t1._resourceguid = v1.guid

    where searchdate between @dt-7 and @dt

    ERROR: Must declare the scalar variable "@dt"

    Is SearchDate a column in your table? If not, that won't work.

    Don't just copy code from someone else without understanding what it does (or in this case doesn't) do. What Mitesh posted was an example of how you filter a resultset based on a column in your table.

    Gail Shaw
    Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
    SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability

    We walk in the dark places no others will enter
    We stand on the bridge and no one may pass
  • ChrisM@Work (1/6/2014)


    If you haven't got a timestamp date/time column in your table, how can you tell if something is more than 7 days old?

    Does your table have an assocoation with any other tables containing dates?

    That probably means that you're using SQL Server 2005 or the database is in the 2005 compatability mode because the DATE datatype isn't available there. You should have also gotten an error that DATE isn't a valid datatype, in this case.

    --Jeff Moden


    RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
    First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
    ________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.
    "Change is inevitable... change for the better is not".

    Helpful Links:
    How to post code problems
    How to Post Performance Problems
    Create a Tally Function (fnTally)
    Intro to Tally Tables and Functions

  • I didn't know if searchdate was a statement I could use

    I wrote in my original post that I need to write it without referencing a timestamp in a table

    I know I could do it somehow with getdate() just not sure how to write it correctly

    I want to basically say where DATEDIFF < GETDATE()-7

    This doesn't work but I was thinking something along these lines

  • You can calculate the date that is 7 days before today, but that won't help you limit your query results because you don't have a date field to compare it against. To limit the rows returned based on date, you need to know when each row was created. Without a date column in the table, I see now way to return the most recent n days worth of rows.

  • Thanks for your help. I ended up writing it a different way without using dates because I realized that specifying dates wouldn't help with what I was trying to do anyway. I basically wrote it excluding what already exists and once a week after it runs and I get my results I'm going to add the output as additional exclusions. Unfortunately it will require minimal weekly maintenance but that's ok.

    Thanks again!

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