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This article refers to EQuIS Databases in Microsoft SQL Server.

 

Many tables in the EQuIS Database include columns that store date and time data. Microsoft SQL Server supports two data types for date and time data.

 

1.datetime2

2.smalldatetime

 

Data Types

 

•datetime2: 6 bytes per value stored, and has a range of 0001-01-01 to 9999-12-31, with precision of 1/100 of a second..

•smalldatetime: 4 bytes, January 1, 1900 through June 6, 2079, with accuracy to the minute, which provides greater efficiency.

 

By default, the EQuIS SQL Server Database uses smalldatetime, because it is more efficient and meets the needs of most uses. In some situations, additional levels of precision are needed. Any date or time field in EQuIS may be changed from smalldatetime to datetime2 to enable data storage with second-level precision.

 

Change Date and/or Time Data Types

 

1.Start SQL Server Management Studio.

2.Select the desired database.

3.Select New Query.

4.Paste the following script in the SQLQuery window, with the appropriate table name and column name.
 

alter table <table_name>

alter column <column_name> datetime2(2)

 

For example, see the script below for DT_SAMPLE.

 
alter table DT_SAMPLE

alter column SAMPLE_DATE datetime2(2)

 

5.Click Execute.

 

 

Troubleshooting

 

Attempting to modify the data type of a column that is part of an index or constraint may fail as follows:

 

ALTER TABLE ALTER COLUMN xxxxxx failed because one or more objects access this column.

 

Successfully applying such a modification requires the user to first remove the index and/or constraint, and then restore it after the column has been modified. For example, suppose the user wants to modify DT_TEST.ANALYSIS_DATE to be datetime2. If ANALYSIS_DATE is part of the TestAlternateKey, then drop the TestAlternateKey constraint and recreate it as follows:

 

 -- drop the existing TestAlernateKey

 if exists (select name from sysindexes where name = 'TestAlternateKey')

        alter table [dbo].[dt_test] drop constraint TestAlternateKey

 go

 

 -- change analysis_date to datetime2

 alter table [dbo].[dt_test] alter column analysis_date datetime2(2) null

 go

 

 -- restore TestAlternateKey

 -- NOTE:  comment any fields that are not included in your TestAlternateKey

 alter table [dbo].[dt_test] add  constraint TestAlternateKey unique nonclustered

 (

  [facility_id]

 ,[sample_id]

 ,[analytic_method]

 ,[analysis_date]

 ,[test_type]

 ,[fraction]

 

 

 ,[column_number]

 )

 go