How to Convert Date/Time Format in MySQL to DD/MM/YYYY and HH/MM

Learn the steps to convert date and time formats in MySQL to DD/MM/YYYY and HH/MM for better readability and data management.
---
Disclaimer/Disclosure - Portions of this content were created using Generative AI tools, which may result in inaccuracies or misleading information in the video. Please keep this in mind before making any decisions or taking any actions based on the content. If you have any concerns, don't hesitate to leave a comment. Thanks.
---
How to Convert Date/Time Format in MySQL to DD/MM/YYYY and HH/MM

MySQL is a powerful relational database management system that's often used for handling and querying data. Working with dates and times effectively is a crucial part of data management, and this includes converting date/time formats to a more readable form. In this blog, we'll discuss how to convert MySQL date and time formats to the DD/MM/YYYY and HH/MM formats.

Understanding MySQL Date and Time Formats

MySQL provides various data types for date and time. The commonly used types are:

DATE: Stores dates in a YYYY-MM-DD format.

DATETIME: Stores both date and time in a YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS format.

TIMESTAMP: Similar to DATETIME but also keeps the time zone and daylight savings information.

To convert these data types into a more readable format such as DD/MM/YYYY and HH/MM, we can use MySQL's date and time functions.

Converting to DD/MM/YYYY Format

To convert a DATE, DATETIME, or TIMESTAMP value to DD/MM/YYYY, we can use the DATE_FORMAT function in MySQL. Here is the basic syntax:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

For example, if you have a table named employees with a hire_date column and you want to display the date in DD/MM/YYYY format, you can write the query as follows:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Converting to HH/MM Format

Similarly, for converting time to HH/MM format, you would again use the DATE_FORMAT function. If you are working with a DATETIME or TIMESTAMP field and only want to extract and format the time portion, the syntax is:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

For instance, if the employees table has a check_in_time column:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Combining Both Date and Time Formats

If you need to convert and display both date and time in the desired formats from a DATETIME or TIMESTAMP column, you can combine both formatting in a single query:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

For a comprehensive example using the employees table:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This query extracts the date and time from respective columns and formats them to DD/MM/YYYY and HH/MM.

Conclusion

Converting date and time formats in MySQL to DD/MM/YYYY and HH/MM is straightforward with the DATE_FORMAT function. This capability can significantly improve the readability and usability of your date/time data in applications, reports, and user interfaces. Ensure you adapt these formats based on regional or application-specific requirements for better clarity and data presentation.