What Is TIMESTAMP

Q

What Is TIMESTAMP? - MySQL FAQs - Introduction to SQL Date and Time Handling

✍: FYIcenter.com

A

A TIMESTAMP data type allows you to record a date and time like DATETIME data type. But it has some interesting features when used on a table column:

  • The first TIMESTAMP column in a table will be assigned with the current date and time, if it is not listed in an INSERT statement.
  • The first TIMESTAMP column in a table will be assigned with the current date and time, if it is not listed in an UPDATE statement.
  • If a TIMESTAMP column is assigned with NULL, the current date and time will be persisted to this column.
  • You can turn off the default current date and time on INSERT by defining the column with "DEFAULT 0".
  • The tutorial exercise below provides you 2 equivalent ways to create a TIMESTAMP column:

    CREATE TABLE links (lastDate TIMESTAMP);
    
    CREATE TABLE links (lastDate TIMESTAMP 
       DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
       ON UPDATE CURRENT_TIMESTAMP);
    

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