Re: to_date problem

On Thu, Mar 15, 2001 at 08:37:26AM +0100, leif@danmos.dk wrote:
> 
>    Hello,
> 
>   I have just observed the following problem:
> 
> -------------------------------------------------------------------
> testdb=# select to_date('2001-3-5 10:00', 'YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI') from dual;
>   to_date   
> ------------
>  2001-03-10
> (1 row)
> 
Hmm .. because 'MM'and 'DD' expect two digits, more correct is en example 
(without Oracle's fundamental "from dual" :-)

test=# select to_date('2001-03-05 10:00', 'YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI'); to_date
------------2001-03-05
(1 row)

or you can use 'FM' - "fill mode" switch:

test=# select to_date('2001-3-5 10:00', 'YYYY-FMMM-FMDD HH24:MI'); to_date
------------2001-03-05
(1 row)

The common rule: data that you want parse in to_date() must be formatted
like output from to_char() with same format mask. The to_char() never output
'2001-3-5 10:00' for 'YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI'.

Hmm, now I see Oracle and it allows correct parse this dirty query...
SVRMGR> select to_date('2001-3-5 10:00', 'YYYY-FMMM-FMDD HH24:MI') from
dual;
TO_DATE('
---------
05-MAR-01
1 row selected.
..but nothing say Oracle's documentation about this (IMHO). Well I add it
to my TODO for 7.2, but it's prop for users those not reading docs...  
        Karel

-- Karel Zak  <zakkr@zf.jcu.cz>http://home.zf.jcu.cz/~zakkr/C, PostgreSQL, PHP, WWW, http://docs.linux.cz,
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