Different return formats

I have a table (call it table_a) that has a column with a datetime format.
1. When I run the following I get the following result:
select min(createdate) from table_a
RESULT: 2003-09-15 15:58:19.273
2. When I run the following I get the following result:
declare @.createdate datetime
select @.createdate = min(createdate) from table_a
print @.createdate
RESULT: Sep 15 2003 3:58PM
How can I get the variable @.createdate to hold the identical value returned
in result #1?
Message posted via http://www.droptable.comPRINT does not "return" a value it just prints to the output screen. Change
that to "SELECT @.Createdate" instead
"Robert Richards via droptable.com" wrote:

> I have a table (call it table_a) that has a column with a datetime format.
> 1. When I run the following I get the following result:
> select min(createdate) from table_a
> RESULT: 2003-09-15 15:58:19.273
> 2. When I run the following I get the following result:
> declare @.createdate datetime
> select @.createdate = min(createdate) from table_a
> print @.createdate
> RESULT: Sep 15 2003 3:58PM
> How can I get the variable @.createdate to hold the identical value returne
d in result #1?
> --
> Message posted via http://www.droptable.com
>|||PRINT performs an implict conversion to VARCHAR for its arguments. You can
use CONVERT to specify a format of something other than the default:
PRINT CONVERT(VARCHAR,@.createdate,121)
or you can just return the value as DATETIME, using SELECT, and format it
client-side.
David Portas
SQL Server MVP
--