SQL Convert Date Format from varchar

Question

I have a varchar column in a table that contains data that looks like this:

2010-06-24-00.00.00.000000

I need to convert it to a Date that looks like this:

6/24/2010

Using T-SQL. How can I do this? I'm using SQL Server 2012.

What date format is this? 2010-06-24-00.00.00.000000

Answer 1

You can use the FORMAT function:

FORMAT(datefield,'MM/dd/yyyy')

But, since it's a VARCHAR, to use the FORMAT function you have to first CAST the date portion as a date:

FORMAT(CAST(LEFT(stringdatefield,10) AS DATE),'MM/dd/yyyy')

Answer 2

select convert(date, left('2010-06-24-00.00.00.000000', 10))

Answer 3

You can add a optional parameter to the convert function. If you want the result to be a string, simply do this:

CONVERT(varchar(8),datefield,1)

If you want the result to be a DATE type, cast it:

CAST(CONVERT(varchar(8),datefield,1) as DATE)