How can Oracle retrieve the current system date?

Oracle can use the SYSDATE function to retrieve the current system date, which returns a date value representing the current date and time.

Here are some examples of using the SYSDATE function to retrieve the current date in the system:

1. Check the current system date:

SELECT SYSDATE FROM dual;

1. Assign the current system date to a variable.

DECLARE
  current_date DATE;
BEGIN
  current_date := SYSDATE;
  DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE('Current date is: ' || current_date);
END;

Please note that the SYSDATE function returns a date value. If you only need the date part, you can use the TRUNC function to truncate the time part.

SELECT TRUNC(SYSDATE) FROM dual;