How can the time format be set in SQL Server?

There are two methods available in SQL Server to set the time format:

Option 1: Using the CONVERT function
You can utilize the CONVERT function to convert time into the desired format. For instance, to convert time into the “YYYY-MM-DD HH:MI:SS” format, you can use the following query:

SELECT CONVERT(varchar, GETDATE(), 120) AS FormattedDate;

In the above query, the GETDATE() function is used to retrieve the current date and time, while the CONVERT function is used to convert the date and time into a specified format. The parameter 120 indicates that the format should be converted to “YYYY-MM-DD HH:MI:SS”.

Option 2: Using the FORMAT function (only applicable for SQL Server 2012 and higher versions)
In SQL Server 2012 and later versions, the FORMAT function can be used to format dates and times. For example, to format time as “YYYY-MM-DD HH:MI:SS”, you can use the following query:

SELECT FORMAT(GETDATE(), 'yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss') AS FormattedDate;

In the above query, the GETDATE() function is used to retrieve the current date and time, while the FORMAT function is used to format the date and time into a specified format.

Different time formats can be chosen depending on the method used, as described in detail in the CONVERT and FORMAT functions in the SQL Server documentation. More available time format options can be learned by referring to these functions.