SQL NOW / CURRENT_TIMESTAMP: Get Current Date and Time (All Databases)

Overview

Getting the current date and time is one of the most common operations in SQL. Every database supports it, but the function names differ.

MySQL

SELECT NOW();               -- '2026-03-12 14:30:00'
SELECT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP;   -- '2026-03-12 14:30:00'
SELECT CURRENT_DATE;         -- '2026-03-12'
SELECT CURRENT_TIME;         -- '14:30:00'
SELECT CURDATE();            -- '2026-03-12'
SELECT CURTIME();            -- '14:30:00'

-- Use in queries:
SELECT * FROM orders WHERE created_at >= CURDATE();
INSERT INTO logs (message, created_at) VALUES ('event', NOW());

PostgreSQL

SELECT NOW();                -- '2026-03-12 14:30:00+00'
SELECT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP;    -- '2026-03-12 14:30:00+00' (with TZ)
SELECT CURRENT_DATE;          -- '2026-03-12'
SELECT CURRENT_TIME;           -- '14:30:00+00'
SELECT LOCALTIMESTAMP;         -- without timezone

-- clock_timestamp() changes within a transaction:
SELECT clock_timestamp();  -- actual wall clock time
-- NOW() is fixed within a transaction

SQL Server

SELECT GETDATE();            -- '2026-03-12 14:30:00.000'
SELECT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP;    -- same as GETDATE()
SELECT SYSDATETIME();        -- higher precision
SELECT GETUTCDATE();         -- UTC time
SELECT CAST(GETDATE() AS DATE);    -- date only
SELECT CAST(GETDATE() AS TIME);    -- time only

-- Today's records:
SELECT * FROM orders
WHERE CAST(created_at AS DATE) = CAST(GETDATE() AS DATE);

Oracle

SELECT SYSDATE FROM DUAL;         -- '12-MAR-26'
SELECT SYSTIMESTAMP FROM DUAL;     -- with fractional seconds + TZ
SELECT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP FROM DUAL; -- session timezone
SELECT CURRENT_DATE FROM DUAL;      -- session timezone date

-- Format the output:
SELECT TO_CHAR(SYSDATE, 'YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI:SS') FROM DUAL;

Skip the Syntax Lookup

Instead of memorizing NOW / CURRENT_TIMESTAMP syntax for each database, describe what you need in plain English and let AI2SQL generate the correct query.

Frequently Asked Questions