Get a list of dates between two dates using a func

Question

My question is similar to this MySQL question, but intended for SQL Server:

Is there a function or a query that will return a list of days between two dates? For example, lets say there is a function called ExplodeDates:

SELECT ExplodeDates('2010-01-01', '2010-01-13');

This would return a single column table with the values:

2010-01-01
2010-01-02
2010-01-03
2010-01-04
2010-01-05
2010-01-06
2010-01-07
2010-01-08
2010-01-09
2010-01-10
2010-01-11
2010-01-12
2010-01-13

I'm thinking that a calendar/numbers table might be able to help me here.

---

Update

I decided to have a look at the three code answers provided, and the results of the execution - as a % of the total batch - are:

• Rob Farley's answer : 18%
• StingyJack's answer : 41%
• KM's answer : 41%

Lower is better

I have accepted Rob Farley's answer, as it was the fastest, even though numbers table solutions (used by both KM and StingyJack in their answers) are something of a favourite of mine. Rob Farley's was two-thirds faster.

Update 2

Alivia's answer is much more succinct. I have changed the accepted answer.

Answer 1

Answer is avialbe here How to list all dates between two dates

Create Procedure SelectDates(@fromDate Date, @toDate Date)
AS
BEGIN
    SELECT DATEADD(DAY,number,@fromDate) [Date]
    FROM master..spt_values
    WHERE type = 'P'
    AND DATEADD(DAY,number,@fromDate) < @toDate

END

Answer 2

This does exactly what you want, modified from Will's earlier post. No need for helper tables or loops.

WITH date_range (calc_date) AS (
    SELECT DATEADD(DAY, DATEDIFF(DAY, 0, '2010-01-13') - DATEDIFF(DAY, '2010-01-01', '2010-01-13'), 0)
        UNION ALL SELECT DATEADD(DAY, 1, calc_date)
            FROM date_range
            WHERE DATEADD(DAY, 1, calc_date) <= '2010-01-13')
SELECT calc_date
FROM date_range;

Answer 3

Definately a numbers table, though tyou may want to use Mark Redman's idea of a CLR proc/assembly if you really need the performance.

How to create the table of dates (and a super fast way to create a numbers table)

/*Gets a list of integers into a temp table (Jeff Moden's idea from SqlServerCentral.com)*/
 SELECT TOP 10950 /*30 years of days*/
        IDENTITY(INT,1,1) as N
   INTO #Numbers
   FROM Master.dbo.SysColumns sc1,
        Master.dbo.SysColumns sc2


/*Create the dates table*/
CREATE TABLE [TableOfDates](
    [fld_date] [datetime] NOT NULL,
 CONSTRAINT [PK_TableOfDates] PRIMARY KEY CLUSTERED 
(
    [fld_date] ASC
)WITH FILLFACTOR = 99 ON [PRIMARY]
) ON [PRIMARY]

/*fill the table with dates*/
DECLARE @daysFromFirstDateInTheTable int
DECLARE @firstDateInTheTable DATETIME

SET @firstDateInTheTable = '01/01/1998'
SET @daysFromFirstDateInTheTable = (SELECT (DATEDIFF(dd, @firstDateInTheTable ,GETDATE()) + 1))

INSERT INTO
      TableOfDates
SELECT 
      DATEADD(dd,nums.n - @daysFromFirstDateInTheTable, CAST(FLOOR(CAST(GETDATE() as FLOAT)) as DateTime)) as FLD_Date
FROM #Numbers nums

Now that you have a table of dates, you can use a function (NOT A PROC) like KM's to get the table of them.

CREATE FUNCTION dbo.ListDates
(
     @StartDate    DATETIME  
    ,@EndDate      DATETIME
)
RETURNS
@DateList table
(
    Date datetime
)
AS
BEGIN

/*add some validation logic of your own to make sure that the inputs are sound.Adjust the rest as needed*/

  INSERT INTO
    @DateList
  SELECT FLD_Date FROM TableOfDates (NOLOCK) WHERE FLD_Date >= @StartDate AND FLD_Date <= @EndDate
  RETURN
END

Answer 4

I'm an oracle guy, but I believe MS SQL Server has support for the connect by clause:

select  sysdate + level
from    dual
connect by level <= 10 ;

The output is:

SYSDATE+LEVEL
05-SEP-09
06-SEP-09
07-SEP-09
08-SEP-09
09-SEP-09
10-SEP-09
11-SEP-09
12-SEP-09
13-SEP-09
14-SEP-09

Dual is just a 'dummy' table that comes with oracle (it contains 1 row and the word 'dummy' as the value of the single column).

Answer 5

DECLARE @MinDate DATETIME = '2012-09-23 00:02:00.000',
    @MaxDate DATETIME = '2012-09-25 00:00:00.000';

SELECT  TOP (DATEDIFF(DAY, @MinDate, @MaxDate) + 1) Dates = DATEADD(DAY, ROW_NUMBER() OVER(ORDER BY a.object_id) - 1, @MinDate)
FROM sys.all_objects a CROSS JOIN sys.all_objects b;

Answer 6

DECLARE @StartDate DATE = '2017-09-13',         @EndDate DATE = '2017-09-16'

SELECT date  FROM (   SELECT DATE = DATEADD(DAY, rn - 1, @StartDate)   FROM    (
    SELECT TOP (DATEDIFF(DAY, @StartDate, DATEADD(DAY,1,@EndDate)))
      rn = ROW_NUMBER() OVER (ORDER BY s1.[object_id])
    FROM sys.all_objects AS s1
    CROSS JOIN sys.all_objects AS s2
    ORDER BY s1.[object_id]   ) AS x ) AS y

Result:

2017-09-13

2017-09-14

2017-09-15

2017-09-16