search
Search
Login
Unlock 100+ guides
menu
menu
web
search toc
close
Comments
Log in or sign up
Cancel
Post
account_circle
Profile
exit_to_app
Sign out
What does this mean?
Why is this true?
Give me some examples!
search
keyboard_voice
close
Searching Tips
Search for a recipe:
"Creating a table in MySQL"
Search for an API documentation: "@append"
Search for code: "!dataframe"
Apply a tag filter: "#python"
Useful Shortcuts
/ to open search panel
Esc to close search panel
to navigate between search results
d to clear all current filters
Enter to expand content preview
icon_star
Doc Search
icon_star
Code Search Beta
SORRY NOTHING FOUND!
mic
Start speaking...
Voice search is only supported in Safari and Chrome.
Navigate to

MySQL | TIMESTAMPDIFF method

schedule Aug 10, 2023
Last updated
local_offer
MySQL
Tags
tocTable of Contents
expand_more
mode_heat
Master the mathematics behind data science with 100+ top-tier guides
Start your free 7-days trial now!

MySQL's TIMESTAMPDIFF(~) method returns the time difference between two date or datetime expressions in the specified unit. (i.e. datetime_expr2 - datetime_expr1).

Parameters

1. unit | unit

The unit to return the time difference in.

Possible unit values

MICROSECOND

SECOND

MINUTE

HOUR

DAY

WEEK

MONTH

QUARTER

YEAR

2. datetime_expr1 | date/datetime

The date/datetime value to subtract.

3. datetime_expr2 | date/datetime

The date/datetime to be subtracted from.

Return value

The time difference between the two input date/datetime expressions in the specified time unit.

Examples

Consider the following table about some students:

student_id

fname

lname

day_enrolled

age

username

1

Sky

Towner

2015-12-03

17

stowner1

2

Ben

Davis

2016-04-20

19

bdavis2

3

Travis

Apple

2018-08-14

18

tapple3

4

Arthur

David

2016-04-01

16

adavid4

5

Benjamin

Town

2014-01-01

17

btown5

The above sample table can be created using the code here.

Basic usage

To return the difference between student enrollment dates and the start of the millennium in months:

SELECT fname, day_enrolled, TIMESTAMPDIFF(MONTH, '2000-01-01', day_enrolled)
FROM students;
+----------+--------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| fname | day_enrolled | TIMESTAMPDIFF(MONTH, '2000-01-01', day_enrolled) |
+----------+--------------+--------------------------------------------------+
| Sky | 2015-12-03 | 191 |
| Ben | 2016-04-20 | 195 |
| Travis | 2018-08-14 | 223 |
| Arthur | 2016-04-01 | 195 |
| Benjamin | 2014-01-01 | 168 |
+----------+--------------+--------------------------------------------------+

To return the difference between '2016-04-29 18:00:00' and student enrollment dates in hours:

SELECT fname, day_enrolled, TIMESTAMPDIFF(HOUR, day_enrolled, '2016-04-29 18:00:00')
FROM students;
+----------+--------------+----------------------------------------------------------+
| fname | day_enrolled | TIMESTAMPDIFF(HOUR, day_enrolled, '2016-04-29 18:00:00') |
+----------+--------------+----------------------------------------------------------+
| Sky | 2015-12-03 | 3570 |
| Ben | 2016-04-20 | 234 |
| Travis | 2018-08-14 | -20070 |
| Arthur | 2016-04-01 | 690 |
| Benjamin | 2014-01-01 | 20394 |
+----------+--------------+----------------------------------------------------------+

Note that when comparing a date with a datetime, the date is assumed to have time part '00:00:00'

robocat
Published by Arthur Yanagisawa
Edited by 0 others
Did you find this page useful?
thumb_up
thumb_down
Comment
Citation
Ask a question or leave a feedback...
thumb_up
0
thumb_down
0
chat_bubble_outline
0
settings
Enjoy our search
Hit / to insta-search docs and recipes!