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title: "SET DATEFORMAT (Transact-SQL) | Microsoft Docs"
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---
# SET DATEFORMAT (Transact-SQL)
[!INCLUDE[tsql-appliesto-ss2008-all_md](../../includes/tsql-appliesto-ss2008-all-md.md)]

  Sets the order of the month, day, and year date parts for interpreting **date**, **smalldatetime**, **datetime**, **datetime2** and **datetimeoffset** character strings.  
  
 For an overview of all [!INCLUDE[tsql](../../includes/tsql-md.md)] date and time data types and functions, see [Date and Time Data Types and Functions (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/functions/date-and-time-data-types-and-functions-transact-sql.md).  
  
 ![Topic link icon](../../database-engine/configure-windows/media/topic-link.gif "Topic link icon") [Transact-SQL Syntax Conventions](../../t-sql/language-elements/transact-sql-syntax-conventions-transact-sql.md)  
  
## Syntax  
  
```  
-- Syntax for SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, Azure SQL Data Warehouse, Parallel Data Warehouse  
  
SET DATEFORMAT { format | @format_var }   
```  
  
## Arguments  
 *format* | **@***format_var*  
 Is the order of the date parts. Valid parameters are **mdy**, **dmy**, **ymd**, **ydm**, **myd**, and **dym**. Can be either Unicode or double-byte character sets (DBCS) converted to Unicode. The U.S. English default is **mdy**. For the default DATEFORMAT of all support languages, see [sp_helplanguage (Transact-SQL)](../../relational-databases/system-stored-procedures/sp-helplanguage-transact-sql.md).  
  
## Remarks  
 The DATEFORMAT **ydm** is not supported for **date**, **datetime2** and **datetimeoffset** data types.  
  
 The effect of the DATEFORMAT setting on the interpretation of character strings might be different for **datetime** and **smalldatetime** values than for **date**, **datetime2** and **datetimeoffset** values, depending on the string format. This setting affects the interpretation of character strings as they are converted to date values for storage in the database. It does not affect the display of date data type values that are stored in the database or the storage format.  
  
 Some character strings formats, for example ISO 8601, are interpreted independently of the DATEFORMAT setting.  
  
 The setting of SET DATEFORMAT is set at execute or run time and not at parse time.  
  
 SET DATEFORMAT overrides the implicit date format setting of [SET LANGUAGE](../../t-sql/statements/set-language-transact-sql.md).  
  
## Permissions  
 Requires membership in the **public** role.  
  
## Examples  
 The following example uses different date strings as inputs in sessions with the same `DATEFORMAT` setting.  
  
```  
-- Set date format to day/month/year.  
SET DATEFORMAT dmy;  
GO  
DECLARE @datevar datetime2 = '31/12/2008 09:01:01.1234567';  
SELECT @datevar;  
GO  
-- Result: 2008-12-31 09:01:01.123  
SET DATEFORMAT dmy;  
GO  
DECLARE @datevar datetime2 = '12/31/2008 09:01:01.1234567';  
SELECT @datevar;  
GO  
-- Result: Msg 241: Conversion failed when converting date and/or time -- from character string.  
  
GO  
```  
  
## Examples: [!INCLUDE[ssSDWfull](../../includes/sssdwfull-md.md)] and [!INCLUDE[ssPDW](../../includes/sspdw-md.md)]  
  
```  
-- Set date format to month/day/year.  
SET DATEFORMAT mdy;  
DECLARE @datevar datetime2 = '12/31/2012 09:01:01.1234567';  
SELECT @datevar;  
  
```  
  
## See Also  
 [SET Statements (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/statements/set-statements-transact-sql.md)