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

  Returns the current database system timestamp as a **datetime** value. The database time zone offset is not included. This value represents the current UTC time (Coordinated Universal Time). This value is derived from the operating system of the computer on which the instance of [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] is running.  
  
> [!NOTE]  
>  SYSDATETIME and SYSUTCDATETIME have more fractional seconds precision than GETDATE and GETUTCDATE. SYSDATETIMEOFFSET includes the system time zone offset. SYSDATETIME, SYSUTCDATETIME, and SYSDATETIMEOFFSET can be assigned to a variable of any of the date and time types.  
  
 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  
  
GETUTCDATE()  
```  
  
## Return Types  
 **datetime**  
  
## Remarks  
 [!INCLUDE[tsql](../../includes/tsql-md.md)] statements can refer to GETUTCDATE anywhere they can refer to a **datetime** expression.  
  
 GETUTCDATE is a nondeterministic function. Views and expressions that reference this function in a column cannot be indexed.  
  
## Examples  
 The following examples use the six [!INCLUDE[ssNoVersion](../../includes/ssnoversion-md.md)] system functions that return current date and time to return the date, time or both. The values are returned in series; therefore, their fractional seconds might be different.  
  
### A. Getting the current system date and time  
  
```  
SELECT 'SYSDATETIME()      ', SYSDATETIME();  
SELECT 'SYSDATETIMEOFFSET()', SYSDATETIMEOFFSET();  
SELECT 'SYSUTCDATETIME()   ', SYSUTCDATETIME();  
SELECT 'CURRENT_TIMESTAMP  ', CURRENT_TIMESTAMP;  
SELECT 'GETDATE()          ', GETDATE();  
SELECT 'GETUTCDATE()       ', GETUTCDATE();  
/* Returned:  
SYSDATETIME()            2007-05-03 18:34:11.9351421  
SYSDATETIMEOFFSET()      2007-05-03 18:34:11.9351421 -07:00  
SYSUTCDATETIME()         2007-05-04 01:34:11.9351421  
CURRENT_TIMESTAMP        2007-05-03 18:34:11.933  
GETDATE()                2007-05-03 18:34:11.933  
GETUTCDATE()             2007-05-04 01:34:11.933  
*/  
```  
  
### B. Getting the current system date  
  
```  
SELECT 'SYSDATETIME()      ', CONVERT (date, SYSDATETIME());  
SELECT 'SYSDATETIMEOFFSET()', CONVERT (date, SYSDATETIMEOFFSET());  
SELECT 'SYSUTCDATETIME()   ', CONVERT (date, SYSUTCDATETIME());  
SELECT 'CURRENT_TIMESTAMP  ', CONVERT (date, CURRENT_TIMESTAMP);  
SELECT 'GETDATE()          ', CONVERT (date, GETDATE());  
SELECT 'GETUTCDATE()       ', CONVERT (date, GETUTCDATE());  
  
/* Returned:   
SYSDATETIME()            2007-05-03  
SYSDATETIMEOFFSET()      2007-05-03  
SYSUTCDATETIME()         2007-05-04  
CURRENT_TIMESTAMP        2007-05-03  
GETDATE()                2007-05-03  
GETUTCDATE()             2007-05-04  
*/  
```  
  
### C. Getting the current system time  
  
```  
SELECT 'SYSDATETIME()      ', CONVERT (time, SYSDATETIME());  
SELECT 'SYSDATETIMEOFFSET()', CONVERT (time, SYSDATETIMEOFFSET());  
SELECT 'SYSUTCDATETIME()   ', CONVERT (time, SYSUTCDATETIME());  
SELECT 'CURRENT_TIMESTAMP  ', CONVERT (time, CURRENT_TIMESTAMP);  
SELECT 'GETDATE()          ', CONVERT (time, GETDATE());  
SELECT 'GETUTCDATE()       ', CONVERT (time, GETUTCDATE());  
/* Returned  
SYSDATETIME()            18:25:01.6958841  
SYSDATETIMEOFFSET()      18:25:01.6958841  
SYSUTCDATETIME()         01:25:01.6958841  
CURRENT_TIMESTAMP        18:25:01.6930000  
GETDATE()                18:25:01.6930000  
GETUTCDATE()             01:25:01.6930000  
*/  
```  
  
## Examples: [!INCLUDE[ssSDWfull](../../includes/sssdwfull-md.md)] and [!INCLUDE[ssPDW](../../includes/sspdw-md.md)]  
 The following examples use the six system functions that return current date and time to return the date, time or both. The values are returned in series; therefore, their fractional seconds might be different.  
  
### D. Getting the current system date and time  
  
```  
SELECT 'SYSDATETIME()      ', SYSDATETIME();  
SELECT 'SYSDATETIMEOFFSET()', SYSDATETIMEOFFSET();  
SELECT 'SYSUTCDATETIME()   ', SYSUTCDATETIME();  
SELECT 'CURRENT_TIMESTAMP  ', CURRENT_TIMESTAMP;  
SELECT 'GETDATE()          ', GETDATE();  
SELECT 'GETUTCDATE()       ', GETUTCDATE();  
/* Returned:  
SYSDATETIME()            2007-05-03 18:34:11.9351421  
SYSDATETIMEOFFSET()      2007-05-03 18:34:11.9351421 -07:00  
SYSUTCDATETIME()         2007-05-04 01:34:11.9351421  
CURRENT_TIMESTAMP        2007-05-03 18:34:11.933  
GETDATE()                2007-05-03 18:34:11.933  
GETUTCDATE()             2007-05-04 01:34:11.933  
*/  
```  
  
### E. Getting the current system date  
  
```  
SELECT 'SYSDATETIME()      ', CONVERT (date, SYSDATETIME());  
SELECT 'SYSDATETIMEOFFSET()', CONVERT (date, SYSDATETIMEOFFSET());  
SELECT 'SYSUTCDATETIME()   ', CONVERT (date, SYSUTCDATETIME());  
SELECT 'CURRENT_TIMESTAMP  ', CONVERT (date, CURRENT_TIMESTAMP);  
SELECT 'GETDATE()          ', CONVERT (date, GETDATE());  
SELECT 'GETUTCDATE()       ', CONVERT (date, GETUTCDATE());  
  
/* Returned:   
SYSDATETIME()            2007-05-03  
SYSDATETIMEOFFSET()      2007-05-03  
SYSUTCDATETIME()         2007-05-04  
CURRENT_TIMESTAMP        2007-05-03  
GETDATE()                2007-05-03  
GETUTCDATE()             2007-05-04  
*/  
```  
  
### F. Getting the current system time  
  
```  
SELECT 'SYSDATETIME()      ', CONVERT (time, SYSDATETIME());  
SELECT 'SYSDATETIMEOFFSET()', CONVERT (time, SYSDATETIMEOFFSET());  
SELECT 'SYSUTCDATETIME()   ', CONVERT (time, SYSUTCDATETIME());  
SELECT 'CURRENT_TIMESTAMP  ', CONVERT (time, CURRENT_TIMESTAMP);  
SELECT 'GETDATE()          ', CONVERT (time, GETDATE());  
SELECT 'GETUTCDATE()       ', CONVERT (time, GETUTCDATE());  
/* Returned  
SYSDATETIME()            18:25:01.6958841  
SYSDATETIMEOFFSET()      18:25:01.6958841  
SYSUTCDATETIME()         01:25:01.6958841  
CURRENT_TIMESTAMP        18:25:01.6930000  
GETDATE()                18:25:01.6930000  
GETUTCDATE()             01:25:01.6930000  
*/  
```  
  
## See Also  
 [CAST and CONVERT (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/functions/cast-and-convert-transact-sql.md)   
 [AT TIME ZONE (Transact-SQL)](../../t-sql/queries/at-time-zone-transact-sql.md)