Re: conversion from Mar-2026 to 03-2026 and vice versa

[Phillip Ward]

Always use the right Data Type for the Right Job.

Store date values in Date columns.
Only worry about formatting when you have to put those values in front of a user (and unformatting them if the User enters one).

Date columns allow you to do date-related things easily. Varchar columns don't. Converting between the two requires function calls and, more often than we'd like, adding functions into queries, especially in WHERE clauses, quickly has us heading into "Table-Scanning Land" and application performance goes through the floor.

Regards, Phill W.