SMALDATETIME

SMALDATETIME is a Microsoft SQL Server data type used to store calendar date and time values with minute-level precision. It is a fixed-length type that uses 4 bytes of storage, representing the value as two 2-byte parts: one for the date and one for the time.

The valid range of SMALDATETIME spans from 1900-01-01 00:00:00 to 2079-06-06 23:59:00. The time component is stored with minute precision, and seconds are not stored. When values are written to a SMALDATETIME column, the seconds portion are rounded to the nearest minute, and the stored time portion has seconds set to 00.

Compared with the datetime and datetime2 types, SMALDATETIME offers lower precision and a narrower range but uses less storage. It is defined primarily for legacy databases and applications that do not require second-level accuracy. For new designs, datetime2 is generally preferred due to its higher precision, wider range, and more flexible scalability, while date-related types such as date and time are often used separately when appropriate.

In practical use, SMALDATETIME can simplify storage for applications that only need minute-level timestamps and helps keep row size small. However, its rounding behavior and limited range can introduce unexpected results in time calculations and comparisons, so understanding its characteristics is important when migrating or integrating with newer systems.