Question

I wrote a SQL function to convert a datetime value in SQL to a friendlier ‘n Hours Ago’ or ‘n Days Ago’ etc type of message. And I was wondering if there was a better way to do it.

(Yes I know ‘don’t do it in SQL’ but for design reasons I have to do it this way).

Here is the function I’ve written:

CREATE FUNCTION dbo.GetFriendlyDateTimeValue (     @CompareDate DateTime ) RETURNS nvarchar(48) AS BEGIN     DECLARE @Now DateTime     DECLARE @Hours int         DECLARE @Suff nvarchar(256)     DECLARE @Found bit      SET @Found = 0     SET @Now = getDate()     SET @Hours = DATEDIFF(MI, @CompareDate, @Now)/60      IF @Hours <= 1     BEGIN         SET @Suff = 'Just Now'         SET @Found = 1         RETURN @Suff     END      IF @Hours < 24     BEGIN         SET @Suff = ' Hours Ago'         SET @Found = 1     END      IF @Hours >= 8760 AND @Found = 0     BEGIN         SET @Hours = @Hours / 8760         SET @Suff = ' Years Ago'         SET @Found = 1     END      IF @Hours >= 720 AND @Found = 0     BEGIN         SET @Hours = @Hours / 720         SET @Suff = ' Months Ago'         SET @Found = 1     END      IF @Hours >= 168 AND @Found = 0     BEGIN         SET @Hours = @Hours / 168         SET @Suff = ' Weeks Ago'         SET @Found = 1     END      IF @Hours >= 24 AND @Found = 0     BEGIN         SET @Hours = @Hours / 24         SET @Suff = ' Days Ago'         SET @Found = 1     END      RETURN Convert(nvarchar, @Hours) + @Suff END 

Answer 1

As you say, I probably wouldn’t do it in SQL, but as a thought exercise have a MySQL implementation:

CASE     WHEN compare_date between date_sub(now(), INTERVAL 60 minute) and now()          THEN concat(minute(TIMEDIFF(now(), compare_date)), ' minutes ago')      WHEN datediff(now(), compare_date) = 1          THEN 'Yesterday'      WHEN compare_date between date_sub(now(), INTERVAL 24 hour) and now()          THEN concat(hour(TIMEDIFF(NOW(), compare_date)), ' hours ago')      ELSE concat(datediff(now(), compare_date),' days ago') END 

Based on a similar sample seen on the MySQL Date and Time manual pages