Date datatype

From: fumi <fumi_at_tpts5.seed.net.tw>
Date: 1999/10/14
Message-ID: <7u51lu$gbu$2@news.seed.net.tw>#1/1

Hi,

I found something strange about the date datatype. See the following script.
The internal representations of DATE in a table and in a in-line statement are different.

Does anyone know why Oracle uses two different internal representations of DATE?

• begin script ---- SQL> create table test (d date);

Table created.

SQL> insert into test values (to_date('2000/01/01', 'yyyy/mm/dd'));

1 row created.

SQL> select dump(d) from test;

DUMP(D)

---

Typ=12 Len=7: 120,100,1,1,1,1,1

SQL> select dump(to_date('2000/01/01', 'yyyy/mm/dd')) from dual;

DUMP(TO_DATE('2000/01/01','YYYY

---

Typ=13 Len=8: 208,7,1,1,0,0,0,0 Received on Thu Oct 14 1999 - 00:00:00 CDT