SYSTEM_TIME

SYSTEM_TIME is a temporal clause in SQL that allows you to query data as it was at a certain point in time or throughout a specific time period. It is used with temporal tables to keep track of historical changes to the data.

Example

SELECT *
FROM Sales.Orders
FOR SYSTEM_TIME AS OF '2021-05-01T12:34:56.1234567'

Output

OrderID | CustomerID | ProductID | OrderDate                  | Quantity
--------|------------|-----------|----------------------------|----------
10248   | VINET      | 11        | 2021-04-30T13:34:56.1234567| 12
10249   | TOMSP      | 42        | 2021-04-30T14:34:56.1234567| 10

Explanation

The SYSTEM_TIME temporal table function with AS OF is used to query the data as it existed at a specific point in time. In the example, the query is returning the data from the Sales.Orders temporal table as it existed on ‘2021-05-01T12:34:56.1234567’.

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