Error converting a text field to a datetime datatype, who can figure this anyone??

Hello,
I'm trying to convert data on a text field to datetime datatype. This data
has invalid dates such as 10/30, 2/31235, 32/1/2004, 345/2345 etc.
I have been trying to convert whatever I can but I keep getting errors when
I perform a
SELECT CONVERT(datetime, text_field) FROM Old_data
Obviously my select statemt is abruptly terminated when I hit one of these
records with a invalid date.
I tried looping throught the records using a curson and try to capture and
check for errors:
SET @.user_1_date = convert(datetime, @.USER_1)
IF @.@.ERROR <> 0
BEGIN
PRINT 'ERROR FOUND'
END
ELSE
BEGIN
print 'NO ERROR FOUND'
END
I'm using PRINT for simplicity but the conversion error can not be
controlled through this method. SQL halts when it tries to convert the date.
I would love to be able to trap the error and skip the record and move on to
the new one. The bulk of the data is good, but there are over 175,000
records and I can not do this manually.
Any thoughts or suggestions?
ThanksAsked and answered by lw in the .programming group. Please don't
multi-post.
"Sd" <nowhere@.sadfs.com> wrote in message
news:3ac3890e730ead0e80076b10ff132aaa@.ne
ws.teranews.com...
> Hello,
> I'm trying to convert data on a text field to datetime datatype. This data
> has invalid dates such as 10/30, 2/31235, 32/1/2004, 345/2345 etc.
> I have been trying to convert whatever I can but I keep getting errors
when
> I perform a
> SELECT CONVERT(datetime, text_field) FROM Old_data
> Obviously my select statemt is abruptly terminated when I hit one of these
> records with a invalid date.
> I tried looping throught the records using a curson and try to capture and
> check for errors:
> SET @.user_1_date = convert(datetime, @.USER_1)
> IF @.@.ERROR <> 0
> BEGIN
> PRINT 'ERROR FOUND'
> END
> ELSE
> BEGIN
> print 'NO ERROR FOUND'
> END
> I'm using PRINT for simplicity but the conversion error can not be
> controlled through this method. SQL halts when it tries to convert the
date.
> I would love to be able to trap the error and skip the record and move on
to
> the new one. The bulk of the data is good, but there are over 175,000
> records and I can not do this manually.
> Any thoughts or suggestions?
> Thanks
>
>|||Sd (nowhere@.sadfs.com) writes:
> I have been trying to convert whatever I can but I keep getting errors
> when I perform a
> SELECT CONVERT(datetime, text_field) FROM Old_data
> Obviously my select statemt is abruptly terminated when I hit one of these
> records with a invalid date.
> I tried looping throught the records using a curson and try to capture and
> check for errors:
But since SQL Server thinks conversion error is reason enough for aborting
the batch, that does not fly.
But this should do:
SELECT CASE WHEN is_date(text_field) = 1
THEN convert(datetime, text_field)
END
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, sommar@.algonet.se
Books Online for SQL Server SP3 at
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/techin.../2000/books.asp