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Configure the two digit year cutoff Server Configuration Option

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This topic describes how to configure the two digit year cutoff server configuration option in SQL Server 2014 by using SQL Server Management Studio or Transact-SQL. The two digit year cutoff option specifies an integer from 1753 to 9999 that represents the cutoff year for interpreting two-digit years as four-digit years. The default time span for SQL Server is 1950-2049, which represents a cutoff year of 2049. This means that SQL Server interprets a two-digit year of 49 as 2049, a two-digit year of 50 as 1950, and a two-digit year of 99 as 1999. To maintain backward compatibility, leave the setting at the default value.

In This Topic

Before You Begin

Recommendations

  • This option is an advanced option and should be changed only by an experienced database administrator or certified SQL Server technician.

  • OLE Automation objects use 2030 as the two-digit cutoff year. You can use the two digit year cutoff option to provide consistency in date values between SQL Server and client applications. However, to avoid ambiguity with dates, use four-digit years in your data.

Security

Permissions

Execute permissions on sp_configure with no parameters or with only the first parameter are granted to all users by default. To execute sp_configure with both parameters to change a configuration option or to run the RECONFIGURE statement, a user must be granted the ALTER SETTINGS server-level permission. The ALTER SETTINGS permission is implicitly held by the sysadmin and serveradmin fixed server roles.

Using SQL Server Management Studio

To configure the two digit year cutoff option

  1. In Object Explorer, right-click a server and select Properties.

  2. Click the Misc server settings node.

  3. Under Two digit year support, in the When a two digit year is entered, interpret it as a year between box, type or select a value that is the ending year of the time span.

Using Transact-SQL

To configure the two digit year cutoff option

  1. Connect to the Database Engine.

  2. From the Standard bar, click New Query.

  3. Copy and paste the following example into the query window and click Execute. This example shows how to use sp_configure to set the value of the two digit year cutoff option to 2030.

USE AdventureWorks2012 ;  
GO  
EXEC sp_configure 'show advanced options', 1;  
GO  
RECONFIGURE ;  
GO  
EXEC sp_configure 'two digit year cutoff', 2030 ;  
GO  
RECONFIGURE;  
GO

For more information, see Server Configuration Options (SQL Server).

Follow Up: After you configure the two digit year cutoff option

The setting takes effect immediately without restarting the server.

See Also

Server Configuration Options (SQL Server)
sp_configure (Transact-SQL)
RECONFIGURE (Transact-SQL)