Putting dates into varchar

I've got 2 tables :

TABLE DateSqlServer
Date as DateTime

TABLE DateDb2
Date as VarChar(26)

I run these queries :

INSERT INTO DateSqlServer (Date) VALUES (GetDate())
INSERT INTO DateDb2 SELECT Date FROM DateSqlServer

Then, when I run :

SELECT Date FROM DateDb2

I get
"march 8 2004 3:45 PM"

instead of
"2004-03-08 03:45:12:000"

How can I transfer the date as I see it in table DateSQLServer
WITHOUT doing FORMATs on the Date column ?

Why does the INSERT transform the date format ?It's an implicit conversion..you need to CONVERT it into the format you want.

Dates are stored as 8 position numerc and SQL does the conversion that way...

It's another SQL Server "feature"

In my Own Opinion (MOO) it should fail.

Can you jam a varchar in to an int? No

Try

INSERT INTO DateDb2 (you really should always list the columns here)
SELECT CONVERT(varchar(26), [Date], 120)
FROM DateSqlServer

MOO|||I wanted to avoid using list of columns

I'm loading my SQL-Server database from the linked DB2 database
with a unique distributed query (good for all tables)

for each table (Table1, Table2, Table3, ..)

INSERT INTO [SQL-Server-DB].[TableX]
SELECT *
FROM OPENQUERY ([DB2-Server],
'SELECT DB2-DB.TableX.* FROM DB2-DB.TableX')

This way I did'nt need the structure of each table
AND the datatype of each column
to load the data|||I would recommend a different approach ...
Build a repository table and store name of tables and fields in that ...
build dynamic queries ( yeah, I know that is bad) for getting the data from the db2 tables with whatever conversions you need|||oye...

Where to start...

First, open a BIG bottle of Tequila...

Next, I'm big on the dynamic code generation...saves lots of time...

But not on a nightly process.

Yo uneed to know the structures and they need to be static.

Otherwise you're looking for trouble.

And while you're looking, it'll find you.

I would set up unloads of the data on DB2...ftp/copy it to your server and bcp

You can write format card generators...gen ftps, gen bcps...everything...

But then that's it...you have to then test it all, then install it...

As static sprocs...

Don't forget error handling...

What's the whole reason for this?

Oh, and MOO|||I am using this type of proc for import from SAP where the table structure remains constant ..|||Well if it's constant, why would you need dynamic anything (except to gen the statement in the first place?)