SQL - MySQL DATE_SUB() Function

August 13, 2024

Categories: MySQL Functions, Reference, SQL Reference

Quick Reference

The MySQL DATE_SUB() function subtracts a time/date interval from a date and then returns the date.

The following subtracts 3 days to the specified date.

SELECT DATE_SUB('2023-04-15', INTERVAL 3 DAY);

Output

DATE_SUB('2023-04-15', INTERVAL 3 DAY)
2023-04-12

Syntax

DATE_SUB(date, INTERVAL value substractunit)

Parameters

Parameter	Description
date	The date to be modified (required)
value	The value of the time/date interval to subtract (positive or negative values) (required)
substractunit	The type of interval to add (required) MICROSECOND SECOND MINUTE HOUR DAY WEEK MONTH QUARTER YEAR SECOND_MICROSECOND MINUTE_MICROSECOND MINUTE_SECOND HOUR_MICROSECOND HOUR_SECOND HOUR_MINUTE DAY_MICROSECOND DAY_SECOND DAY_MINUTE DAY_HOUR YEAR_MONTH

SQL Notes:

Any work being done to modify the structure of a database or delete tables or the the database itself should only be done after making a recent backup

If you like our content, and find it helpful, please consider making a small donation. Thank you!

We’d like to acknowledge that we learned a great deal of our coding from W3Schools and TutorialsPoint, borrowing heavily from their teaching process and excellent code examples. We highly recommend both sites to deepen your experience, and further your coding journey. We’re just hitting the basics here at 1SMARTchicken.