Date and numeric enhancements

Completed

SQL Server 2025 introduces several improvements to date and numeric functions that simplify time-based logic and aggregate calculations.
These updates simplify everyday development, help avoid conversion issues, and make working with dates and numeric values more practical in analytics and reporting scenarios.

Overview of Date and Numeric Enhancements

CURRENT_DATE

A new scalar function that returns the current date without a time component.
It serves as a simpler alternative to CAST(GETDATE() AS DATE) and aligns with the ISO SQL standard.

DATEADD with bigint support

The DATEADD function now supports the bigint data type for its interval parameter, allowing developers to add large numbers of units to a date without overflow or conversion issues.
This enhancement is especially useful for time series calculations or simulations involving long durations.

PRODUCT() aggregate function

The new PRODUCT() aggregate function multiplies all non-NULL numeric values in a group.
It complements SUM() and AVG() by allowing multiplicative aggregation, for example, computing compounded growth rates, scaling factors, or multi-stage probabilities.

External REST invocation with sp_invoke_external_rest_endpoint

SQL Server 2025 adds the system procedure sp_invoke_external_rest_endpoint, allowing T-SQL to call external REST APIs directly. This enables integration with external data sources or services without leaving the database engine.

Example 1: Using CURRENT_DATE for Simpler Date Logic

Before SQL Server 2025, retrieving today’s date required an expression like CAST(GETDATE() AS DATE). Now, you can get it directly with CURRENT_DATE.

Query: Retrieve the Current Date

SELECT CURRENT_DATE AS TodayDate;

Result

TodayDate
2025-10-14

This command eliminates unnecessary type conversions and improves readability in queries and stored procedures.

Example 2: Adding Large Time Intervals with DATEADD(bigint)

In prior versions, DATEADD accepted only int values for its interval parameter, which limited date calculations for large datasets.
SQL Server 2025 now supports bigint, enabling large-scale date manipulations.

Query: Simulate Future Dates Over Long Periods

DECLARE @StartDate DATE = '2025-01-01';

SELECT
    DATEADD(DAY, CAST(365000 AS bigint), @StartDate) AS TenCenturyFuture,
    DATEADD(MINUTE, CAST(10000000 AS bigint), @StartDate) AS MinutesAhead;

Results

TenCenturyFuture	MinutesAhead
3025-10-10	2044-02-12 10:40:00

This function allows precise control for long-term forecasts, time simulations, or scheduling calculations that exceed previous integer limits.

Example 3: Calculating Compound Growth with PRODUCT()

The PRODUCT() aggregate function simplifies calculating cumulative multipliers.
For example, in finance or analytics, it can represent compounded growth rates or total scaling factors.

Query: Compute Compounded Monthly Growth

CREATE TABLE #GrowthRates (Month INT, Rate DECIMAL(6,4));
INSERT INTO #GrowthRates VALUES
(1, 1.0100),
(2, 1.0200),
(3, 0.9950),
(4, 1.0150);

SELECT PRODUCT(Rate) AS CompoundGrowth
FROM #GrowthRates;

Result

CompoundGrowth
1.0404

In this example, PRODUCT() multiplies all rate values to produce a single compounded result.
It can be combined with GROUP BY to calculate results across multiple entities or time periods.

Example 4: Combining All Three Features

The following query demonstrates all new features together in a reporting scenario.
It calculates projected inventory growth over time using today’s date as a baseline.

DECLARE @BaselineDate DATE = CURRENT_DATE;

WITH GrowthCTE AS
(
    SELECT WarehouseID, PRODUCT(GrowthFactor) AS CompoundGrowth
    FROM InventoryGrowth
    GROUP BY WarehouseID
)
SELECT
    WarehouseID,
    @BaselineDate AS StartDate,
    DATEADD(DAY, 365 * 5, @BaselineDate) AS FiveYearProjection,
    CompoundGrowth
FROM GrowthCTE;

Result

WarehouseID	StartDate	FiveYearProjection	CompoundGrowth
101	2025-10-14	2030-10-13	1.2185
102	2025-10-14	2030-10-13	1.1052

This query demonstrates how CURRENT_DATE, DATEADD(bigint), and PRODUCT() work together to support analytics and planning workloads in SQL Server 2025.

Summary

SQL Server 2025 enhances date and numeric handling with simpler syntax and greater computational flexibility.
CURRENT_DATE offers a clear way to retrieve today’s date, DATEADD(bigint) expands support for large intervals, and PRODUCT() adds a powerful new aggregation method.
Together, these improvements make T-SQL more expressive, consistent, and capable for modern business and scientific workloads.