Multiple choice technology databases

You want to track date and time of the last write access (INSERT, UPDATE) per row. How can you achieve that?

  1. Add a TIMESTAMP column to the table; SQL Server will automatically track date and time of every change.

  2. Add a DATETIME column to the table and assign getdate() as the default value.

  3. Add a DATETIME column to the table and write a trigger that sets its value.

  4. Add a UNIQUEIDENTIFIER column to the table and use it with SQL Server's built functions
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

TIMESTAMP columns track row version changes but not actual date/time. A DATETIME column with getdate() default only captures creation time, not updates. UNIQUEIDENTIFIER stores GUIDs, not timestamps. To track every INSERT/UPDATE operation, you need a DATETIME column with a trigger that fires on these events.

Keep practicing — related questions