Things Not To Do In SQL Server

Randolph West has a how-not-to guide for SQL Server:

Don’t use TIMESTAMP

We covered this in detail in a previous post, What about TIMESTAMP? It’s better to pretend that this data type doesn’t exist.

Why not?

It is not what you think it is. TIMESTAMP is actually a row version value based on the amount of time since SQL Server was started. If you need to record an actual date and time, use DATETIME2 instead.

When should we?

Never.

I appreciate that Randolph includes a “when should you not listen to my overall pronouncement?” bit, as there are commonly exceptions to “do not do X” style rules.