The DATE datatype is used to store date and time values.
The time component is always there whether you use it or not.
The range for date variables is from 1 Jan 4712 BC through 31 Dec 4712 AD.
If you do not specify a time when assigning a value to a variable of type DATE, it will default to midnight (12:00:00 a.m.).
The Syntax for the DATE Datatype
variable_name DATE;
Here are some examples:
hire_date DATE;
emp_birthdate DATE;
Use the following code to declare the DATE datatype:
SQL> declare
2 variable1_dt DATE;
3 begin
4 NULL;
5 end;
6 /
PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.
Be careful when comparing dates.
If you really don't care about the time of day, you can use the TRUNC() function.
For example, instead of
IF hire_date = fire_date THEN...
use
IF TRUNC(hire_date) = TRUNC(fire_date) THEN...