https://www.sqlserver70.com/tags/for-system_time/Recent content in For System_time on SQL Server ScriptsHugo -- gohugo.ioenSQLServer70.comFri, 19 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://www.sqlserver70.com/post/sql-server-system-versioned-temporal-tables/Fri, 19 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://www.sqlserver70.com/post/sql-server-system-versioned-temporal-tables/ <p>Every <code>UPDATE</code> and <code>DELETE</code> on a system-versioned table leaves behind a complete, queryable history of the previous row — automatically, with no triggers and no audit-table plumbing. SQL Server records the period each row version was valid and answers point-in-time questions through a single <code>FOR SYSTEM_TIME</code> clause. This is the temporal-tables feature, available since SQL Server 2016.</p> <script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1012089347386563" crossorigin="anonymous"></script> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:728px;height:90px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-1012089347386563" data-ad-slot="8593449130"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <h2 id="purpose-and-overview">Purpose and Overview</h2> <p>A system-versioned temporal table is a user table that keeps a full history of data changes so you can analyze the data as it existed at any point in the past, not just as it is now. The feature is implemented as a pair of tables: the <em>current</em> table holds the present rows, and a linked <em>history</em> table stores prior versions. The Database Engine manages the relationship — on every update or delete, it closes the old row in the history table and stamps a new period of validity.</p>