The SQL CURRENT_TIMEZONE() function is used to retrieve the current time zone offset from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). This function returns a string value representing the time zone offset in the format of [+|-]TZH:TZM, where TZH represents the number of hours and TZM represents the number of minutes ahead or behind UTC.
The CURRENT_TIMEZONE() function is useful in situations where it is necessary to determine the time zone offset for a given location. This could be helpful, for example, when working with data that is recorded in different time zones, or when calculating the time difference between two different time zones.
Example
Here is an example of how to use the CURRENT_TIMEZONE() function in SQL:
SELECT CURRENT_TIMEZONE();
This query will return the current time zone offset from UTC for the database server. The output will be in the format of [+|-]TZH:TZM, for example: -07:00.
It is important to note that the value returned by the CURRENT_TIMEZONE() function is dependent on the time zone settings of the database server. If the server time zone is changed, the output of the function will also change.
In summary, the SQL CURRENT_TIMEZONE() function is a useful tool for retrieving the current time zone offset from UTC. It can be used in a variety of situations where time zone information is needed, such as when working with data that is recorded in different time zones or when calculating time differences across different time zones.