mysql query datetime fields accuracy

Question

I'm using MySql 5.5,

I am using the following query on a radius accounting table.

• query1:

  SELECT * FROM database.table WHERE framedipaddress='192.168.1.1' and '2011-09-09' BETWEEN acctstarttime AND acctstoptime;

The acctstarttime and acctstoptime fields are type datetime, formatted as YEAR-MT-DY HR:MN:SC.

Using query2 reveals my results of query1 are not always accurate, query1 sometimes will return nothing or an incorrect row.

• query2:

  SELECT * FROM database.table WHERE framedipaddress = '192.168.1.1' ORDER BY acctstarttime DESC LIMIT 0, 400;

Is there a different method to query two datetime, fields, or is it the database sanity/data is the issue?

Any guidance to the errors in my logic are welcome.

Here is the question for the query I have now.

Answer 1

'2011-09-09' = '2011-09-09 00:00:00' So you are only querying accounts that had an acctstarttime before this time AND an acctstoptime after this time.

If you're looking for accounts that were started on 2011-09-09. Then you could do

...
WHERE
acctstarttime >= '2011-09-09' AND acctstarttime < '2011-09-10'

If you're looking for accounts that were started and ended on 2011-09-09. Then do:

...
WHERE
acctstarttime >= '2011-09-09' AND acctstarttime < '2011-09-10' AND
acctstoptime >= '2011-09-09' AND acctstoptime < '2011-09-10' AND

FYI if you use BETWEEN it includes the bounds so it would include 2011-09-10 00:00:00.