MySQL :: MySQL 3.23, 4.0, 4.1 Reference Manual :: 11.10 Cast Functions and Operators

As of MySQL 4.1.0, the value is converted to the correct column type when it is sent to the user (this is a feature of how the new protocol in 4.1 sends date information to the client): mysql> SELECT CAST(NOW() AS DATE);-> 2003-05-26 As of MySQL 4 ...

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