Date and Time Assignments
The ANSI date and time data types are compatible between themselves and string columns.
The values of all date and time types can be assigned to string columns. The result is a display version of each value. String values can also be assigned to date and time columns, as long as the string values correspond to the acceptable input format for the particular date and time type.
Note: When a date and time value is retrieved from a database, it is always presented to the user in the appropriate display format in a string variable.