what data type i should use for roversion col and can i use less than greater than with it.

Question

what data type i should use for roversion col and can i use less than greater than with it.

rajesh yadav 291

can i use Rowversioncol ( in my database it's synonyme timestamp is used) to run the following query to find all inseted after this @LastKnownRowVersion;

SELECT * FROM YourTable

WHERE RowVersionCol > @LastKnownRowVersion;

data type i should use for @LastKnownRowVersion; why i am asking is because i read this from

"A nonnullable rowversion column is semantically equivalent to a binary(8) column. A nullable rowversion column is semantically equivalent to a varbinary(8) column."

q2) what should i do if i have non null roversioncol and if i have null roversion col.

Viorel 126.8K Reputation points

2026-04-02T16:15:27.4666667+00:00

I think the query will find not only the inserted rows but also the modified ones.

For @LastKnownRowVersion, you can use the rowversion or timestamp datatype.

By the way, it does not seem possible to insert NULL to a nullable rowversion or timestamp column.
Lakshmi Narayana Garikapati 1,225 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-06T09:52:04.4633333+00:00

Hi rajesh yadav,

Following up to confirm if the earlier responses addressed your query. If not, please share your questions and we'll assist further

Thanks,

Lakshmi.

1 answer

Your answer

Viorel 126.8K Reputation points

2026-04-02T16:15:27.4666667+00:00

I think the query will find not only the inserted rows but also the modified ones.

For @LastKnownRowVersion, you can use the rowversion or timestamp datatype.

By the way, it does not seem possible to insert NULL to a nullable rowversion or timestamp column.
Lakshmi Narayana Garikapati 1,225 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-06T09:52:04.4633333+00:00

Hi rajesh yadav,

Following up to confirm if the earlier responses addressed your query. If not, please share your questions and we'll assist further

Thanks,

Lakshmi.

Answer 1

Yep - you should be able to use a rowversion (or timestamp) column in SQL Server to track changes and run a query like

SELECT * FROM YourTable
WHERE RowVersionCol > @LastKnownRowVersion;

The data type to use for @LastKnownRowVersion depends on whether the column is nullable or not. Since rowversion is an 8-byte binary value, for a non-nullable rowversion column, you can declare @LastKnownRowVersion as binary(8).

DECLARE @LastKnownRowVersion binary(8)

If the column were nullable (which is unusual, but possible), you would declare it as varbinary(8):

DECLARE @LastKnownRowVersion varbinary(8)

For a non-nullable rowversion column, you can safely use binary(8) for your parameter and compare it directly, because rowversion values always exist and are sequentially increasing within the database. If the column is nullable, you would have to handle the possibility of NULL values in your comparisons, but otherwise the same query works.

The key point is that rowversion is treated as a binary(8) value in SQL Server, so any variable or parameter used to compare against it must be compatible with binary(8) or varbinary(8) depending on nullability.

If the above response helps answer your question, remember to "Accept Answer" so that others in the community facing similar issues can easily find the solution. Your contribution is highly appreciated.

hth

Marcin

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what data type i should use for roversion col and can i use less than greater than with it.

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