SQL Server: T-SQL Adding a CreatedUtc and ModifiedUtc to a Database Table

As a 120 WPM typist (you read that right), ChatGPT or its cousins are a time-saver. I know the drill of adding a column or columns to an existing table. I want the columns to be required, but this means I have to first assign a value to each existing row in the database.

Take adding CreatedUtc/ModifiedUtc to a table (or all tables, long term) in a database. Here is what you tell ChatGPT:

For a SQL Server table write the following T-SQL:

1. Use ALTER TABLE to add CreatedUtc and ModifiedUtc columns of type DATETIME2 as nullable
2. Assign a DATETIME2 UTC value of January 1, 2025, 00:00:00 to a variable @stockCreatedDateTimeUtc
3. Update all existing entries in the table to set CreatedUtc and ModifiedUtc to @stockCreatedDateTimeUtc
4. Write an ALTER TABLE script to make CreatedUtc and ModifiedUtc not nullable

And here are the results but ChatGPT missed the required GO under the ALTER TABLE:

ALTER TABLE YourTableName

ADD CreatedUtc DATETIME2 NULL,

    ModifiedUtc DATETIME2 NULL;

GO

DECLARE @stockCreatedDateTimeUtc DATETIME2 = '2025-01-01 00:00:00';

UPDATE YourTableName

SET CreatedUtc = @stockCreatedDateTimeUtc,

    ModifiedUtc = @stockCreatedDateTimeUtc;

ALTER TABLE YourTableName

ALTER COLUMN CreatedUtc DATETIME2 NOT NULL;

ALTER TABLE YourTableName

ALTER COLUMN ModifiedUtc DATETIME2 NOT NULL;

Total time: under 60 seconds. Maybe 10 minutes if I typed it out by hand. You still need to know how to code T-SQL and understand SQL Server to use AI correctly.