The **`NOW()`** function returns the configured timezone's current date and time. 

Figure 1 shows a visual representation of the `NOW()` function.

# Syntax
```sql
NOW()
```
# Parameter
The `NOW()` function does not take in any parameters. 

# Return value
The `NOW()` function returns the current date and time.  

Its output type depends on the context where it is used. For instance:
```sql
-- 1
SELECT NOW();
-- returns string in the format of YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:DD.

-- 2
SELECT NOW() + 2;
-- returns number in the format of YYYYMMDDHHMMSS.uuuu
``` 
>When adding or subtracting a number after `NOW()`, like so:
`SELECT NOW() + n`, the output will have `n` seconds added on to the time. 

>When multiplying or dividing after `NOW()`, like so: <BR>
`SELECT NOW()/n`, the entire number will be multiplied or divided by `n`. 


# Example





-- output type as string
SELECT NOW();

-- output type as number plus add two seconds to current date and time
SELECT NOW() + 2;

What is NOW() in SQL?

NOW() returns the current date and time in SQL. The output type varies based on usage context.