SQL Server Create Date From TSQL

Question

Basically, I am looking for a way to pull the date that the SQL instance was created, using TSQL, ie a CreateDate for the server itself. I could find nothing in the docs or the site. I know I can go scrolling through the system to find a date in the file system, but thought that their might be a way to do it as easily as I can for sys.objects. I thought that maybe I could use a CreateDate off of a table in master or msdb, but that seems to be the date that MS created those. I am running 2019.

Any suggestion would be helpful. Thanks.

Answer 1

Here are several options you can use

/*********** Retrieve SQL Server Installation Date Time ************/

SELECT 
@@SERVERNAME AS Server_Name, 
create_date AS SQL_Server_Install_Date
FROM sys.server_principals WITH (NOLOCK)
WHERE name = N'NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM' OR name = N'NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK SERVICE';
GO

SELECT
@@SERVERNAME AS [Server Name],  
createdate AS SQL_Server_Install_Date
FROM    sys.syslogins 
WHERE name = N'NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM' OR name = N'NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK SERVICE';
GO

SELECT create_date
FROM sys.server_principals
WHERE sid = 0x010100000000000512000000
GO

-->> Check the setup\installation logs

SELECT createdate
FROM sys.syslogins
WHERE name='sa'
GO