I am trying to write a simple SQL statement which will take a string
(startdate) in the format DDMMYYYY and compare it to a date stored in
an Oracle database. My SQL is as follows:

<%

"select * from tblhistory where datechanged = '" & startdate & "'"

%>

The field datechanged in the Oracle database is set up using the
Sysdate variable, on a previous occasion.

Any ideas how I can get my startdate variable into the correct format
so that I can compare it with the 'datechanged' field?

Thanks in advance.

Everybody's question is urgent to them.

Try using an ANSI date format, eg yyyy-mm-dd. Assuming that your date is always in for format DDMMYYYY (and not DMMYYYY or DDMMYYYY) then try the following:

I don't know oracle, but you may find that sysdate also stores a time as well as a date, in wich case you may have problems with this query. I'd suggest doing some testing of your SQL statement in whatever client tools oracle offers you.

regards
David Cameron