Add Random Dates to MySQL Database

[Kersey]

Looking for a way to add random dates to a column in one of your MySQL tables?

I ran across this problem and found a straightforward solution. By utilizing str_to_date(), concat(), floor() and rand() you can specify a random date for a column.

update  mytable
set     mycolumn = str_to_date(
                               concat(
                                      floor(1 + rand() * (12-1)), 	/* Generate a random month */
                                      '-',
                                      floor(1 + rand() * (28 -1)), 	/* Generate a random day */
                                      '-',
                                      '2008'
                                      ),
                                '%m-%d-%Y'
                                );