SQL Sproc Parameters: Setting Default Date value

Question

I am trying to create a Stored Procedure that will be used for a Report and I want the 2 date parameters to have a DEFAULT value of today's date and 1 month prior.

Is the below the proper way to do this? I was reading elsewhere that I should use COALESCE...(SEE HERE)This is a touchy production system so I wanted to double check before I went forward.

CREATE PROCEDURE spCaseNoteReport 
-- Add the parameters for the stored procedure here
@ContactStartDate DateTime = null,
@ContactEndDate DateTime = null
AS
IF @ContactStartDate is null
SET @ContactStartDate = dateadd(m,-1, CONVERT(date, GETDATE()))
IF @ContactEndDate is null
SET @ContactEndDate = CONVERT(date, GETDATE())
BEGIN
    -- SET NOCOUNT ON added to prevent extra result sets from
    -- interfering with SELECT statements.
    SET NOCOUNT ON;
-- Insert statements for procedure here
SELECT (id.LastName + ', ' + id.FirstName) AS 'MemberName'
      ,c.ContactDate
      ,Li.ItemDescription AS 'Location'
      ,c.PresentAtContact
      ,c.ContactDetails   
      ,c.InsertUser
      ,c.TimeSpentUnits

FROM dbo.tblCaseNotes c
    inner join dbo.tblIdentificationMap id
        on c.PersonID = id.PersonID
    left outer join dbo.tblCaseNoteContactLocation L
        on c.Casenoteid = L.Casenoteid
            inner join dbo.tblCaseNotesMaintItem Li
                on L.ContactLocationID = Li.ItemID

WHERE c.ContactDate BETWEEN @ContactStartDate AND @ContactEndDate

ORDER BY MemberName, c.ContactDate, c.InsertUser

END

---

continued

So when I actually tried to run the CREATE PROCEDURE for this I get the following errors -->

Msg 243, Level 16, State 1, Procedure spCaseNoteReport, Line 12 Type date is not a defined system type. Msg 243, Level 16, State 1, Procedure spCaseNoteReport, Line 14 Type date is not a defined system type.

Answer 1

Nothing wrong with this approach. I use it myself.

Parameter defaults can only be constants or udfs so the alternative is to use udfs which honestly doesn't really help.

Edit: best way to remove a time component from datetime

DATEADD(day, DATEDIFF(day, 0, GETDATE()), 0)

See this excellent SO Q+A "Most efficient way in SQL Server to get date from date+time?" (not mine!)