SQL Server uptime, Database uptime ?

Question

Is there a way, preferably with T-SQL, to query how long the SQL Server service has been running?
Also how long a particular database has been running (i.e. when it was last set online)?
I'm hoping for something simpler than querying the SQL errorlog, especially as that could be cycled to a point where this info is no longer present
CheersMCITP: Database Administrator 2005 / 2008

Answer 1

I agree querying ERROR LOG could be painfull
However since SQL2005  Microsoft introduced the default trace , this is running permanently unless you specify to stop it
so you can query it and this one is pretty interesting
So to track when SQL server has been stopped or started : 
SELECT  TE.name AS [EventName] ,
        V.subclass_name ,
        T.LoginName ,
        T.StartTime ,
        T.SessionLoginName
-- Get the current path of the default trace and will add 'log.trc' at the end so that
-- every traces files that are still on this path will be used for the query result
FROM    dbo.fn_trace_gettable(( SELECT  REVERSE(SUBSTRING(REVERSE(path),CHARINDEX('\',REVERSE(path)),256)) + 'log.trc'
                                FROM    sys.traces
                                WHERE   is_default = 1
                              ), DEFAULT) T
        JOIN sys.trace_events TE ON T.EventClass = TE.trace_event_id
        JOIN sys.trace_subclass_values V ON V.trace_event_id = TE.trace_event_id
                                            AND V.subclass_value = T.EventSubClass
WHERE   TE.name IN ( 'Audit Server Starts And Stops' )
ORDER BY T.StartTime ASC