Here's a small homework assignment to help you continue to improve your T-SQL skills. You can find the answer online in the UserDefinedFunctionHomeworkAnswers.sql script file at http://www.tsqlsolutions.com, InstantDoc ID 26171. Applying the tools and tips I explain in this column, create a function that returns date values in the Mon_dd_yyyy format (e.g., Sep_14_2002 or Jan_01_2000). The number of characters for the month should be three, the separator should be a parameter, which will let you use any character (not just _), and the separator should always return 11 characters aligned properly for easy readability.