how do you flag a sql 2005 server database record where there has been no action for 8 hours

Not sure I fully understand where you are going with this, but it would seem like you need to evaluate the value of the requestDate field to see if it is older than 8 hours ago.  Is that correct?

Is so, I would do something like this:

Select  xyzID,
        requestDate,
        statusname,
        sendemail
From ATable 
Where requestDate <= DateAdd(hh, -8, GetDate())

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If you need this to do an update, then you would just do this:

Update ATable
Set sendemail = 'Yes'
Where requestDate <= DateAdd(hh, -8, GetDate())

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Or without actually updating the table, you could do this in the query:

Select  xyzID,
        requestDate,
        statusname,
        case 
           when requestDate <= DateAdd(hh, -8, GetDate()) 
              then 'Yes' 
           else 'No'
        end as sendemail
From ATable 

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Hope that helps!

@PatelAlpesh:

My reading of the question is that requestDate is the updatedate field and Asker is looking for the select/update query to use to track the record based on the current datetime.

thanks mwvisa1 (and all): the idea here is the requestDate field logs the time when the user makes a request for something.  After 8 hours if the data in the statusname field does not read "pending" . I would like to update (set) the “sendemail” field to read “yes” which somehow will fire off an email alerting others that 8 hours have elapsed and no one has responsed to the request. Of course I need to figure how to capture and reset  “sendemail” field to read "no".
I need the first 2 scripts since i have to update eact time and somehow reset the fields after email fire off?

Select  xyzID,
        requestDate,
        statusname,
        sendemail
From ATable
Where requestDate <= DateAdd(hh, -8, GetDate())

Update ATable
Set sendemail = 'Yes'
Where requestDate <= DateAdd(hh, -8, GetDate())