SPL: Date, Time and Datetime Handling
SPL offers a wealth of functions for date, time and datetime handling, including calculating the current time/date, extracting a component from a date/time/datetime, combining components to generate a date/time/datetime, format conversion, precision tuning, getting a related date, calculating the time interval, calculating the relative date, equivalence comparison, workday-related calculations, evenly spaced time series handling, etc. These functions can be divided into two categories – basic handling and computations.
1. Basic handling
1.1 Calculating the current time/date
Task |
Code |
Return value |
Return the current time, accurate to millisecond |
now() |
|
Return the current date |
now@d() |
|
Return the current time |
now@t() |
|
Return the current time, accurate to minute |
now@m() |
|
Return the current time, accurate to second |
now@s() |
1.2 Extracting component
Extract the year, month, date, hour, minute, second and week from date, time or datetime objects or strings.
In the following table, dt is a datetime object, such as datetime("2018-08-15 16:07:58:327","yyyy-MM-dd HH🇲🇲ss:SSS").
Task |
Code |
Return value |
Get the year |
year(dt) |
2018 |
Get the month |
month(dt) |
8 |
Get the year and month |
month@y(dt) |
201808 |
Get the day |
day(dt) |
15 |
Get the day of the week for the current date |
day@w(dt) |
4(Sunday is 1, Monday is 2) |
Get the hour |
hour(dt) |
16 |
Get the minute |
minute(dt) |
7 |
Get the second |
second(dt) |
58 |
Get the millisecond |
millisecond(dt) |
327 |
Get the date part in a datetime |
date(dt) |
date("2018-08-15") |
Get the time part in a datetime |
time(dt) |
time("16:07:58") |
Get the time part in a datetime , accurate to minute |
time@m(dt) |
time("16:07:00") |
1.3 Combining components
Generate a date, time or datetime object using a year value, a month value, an hour value, a minute value, a second value, a long integer, or a datetime string.
In the following table, dt is a datetime object, such as datetime("2018-08-15 16:07:58:327","yyyy-MM-dd HH🇲🇲ss:SSS").
Task |
Code |
Return value |
Generate a date using the year, month and day components |
date(2018,8,15) |
|
Generate a time using the hour, minute and second components |
time(16,7,58) |
|
Generate a datetime using the year, month, day, hour, minute, second components |
datetime(2018,8,15,16,7,58) |
|
Generate a datetime using the date and time components |
datetime(date("2018-08-15"), time("16:07:58")) |
1.4 Conversion
In the following table, d is a date object, such as date("2018-08-15");
t is a time object, such as time("16:07:58:327","HH🇲🇲ss:SSS");
dt is datetime object, such as datetime("2018-08-15 16:07:58:327","yyyy-MM-dd HH🇲🇲ss:SSS").
Task |
Code |
Return value |
Adjust datetime precision, accurate to day |
datetime(dt) |
2018-08-15 00:00:00 |
Adjust datetime precision, accurate to minute |
datetime@m(dt) |
2018-08-15 16:07:00 |
Adjust datetime precision, accurate to second |
datetime@s(dt) |
2018-08-15 16:07:58 |
Convert a string to date of default format |
date("2018-08-15") |
|
Convert a string to date according to the specified format |
date("08/15/2018","MM/dd/yyyy") |
|
Convert a string to date according to the specified format |
date("201808","yyyyMM") |
2018-08-01 |
Convert a string to time of default format |
time("16:07:58") |
|
Convert a string to time according to the specified format |
time("4:07 PM","h:mm a") |
16:07:00 |
Convert a string to datetime according to the specified format |
datetime("2018-08-15 16:07:58") |
|
Convert a string to datetime according to the specified format |
datetime("08/15/2018 4:07 PM", "MM/dd/yyyy h:mm a") |
|
Convert to default date format string |
string(d) |
2018-08-15 |
Convert to the specified date format string |
string(dt,"MM/dd/yyyy") |
08/15/2018 |
Convert to the specified date format string |
string(dt,"yyyyMM") |
201808 |
Convert to default time format string |
string(t) |
16:07:58 |
Convert to the specified time format string |
string(dt,"h:mm a") |
4:07 PM |
Convert to default datetime format string |
string(dt) |
2018-08-15 16:07:58 |
Convert to the specified datetime format string |
string(dt,"MM/dd/yyyy h:mm a") |
08/15/2018 4:07 PM |
Convert to a long integer to datetime |
datetime(321656865654) |
1980-03-12 05:07:45 |
Convert to a long integer (represented as the number of milliseconds since January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 GMT) |
long(dt) |
1534320478000 |
2. Computations
2.1 Calculating a related date
In the following table, dt is a date object, such as date("2020-04-16").
Task |
Code |
Return value |
Get the first day (Sunday) of the week given in the specified date |
pdate@w(dt) |
2020-04-12 |
Get the first day of the month given in the specified date |
pdate@m(dt) |
2020-04-01 |
Get the first day of the quarter given in the specified date |
pdate@q(dt) |
2020-04-01 |
Get the first day of the year given in the specified date |
pdate@y(dt) |
2020-01-01 |
Get the last day (Saturday) of the week given in the specified date |
pdate@we(dt) |
2020-04-18 |
Get the last day of the month given in the specified date |
pdate@me(dt) |
2020-04-30 |
Get the last day of the quarter given in the specified date |
pdate@qe(dt) |
2020-06-30 |
Get the last day of the year given in the specified date |
pdate@ye(dt) |
2020-12-31 |
Count the days of the month given in the specified date |
days(dt) |
30 |
Count the days of the quarter given in the specified date |
days@q(dt) |
91 |
Count the days of the year given in the specified date |
days@y(dt) |
366 |
2.2 Calculating the time interval
Calculate the time interval between two time points.
In the following table, dt1 and dt2 are datetime("2008-08-08 20:00:00") and datetime("2018-05-28 10:27:15") respectively.
Task |
Code |
Return value |
Get the number of full years between the given datetime and the current datetime |
age(dt1) |
13 |
Get the number of full years between two given datetimes |
age(dt1,dt2) |
9 |
Get the number of years between the years that two given datetimes belong to |
age@y(dt1,dt2) |
10 |
Get the number of years between the months that two given datetimes belong to |
age@m(dt1,dt2) |
9 |
Get the difference between two given datetimes in terms of years |
interval@y(dt1,dt2) |
10 |
Get the difference between two given datetimes in terms of quarters |
interval@q(dt1,dt2) |
40 |
Get the difference between two given datetimes in terms of months |
interval@m(dt1,dt2) |
117 |
Get the difference between two given datetimes in terms of seconds |
interval@s(dt1,dt2) |
309277635 |
Get the difference between two given datetimes in terms of milliseconds |
interval@ms(dt1,dt2) |
309277635000 |
Get the number of Sundays between two given datetimes |
interval@7(dt1,dt2) |
512 |
Get the number of Mondays between two given datetimes |
interval@1(dt1,dt2) |
512 |
Get the difference between two given datetimes in terms of days and return an integer |
interval(dt1,dt2) |
3580 |
Get the difference between two given datetimes in terms of days and return an integer |
dt2-dt1 |
3580 |
Get the difference between two given datetimes in terms of days and return a real number |
interval@r(dt1,dt2) |
3579.6022569444444 |
2.3 Calculating a relative datetime
elapse(dt,k)
The function calculates a new datetime when a specified number of days, years, quarters, months, seconds or milliseconds k is added to or subtracted from a given datetime dt. The new date is in the future when k is a positive number and in the past when it is a negative number. If the original datetime is in the last day a month, the function, by default, will adjust the result datetime to the last day of the current month.
In the following table, dt is datetime("2017-02-28 10:27:15"), which is in the last day of February.
Task |
Code |
Return value |
Get the datetime three days after the given datetime |
dt+3 |
2017-03-03 10:27:15 |
Get the datetime three days after the given datetime |
elapse(A2,3) |
2017-03-03 10:27:15 |
Get the datetime three years after the given datetime (adjust the result to the last day of the current month) |
elapse@y(A2,3) |
2020-02-29 10:27:15 |
Get the datetime three years after the given datetime (do not adjust the result to the last day of the current month) |
elapse@ye(A2,3) |
2020-02-28 10:27:15 |
Get the datetime three quarters after the given datetime (adjust the result to the last day of the current month) |
elapse@q(A2,3) |
2017-11-30 10:27:15 |
Get the datetime three quarters after the given datetime (do not adjust the result to the last day of the current month) |
elapse@qe(A2,3) |
2017-11-28 10:27:15 |
Get the datetime four months before the given datetime (adjust the result to the last day of the current month) |
elapse@m(A2,-4) |
2016-10-31 10:27:15 |
Get the datetime four months before the given datetime (do not adjust the result to the last day of the current month) |
elapse@me(A2,-4) |
2016-10-28 10:27:15 |
Get the datetime 100 seconds after the given datetime |
elapse@s(A2,100) |
2017-02-28 10:28:55 |
Get the datetime 368 milliseconds after the given datetime |
elapse@ms(A2,368) |
2017-02-28 10:27:15:368 |
2.4 Equivalence comparison
Task |
Code |
Return value |
Compare whether two dates are equal |
deq("1988-12-08","1988-12-07") |
false |
Compare whether the years in the two given dates are equal |
deq@y(date("1988-11-08"),date("1988-09-12")) |
true |
Compare whether the months in the two given dates are equal |
deq@m(date("1988-11-08"),date("1988-09-12")) |
false |
Compare whether the quarters in the two given dates are equal |
deq@q(date("1988-12-08"),date("1988-10-12")) |
true |
Compare whether the ten-day periods in the two given dates are equal |
deq@t(date("1988-10-08"),date("1988-10-12")) |
false |
Compare whether the weeks in the two given dates are equal |
deq@w(date("1988-10-05"),date("1988-10-08")) |
true |
2.5 Workday-related calculations
workday(dt,k,h) Calculates the workday k days after the given date dt.
workdays(dt1,dt2,h) Returns a sequence of workdays between date dt1 and date dt2.
h is a sequence of holidays or non-holidays, whose member (members) is (are) treated as a holiday (holidays) if they are not weekends, and as a non-holiday (non-holidays) if they are weekends.
Task |
Code |
Return value |
Get the workday two workdays of the given date |
workday(date("2020-04-29"),2,[date("2020-05-01")]) |
2020-05-04 |
2020-05-01is Friday, which is a public holiday |
||
Get the workday two workdays of the given date |
workday(date("2020-09-25"),2,[date("2020-09-27")]) |
2020-09-28 |
2020-09-27 is a Sunday, which is a workday in lieu |
||
Get a sequence of workdays between two given dates |
=workdays(date("2020-09-24"),date("2020-09-29"),[date("2020-09-27")]) |
[2020-09-24,2020-09-25,2020-09-27,2020-09-28,2020-09-29] |
2.6 Evenly-spaced time series
periods(s,e,i)
s and e are time variables; i is an integer. The function returns a sequence of dates/times that are a certain time period (i) apart between two given time points s (inclusive) and e (inclusive). The default unit of i is day, and its default value is 1. We can use @x option in the function to exclude the endpoints.
Task |
Code |
Return value |
Get a sequence of dates that are three days apart between two given time points |
periods("2018-09-25","2018-10-06",3) |
[2018-09-25,2018-09-28, |
Get a sequence of dates that are three years apart between two given time points (Adjust to full years apart) |
periods@y("2010-09-25","2018-10-06",3) |
[2010-09-25,2013-01-01, |
Get a sequence of dates that are three years apart between two given time points (Do not adjust to full years apart) |
periods@yo("2010-09-25","2018-10-06",3) |
[2010-09-25,2013-09-25, |
Get a sequence of dates that are three quarters apart between two given time points (Adjust to full quarters apart) |
periods@q("2010-09-25","2012-05-06",3) |
[2010-09-25,2011-04-01, |
Get a sequence of dates that are three quarters apart between two given time points (Do not adjust to full quarters apart) |
periods@qo("2010-09-25","2012-05-06",3) |
[2010-09-25,2011-06-25, |
Get a sequence of dates that are three months apart between two given time points (Adjust to full months apart) |
periods@m("2010-09-25","2011-04-06",3) |
[2010-09-25,2010-12-01, |
Get a sequence of dates that are three months apart between two given time points (Do not adjust to full months apart) |
periods@mo("2010-09-25","2011-04-06",3) |
[2010-09-25,2010-12-25, |
Get a sequence of dates that are two ten-day periods apart between two given time points |
periods@t("2010-09-25","2010-11-06",2) |
[2010-09-25,2010-10-11, |
Get a sequence of times that are three seconds apart between two given time points |
periods@s("08:25:30","08:25:39",3) |
[08:25:30,08:25:33, |
range(s,e,k:n)
Both s and e are time variables. The function divides the time interval between s and e evenly into n segments, and returns the time range of the kth segment. The result’s degree of precision is determined by the data type of s and e. Accurate to day when they are date type, and to second when they are datetime type.
Task |
Code |
Return value |
Get the segment points after the interval between two given dates are trisected |
range(date("2018-08-09"),date("2020-02-20"),3) |
[2018-08-09,2019-02-12, |
Get the range of the 2nd segment after the interval between two given dates are trisected |
range(date("2018-08-09"),date("2020-02-20"),2:3) |
[2019-02-12,2019-08-18] |
Get the range of the 2nd segment after the interval between two given datetimes are trisected |
range(datetime("2018-01-01 10:20:30"), datetime("2020-01-01 10:00:00"),2:3) |
[2018-09-01 18:13:40, |
Find more date/time/datetime operations in date(), time(), and datetime() functions in SPL Function Reference.
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