Multifile feature connection datasets have a time property that defines the time type, time formatting, and time zone for your dataset.
The following are some examples of when you should update your time information:
- To change the time from one type to another, such as, from an instant to an interval
- To remove time from a dataset
- To change the formatting of the time fields
- To add additional fields to represent the time
Time property details
There are three components of the time properties that are required if there is time in your dataset:
- Time type—A required property if there is time included in the dataset. Options include an instant, a single moment in time, or an interval, which has a start and end time.
- Time reference—A required property if the dataset is time enabled, denoting the time zone.
- Fields—A required field that denotes the field names and formats of the time.
If there is no time in your dataset, you can set the time as none.
Time zones are based on Joda-Time. To learn about Joda-Time formats, see Joda-Time Available Time Zones. You can format the time zone in the following ways:
- The full name of the time zone, for example, Pacific Standard Time
- The time zone offset expressed in hours: -0100 or -01:00
- The UTC or GMT abbreviation
There is flexibility in how to set time fields and formats. In addition to setting a single field and format, you can also do the following:
- Set multiple formats for the same field. Do this by creating a new entry for the field and specifying the additional format. This is useful when formats have changed during data collection.
- Use multiple fields to specify the complete date and time. For example, you can use a field called Date for the format and a field called Time with the format. These two fields will be used together to represent time.
When the MFC dataset is time-enabled, the schema includes additional date fields. For a MFC dataset with time type instant, the schema includes a field named BDC_INSTANT_TIME. For a MFC dataset with time type interval, the schema includes fields named BDC_START_TIME and BDC_END_TIME. The fields are in the format MM/dd/yyyy hh:mm:ss a. The source dataset or the .mfc file will not include these fields.
The following table outlines how to specify time formats for the Start Time and End Time parameters when you edit a MFC dataset. The examples show how to represent the time January 2, 2016, at 9:45:02.05 p.m.
Time formats in multifile feature connections
| Symbol | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
yy | The year, represented by two digits. | 16 |
yyyy | The year, represented by four digits. | 2016 |
MM | The month, represented numerically. | 01 or 1 |
MMM | The month, represented using three letters. | Jan |
MMMM | The month, represented using the complete spelling. | January |
dd | The day. | 02 or 2 |
HH | The hour when using a 24-hour day; values range from 0-23. | 21 |
hh | The hour when using a 12-hour day; values range from 1-12. | 9 |
mm | The minute; values range from 0-59. | 45 |
ss | The second; values range from 0-59. | 02 |
SSS | The millisecond; values range from 0-999. | 50 |
a | The AM/PM marker. | PM |
epoch_millis | The time in milliseconds from epoch. | 1509581781000 |
epoch_seconds | The time in seconds from epoch. | 1509747601 |
Z | The time zone offset expressed in hours. | -0100 or -01:00 |
ZZZ | The time zone offset expressed using IDs. | America/Los_Angeles |
'' | Use single quotes to add text that doesn't represent a value outlined in this table. | 'T' |
The following table shows examples for different formats of the same date, January 2, 2016, at 9:45:02.05 PM:
Time format examples
| Input date | Date format |
|---|---|
01/02/2016 9:45:02PM | MM/dd/yyyy hh:mm:ssa |
Jan02-16 21:45:02 | MMMdd-yy HH:mm:ss |
January 02 2016 9:45:02.050PM | MMMM dd yyyy hh:mm:ss.SSSa |
01/02/2017T9:45:14:05-0000 | MM/dd/yyyy'T'HH:mm:ssZ |