Dates and times

This topic provides guidelines for using date and time information in HCL Compass.

The accuracy of date and time information in a HCL Compass database requires that the time, date, and time zone are set correctly on client machines and on database and Web servers. For example:
  • When using HCL Compass Web, accurate times depend on correct time settings on the Web browser.
  • History times might not be accurate if time settings on a database server are not set correctly.
  • Times stored in schema fields (such as submit_date) are based on the client local time, and thus their accuracy depends on correct time settings in the Web browser or on the local machine.

Times are stored in a HCL Compass database as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). UTC times that are converted to that format from their actual client local times occurs for all but history time stamps. History time stamps are stored based on database server local time and are not converted to or from UTC.

  • For all time stamps except those in the history table, the local time for the Web server or the client is converted to its UTC equivalent and saved in the database. When it is displayed, this time stamp is converted to the local time. For example, when a client runs a query, the time displayed depends on the client interface from which the query runs. Query result sets convert the UTC stored in the database to client local time before they are displayed.
  • Times stored in the history table (action_timestamp and expired_timestamp) are database server local times. The history action_timestamp is displayed unmodified on the history tab of a record. The expired_timestamp is not displayed. If you write a query to fetch the time stamps from the history table, the action_timestamp is displayed unmodified.