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MySQL 9.3 Reference Manual  / ...  / Data Types  / Date and Time Data Types  /  The DATE, DATETIME, and TIMESTAMP Types

13.2.2 The DATE, DATETIME, and TIMESTAMP Types

TheDATE,DATETIME, andTIMESTAMP types are related. This section describes their characteristics, how they are similar, and how they differ. MySQL recognizesDATE,DATETIME, andTIMESTAMP values in several formats, described inSection 11.1.3, “Date and Time Literals”. For theDATE andDATETIME range descriptions,“supported” means that although earlier values might work, there is no guarantee.

TheDATE type is used for values with a date part but no time part. MySQL retrieves and displaysDATE values in'YYYY-MM-DD' format. The supported range is'1000-01-01' to'9999-12-31'.

TheDATETIME type is used for values that contain both date and time parts. MySQL retrieves and displaysDATETIME values in'YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss' format. The supported range is'1000-01-01 00:00:00' to'9999-12-31 23:59:59'.

TheTIMESTAMP data type is used for values that contain both date and time parts.TIMESTAMP has a range of'1970-01-01 00:00:01' UTC to'2038-01-19 03:14:07' UTC.

ADATETIME orTIMESTAMP value can include a trailing fractional seconds part in up to microseconds (6 digits) precision. In particular, any fractional part in a value inserted into aDATETIME orTIMESTAMP column is stored rather than discarded. With the fractional part included, the format for these values is'YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm:ss[.fraction]', the range forDATETIME values is'1000-01-01 00:00:00.000000' to'9999-12-31 23:59:59.499999', and the range forTIMESTAMP values is'1970-01-01 00:00:01.000000' to'2038-01-19 03:14:07.499999'. The fractional part should always be separated from the rest of the time by a decimal point; no other fractional seconds delimiter is recognized. For information about fractional seconds support in MySQL, seeSection 13.2.6, “Fractional Seconds in Time Values”.

TheTIMESTAMP andDATETIME data types offer automatic initialization and updating to the current date and time. For more information, seeSection 13.2.5, “Automatic Initialization and Updating for TIMESTAMP and DATETIME”.

MySQL convertsTIMESTAMP values from the current time zone to UTC for storage, and back from UTC to the current time zone for retrieval. (This does not occur for other types such asDATETIME.) By default, the current time zone for each connection is the server's time. The time zone can be set on a per-connection basis. As long as the time zone setting remains constant, you get back the same value you store. If you store aTIMESTAMP value, and then change the time zone and retrieve the value, the retrieved value is different from the value you stored. This occurs because the same time zone was not used for conversion in both directions. The current time zone is available as the value of thetime_zone system variable. For more information, seeSection 7.1.15, “MySQL Server Time Zone Support”.

You can specify a time zone offset when inserting aTIMESTAMP orDATETIME value into a table. SeeSection 11.1.3, “Date and Time Literals”, for more information and examples.

InvalidDATE,DATETIME, orTIMESTAMP values are converted to the“zero” value of the appropriate type ('0000-00-00' or'0000-00-00 00:00:00'), if the SQL mode permits this conversion. The precise behavior depends on which if any of strict SQL mode and theNO_ZERO_DATE SQL mode are enabled; seeSection 7.1.11, “Server SQL Modes”.

You can convertTIMESTAMP values to UTCDATETIME values when retrieving them usingCAST() with theAT TIME ZONE operator, as shown here:

mysql> SELECT col,     >     CAST(col AT TIME ZONE INTERVAL '+00:00' AS DATETIME) AS ut     >     FROM ts ORDER BY id;+---------------------+---------------------+| col                 | ut                  |+---------------------+---------------------+| 2020-01-01 10:10:10 | 2020-01-01 15:10:10 || 2019-12-31 23:40:10 | 2020-01-01 04:40:10 || 2020-01-01 13:10:10 | 2020-01-01 18:10:10 || 2020-01-01 10:10:10 | 2020-01-01 15:10:10 || 2020-01-01 04:40:10 | 2020-01-01 09:40:10 || 2020-01-01 18:10:10 | 2020-01-01 23:10:10 |+---------------------+---------------------+

For complete information regarding syntax and additional examples, see the description of theCAST() function.

Be aware of certain properties of date value interpretation in MySQL:

  • MySQL permits a“relaxed” format for values specified as strings, in which any punctuation character may be used as the delimiter between date parts or time parts. In some cases, this syntax can be deceiving. For example, a value such as'10:11:12' might look like a time value because of the:, but is interpreted as the year'2010-11-12' if used in date context. The value'10:45:15' is converted to'0000-00-00' because'45' is not a valid month.

    The only delimiter recognized between a date and time part and a fractional seconds part is the decimal point.

  • The server requires that month and day values be valid, and not merely in the range 1 to 12 and 1 to 31, respectively. With strict mode disabled, invalid dates such as'2004-04-31' are converted to'0000-00-00' and a warning is generated. With strict mode enabled, invalid dates generate an error. To permit such dates, enableALLOW_INVALID_DATES. SeeSection 7.1.11, “Server SQL Modes”, for more information.

  • MySQL does not acceptTIMESTAMP values that include a zero in the day or month column or values that are not a valid date. The sole exception to this rule is the special“zero” value'0000-00-00 00:00:00', if the SQL mode permits this value. The precise behavior depends on which if any of strict SQL mode and theNO_ZERO_DATE SQL mode are enabled; seeSection 7.1.11, “Server SQL Modes”.

  • Dates containing 2-digit year values are ambiguous because the century is unknown. MySQL interprets 2-digit year values using these rules:

    • Year values in the range00-69 become2000-2069.

    • Year values in the range70-99 become1970-1999.

    See alsoSection 13.2.9, “2-Digit Years in Dates”.