How to Set Timestamps With & Without Time Zone in PostgreSQL

Timestamps are a fundamental data type in PostgreSQL, allowing you to store and manipulate date and time information. In PostgreSQL, you have the option to handle timestamps with or without time zone. In this answer, we will explore how to handle timestamps with and without time zone in PostgreSQL.

Handling Timestamps Without Time Zone

When handling timestamps without time zone in PostgreSQL, the date and time information is stored as-is, without any consideration for time zone adjustments. This means that the values you store will be assumed to be in the local time zone of the server.

To store a timestamp without time zone in PostgreSQL, you can use the timestamp data type. For example, you can create a table with a column of type timestamp as follows:

CREATE TABLE events (
    id serial PRIMARY KEY,
    event_timestamp timestamp
);

When inserting data into the event_timestamp column, you can use the ISO 8601 format to specify the date and time. For example:

INSERT INTO events (event_timestamp) VALUES ('2022-01-01T10:30:00');

When querying the data, PostgreSQL will return the stored timestamp as-is, without any time zone adjustments. For example:

SELECT event_timestamp FROM events;

This will return the timestamp value without any time zone information.

It's important to note that when working with timestamps without time zone, you need to be aware of the time zone settings of your server. If the server's time zone changes, the stored timestamps may be interpreted differently. To ensure consistent results, it's recommended to set the server's time zone explicitly using the timezone configuration parameter in postgresql.conf.

Related Article: Tutorial: Dealing with Non-Existent Relations in PostgreSQL

Handling Timestamps With Time Zone

When handling timestamps with time zone in PostgreSQL, the date and time information is stored along with the time zone offset. This allows PostgreSQL to perform time zone conversions and handle daylight saving time adjustments automatically.

To store a timestamp with time zone in PostgreSQL, you can use the timestamptz data type. For example, you can create a table with a column of type timestamptz as follows:

CREATE TABLE events (
    id serial PRIMARY KEY,
    event_timestamp timestamptz
);

When inserting data into the event_timestamp column, you can use the ISO 8601 format to specify the date and time, including the time zone offset. For example:

INSERT INTO events (event_timestamp) VALUES ('2022-01-01T10:30:00+00:00');

When querying the data, PostgreSQL will return the stored timestamp with the appropriate time zone adjustment. For example:

SELECT event_timestamp FROM events;

This will return the timestamp value with the time zone information included.

When working with timestamps with time zone, PostgreSQL uses the time zone settings of the server by default. However, you can also override the server's time zone for a specific session or query by using the SET TIME ZONE command. For example:

SET TIME ZONE 'America/New_York';
SELECT event_timestamp FROM events;

This will return the timestamp value adjusted to the "America/New_York" time zone.

It's important to note that when working with timestamps with time zone, you need to be aware of the time zone offset of your data. If the time zone offset changes, the stored timestamps may be interpreted differently. To ensure consistent results, it's recommended to always store the time zone offset along with the timestamp data.

Best Practices and Considerations

Related Article: Tutorial: Dealing with Non-Existent Relations in PostgreSQL

When working with timestamps in PostgreSQL, whether with or without time zone, there are some best practices and considerations to keep in mind:

1. Be consistent: Choose a consistent approach for handling timestamps throughout your application. Mixing timestamps with and without time zone can lead to confusion and unexpected results.

2. Store the time zone offset: If you need to handle time zone conversions or daylight saving time adjustments, it's recommended to store the time zone offset along with the timestamp data. This ensures consistent interpretation of the timestamps.

3. Be aware of daylight saving time changes: Daylight saving time changes can affect the interpretation of timestamps with time zone. Make sure to update your server's time zone information regularly to reflect any daylight saving time changes.

4. Use appropriate data types: Use the timestamp data type for timestamps without time zone and the timestamptz data type for timestamps with time zone. Using the correct data type ensures proper storage and handling of timestamps.

5. Set the server's time zone explicitly: To avoid unexpected results, set the server's time zone explicitly using the timezone configuration parameter in postgresql.conf. This ensures consistent interpretation of timestamps without time zone.

6. Use time zone functions: PostgreSQL provides a range of built-in functions for working with time zones, such as AT TIME ZONE and timezone(). These functions can be used to convert timestamps between different time zones or to extract specific components of a timestamp.

For more information and detailed documentation on handling timestamps in PostgreSQL, you can refer to the official PostgreSQL documentation: