DateTimes and FME
Date and time attributes (commonly known as DateTimes) are handled in FME using a variety of transformers and functions. This page covers frequently asked questions about these transformers, plus some general information.
FME 2026.1 and later
As of FME 2026.1, seven of the FME date/time functions have been replaced by ISO equivalents, and the Standard FME Date/Time Format has been deprecated in favour of ISO 8601. Existing workspaces continue to run, and the old function names still evaluate with their previous behaviour, but they are no longer listed in the Text Editor.
Functions that were not renamed, including @DateTimeFormat(), @DateTimeDiff() and @DateTimeCast(), are unaffected and remain available. For the full list see Date/Time Functions, and for the deprecation record see FME Deprecations.
FME DateTime Transformers
Q) What transformers are available for handling datetimes in FME?
There are three main transformers for handling datetimes in FME:
- DateTimeConverter: Converts a set of input DateTime attributes from one format to another.
- DateTimeCalculator: Performs arithmetic operations on dates, times, and intervals.
- DateTimeStamper: Adds a timestamp to a feature as a new attribute.
DateTimeConverter: Converts the format of datetime attributes. Common uses include making datetimes more human-readable or converting human-readable datetimes into a format better suited for storage and analysis. For example, converting %B %e %Y %l:%M%p (for example December 30 2018 4:32 am) to %Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S (2018-12-30T04:32:00) makes the date less readable but sortable as a string and accepted by most modern databases and APIs.
You can get the same result by selecting the ISO (auto format) preset instead of entering a format string.
In FME 2026.1 and later, the Output Format parameter defaults to ISO (auto format). Select FME (auto format) if you need the previous YYYYMMDDhhmmss output, for example where a downstream step relies on that format for filename generation, string-based comparisons, SQL, regular expressions, or database loads. Note that upgrading an existing DateTimeConverter also changes how invalid input values are handled, which this setting does not affect.
Datetimes sort correctly as strings when they share a time zone. Values carrying different UTC offsets must be converted to a common offset before sorting or comparing.
The DateTimeCalculator is used to perform arithmetic calculations. Common uses include adding or subtracting a certain amount of time from a datetime, or finding the interval between two datetimes. For example, I can calculate that the elapsed time between 3-October-2015 and 25-July-2019 is P3Y9M22D (3 years, 9 months and 22 days) or simply 1,391 days.
The DateTimeStamper creates a datetime attribute whose value records when the transformer was used. Common uses include recording when a feature was processed. For example, this sentence was written at 20190725090341.5325659 (25-July-2019 at 9:03:41am).
In FME 2026.1 and later, the Output Format parameter defaults to ISO. Select FME if you need the previous YYYYMMDDhhmmss format
FME Hub DateTime Transformers
A number of datetime-related transformers are also available on the FME Hub.
Be aware that some transformers on the FME Hub often replicate functionality that already exists in FME, and some are made obsolete by newer FME functionality. Having said that, some useful hub transformers might be:
- DateValidator: Determines if a date string is valid as a Gregorian calendar date
- RelativeDateCalculator: Returns relative dates such as "Last Thursday" or "Next Day of the Week"
- TimeZoneExtractor: Returns time zone information based on the location of incoming features
- WorkingDaysCalculator: Returns the interval between two dates as the number of working days.
Transformers posted by "Safe Software Official" or "Safe Software Lab" should be high enough quality to use in production. Transformers posted by "Safe Sandbox" or by other FME users are not of guaranteed quality.
Documentation and Other Sources of Information
Q) What documentation is available for datetime handling in FME?
FME documentation can be found on our documentation website.
- Specific transformer documentation is found here: DateTimeConverter, DateTimeCalculator, DateTimeStamper
- Information on datetime terminology, the FME standard date format, and the ISO 8601 interval format can be found in the transformers documentation.
- Information on the FME DateTime functions and the argument flags used by them can also be found in the transformers documentation.
A number of FME blog posts on datetimes, including:
- FME 2017.1: Yet Another Awesome Datetime Update
- FME 2017: Dates, DateTimes, and their use in Temporal Calculations
You can also find more information by searching this site and the questions in the forums panel, or by asking a new question.
Other Frequently Asked Questions
Q) Does FME support time zone abbreviations such as ACT, CST, PDT, and so on?
A) No. At this time, only UTC offsets (for example, -08:00) are supported.
Q) Can I test dates in the Tester transformer or sort by date in the Sorter transformer?
A) Yes. The FME standard datetime format can easily be sorted numerically. The Tester transformer has a special mode for DateTime tests.
Q) Can FME handle fractional seconds?
A) Yes, FME datetime transformers all handle fractional seconds.