Re: plsql / function / convert to date

From: Andrew Allen <andrew.allen_at_handleman.com>
Date: Thu, 27 Feb 2003 20:29:14 GMT
Message-ID: <3E5E6810.5020202@handleman.com>

Oliver Demus wrote:

> Hi again,
> I think the idea behind that was, that we sell our product in
> different countries. And in that case, we don´t care about the format
> of a date. I think that is the one and only reason.
> 
> Oliver

But Oliver,
Oracle stores date/date+time info in an internal 7-byte structure that is only understood by Oracle. How you display it or the format of the date you load into the database is unimportant. The way dates and times are displayed is strictly a matter of local or personal preference and based upon such system/session parameters as:

nls_date_format
nls_date_language
nls_dual_currency
nls_territory
nls_time_format
nls_time_tz_format
nls_timestamp_format
nls_timestamp_tz_format

So trying to 'universalize' a date into some number string of your own devising is pointless and in fact only makes things more difficult.

--
AjA

> 
> "Guido Konsolke" <Guido.Konsolke_at_triaton.com> wrote in message news:<1046358009.609891_at_news.thyssen.com>...
> 


>>"Oliver Demus" <oliver_at_demus-online.de> schrieb im Newsbeitrag

>>news:62e59750.0302270618.18ca9186_at_posting.google.com...

>>

>>>Hi everybody,

>>>

>>>off topic (german to Guido): Bin kein Frühaufsteher, bin im Moment in

>>

>> Canada.

>>

>>>thanks for the help, will use the advised procedure of Jim.

>>>

>>>But by the way, here is the procedure, wich converts the date into a

>>

>> number:

>>

>>>FUNCTION now

>>>return number is

>>>begin

>>>  return to_number(to_char((sysdate  -

>>>          to_date(to_number(to_char(sysdate,'J')-2415019)+2415019,'J') )

>>

>> +

>>

>>>          to_number(to_char(sysdate,'J')-2415019) )) ;

>>>end;

>>>

>>>Thanks again

>>>Oliver

>>

>>Hi Oliver,

>>

>>thanks for your answer and the function's code. Now I have something to

>>do when the weather turns bad again: think about why one would use such a

>>function.

>>

>>Greetings,

>>Guido

> 

Received on Thu Feb 27 2003 - 14:29:14 CST