Re: Question regard dates in Oracle database.

From: Thomas J Kyte <tkyte_at_us.oracle.com>
Date: 1996/03/26
Message-ID: <4j7n8v$pls_at_inet-nntp-gw-1.us.oracle.com>#1/1

quan_at_hpcc01.corp.hp.com (Suu Quan) wrote:

>/ hpcc01:comp.databases.oracle / cfischer_at_nando.net (Chris Fischer) / 9:33 am Mar 21, 1996 /
>>If I understand correctly, the multiple users from other timezones
>>will be connecting to a central server running this application? If
>>so, then time zone shouldn't be an issue because SYSDATE is the
>>operating system date/time on the database server itself, not the
>>client date/time on each PC or whatever.
 

> I still think Oracle has a problem (solved in most other DBMS).

Which ones and how?

> Scenario : It's 11:30 AM California time. I -the client- enter a transaction
>with date -I think- is California "Monday 25 March 1996 at 11:30:10"
 

>The server is in Germany (or Japan). The server registers a date-time of
> "Monday 25 March 1996 at 20:32:08" (well 2-second in overhead/delay)
>(or "Tuesday 26 March 1996 at 04:32:08" in Japan)
 

> Doesn't it look odd that somebody is working that late (or early) ?

Scenario 2:

I forget to do something my boss said to do by COB. He/She said to do it by 5pm or else.
It is now 11pm, I didn't do it.
I set the system clock on my pc to 4:30pm and execute the transaction. Wah-lah, the system thinks I did my work at 4:30pm.

Doesn't it look odd to my boss the next when they KNOW they looked at 6pm to see if I did it (and I hadn't) but then the next day it says I did at 4:30pm?

Relying on the client machine to provide the correct date is a fatal error (and a security risk, and error prone, and so on).....

I can make my workstation say anytime I want, anytime I want it to. I can 'fake' things.

Wouldn't it be stranger to your your DBA in japan or germany that all accesses take place between 9am and 5pm their time? I kinda think that a server in ANYWHERE expecting hits from EVERYWHERE would be expecting hits 24 hours a day.

Thomas Kyte
tkyte_at_us.oracle.com
Oracle Government

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opinions and statements are mine and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Oracle Corporation. Received on Tue Mar 26 1996 - 00:00:00 CET