Months function

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Converts a specified date to a decimal value representing the number of periods since January 1, 1970. Useful for time-based calculations such as determining durations or pro-rating costs.

Syntax

Months(date_expression, format)

Arguments

  • date_expression: An expression that evaluates to a date to be converted to a double value. Format is: "MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM" or any other standard date format supported by the application. The expression can be the name of a column.
  • format: A string literal that specifies the format of the date (e.g., "MM/dd/yyyy"). Optional if the date format is auto-detectable. Optional

Behavior

  • Returns the number of periods (months) since January 1, 1970 as a decimal number.
  • Partial periods are included as fractional values. For example, 1.1 represents one full month and part of another.
  • Can be used in formulas for calculating durations, allocating costs, or comparing timeframes.

Return type

Number

Example

  • Months("01/01/1970"): Returns 1 because it is the reference date.
  • Months("01/02/1970"): Returns 1.032.
  • Months({ProjectEnd}) - Months({ProjectStart}): Calculates the duration in months between two project dates.
  • (Months({ProjectEnd}) - Months({ProjectStart}))* Multiplies the number of months between start and end dates by the monthly project cost to estimate total cost.
Note:
  • The result includes partial months as decimal values, making it suitable for prorated calculations.
  • Date format is required only if the date input cannot be parsed automatically by the platform.
  • The function is based on January 1, 1970 as the epoch reference.