Timestamp format reference

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You can specify timestamp values in any format that is recognizable to DBRC.

For detailed information about the formats that are recognizable to IMS Database Recovery Control (DBRC), see the topics about DBRC timestamps in the IMS Database Recovery Control (DBRC) Guide and Reference.

The format of the timestamp value is expressed as either compressed or punctuated.

Additionally, timestamps must always be enclosed within single quotation marks.

In the following timestamp formats, the use of brackets [] indicates that the value contained in the brackets is optional.

Punctuated timestamps follow this format:
'[yy]yy|ddd|hh|mm|ss|thmiju [offset]'
Note: In the punctuated timestamp format, the delimiter character ( | ) can be any non-numeric character delimiter (including blank) with the exception of the single quotation mark ( ' ).
Compressed timestamps follow this format:
'yydddhhmmssthmiju [offset]'

Timestamp specification reference

[yy]yy
The year specification (1978 – 9999).

You can abbreviate the year to yy, specifying only the last two digits of the year. For example, 2021 and 21 are equivalent values.

Note: Compressed timestamps only accept the two digit year format.
ddd
The day specification (001 – 366).
hh
The hour specification (0-23).
mm
The minute specification (0-59).
ss
The second specification (0-59).
thmiju
The specification (known as precision) down to the millionth of a second (000000 – 999999)

t (ten), h (hundred), m (1 thousand), i (10 thousand), j (100 thousand), u (1 million)

offset
  • Offset is an optional specification and represents a value that, when added to (or subtracted from) UTC (Coordinated Universal Time), provides local time.
  • Offset can be specified as a numeric value in the form (punctuated and compressed):
    ±h[h[:mm]]
    ±h[h[mm]]

    h[h] is a numeric value from 0 to 14, representing UTC time zones east or west of Greenwich, England. (Although the normal time zones east and west of Greenwich are ±12 hours, there are actually a few time zones on the earth that are 13 and 14 hours.)

    mm is a numeric value from the set {00, 15, 30, 45}.

    Note: For the compressed timestamp format, if you specify mm, then you must also specify h[h].
  • Offset can also be specified as a predefined symbolic string that represents the required offset value.

    The symbolic offset string and value must be previously defined to the RECON data sets using the CHANGE.RECON TIMEZONE(NNNNN, offset) command. For example (defining RECON command and usage in a punctuated timestamp):

    CHANGE.RECON TIMEZONE(ABC, +11:45)
    ’2021 045 16.24.45.7 ABC'

    You can use any symbolic string such as GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), PDT (Pacific Daylight Time), EST(Eastern Standard Time), or even XYZ.

    The symbolic offset string (ABC in the example) has a limit of 5 characters.

    Note: Symbolic offset is appropriate only for IMS Database Recovery Facility. Symbolic offset is not supported by IMS Database Recovery Facility Extended Functions.

Timestamp examples

Here are 3 examples of compressed timestamps:

'21252082445712345' 
'21252082445712-0800'
'212521624457+0'

Here are 5 examples of punctuated time stamps:

'21.252/08:24:45.712345' 
'21.252 08:24:45.712 -8' 
'21/252-08.24.45.71 -8:00' 
'2021 252 16.24.45.7 +0'
'2021 252 16.24.45.7'
Notes:
  • The precision level specified on the timestamp is used by DBRC to locate information in the RECON.

    The precision level can range from a tenth of a second to a microsecond, or 1 to 6 digits to the right of the decimal point. This is sometimes called precision 1 to 6.

    Precision 6 is known as full precision. DBRC uses full precision (precision 6).

  • The timestamp you specify is converted into Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which is used internally by IMS and DBRC to store all timestamps.

    The format of the external timestamp that you specify provides a more user-readable format.

  • If a timestamp does not contain an offset, it is assumed to be local time and the offset of the local MVS™ (the one on which the job executes) is used to calculate the UTC timestamps that are used internally.
  • If you need to recover to a time prior to a seasonal time change, take care when specifying the timestamp to ensure that the correct results are obtained. In these cases, you must specify the offset that is associated with the time period being recovered to.

    For example, if daylight savings time went into effect yesterday and you are in the Pacific Time zone, the offset for calculating UTC time yesterday would have been -8 hours. Today, since daylight savings time is in effect, the offset is -7 hours.

    In this example, in order to recover to the correct point in time, you must use -8 hours as the offset in the timestamp.