Do servers automatically return dates in local time zones?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Randall Parker
  • Start date Start date
R

Randall Parker

Do most RDBMSs know that they have their data in time zone X (whatever that is) but
adjust to the time zone of a client that connects to them and return dates adjusted
to that client's time zone?

Does ADO.Net communicate client time zone info to the server as part of a database
connection?

I'm using MySQL at the moment and just found that I'm going to be getting data on a
project which has all dates in UTC. So I'm wondering on which level(s) to deal with
this. I'm guessing I want to store in UTC. But then on queries will I get data back
in UTC? Or will the drivers convert to local time?
 
Randall,

This was just a discussion in the newsgroup languages.vb.

In the DataTable DateTime is a feature to tell from what timezone it comes.
(It can have the extention Z(ulu) (version 2.0) or a offset to UTC).

Because of the discussion I am not sure if it works well in any place so you
have to check this very well to be sure.

The datetime in your server is probably in *its own* local time. I am not
sure in what cases the offset or the Z (Zero time-Zulu time) is given to
DateTime value or an offset is used to that.

However trying is easy of course in this case.

Not much however I hope that it helps something.

Cor
 
On my XP1 Pro machine which is configured as GMT (-06:00) the 2.0 Website
Administration Tool writes records into the database 6 hours into the future
GMT(0:00) when recording a Role in the aspnet_Users table.

I've reconfigured a disk -- twice -- to test this wierd behavior and the
same thing occurs. When I use the WAT to add a new user or add an existing
user to a role the time is 6 hours into the future. There is some offset
occuring.

--
<%= Clinton Gallagher
METROmilwaukee (sm) "A Regional Information Service"
NET csgallagher AT metromilwaukee.com
URL http://metromilwaukee.com/
URL http://clintongallagher.metromilwaukee.com/
 
The news article Cor referred to is...

news://microsoft.public.dotnet.languages.vb
12/13/2005
Cesar Ronchese
Dates and Time Zone problem (to Armin, Cor or who can help) :))

I don't know -- yet -- if anything that can be learned from that article can
be used to resolve the way the Website Administration Tool "normalizes" the
date when recording to the aspnet_Users table (Membership) but thanks for
bringing it up Cor...

<%= Clinton Gallagher
 
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