TIMESTAMP

Description

The TIMESTAMP function is a system function that casts a string value into a timestamp.

This function is fully supported in Snowflake.

Grammar Syntax

select "timestamp"(VARCHAR);

Sample Source Patterns

Input Code:

Redshift

IN -> Redshift_01.sql

select "timestamp"('2024-03-01 3:22:33');

Results

"timestamp"
2024-03-01 03:22:33.000000

Output Code:

Snowflake

OUT -> Redshift_01.sql

select
TO_TIMESTAMP('2024-03-01 3:22:33');

Results

TO_TIMESTAMP
2024-03-01 03:22:33.000

Know Issues

In Amazon Redshift, the default precision for timestamps is 6 digits (microseconds), while in Snowflake, the default precision is 9 digits (nanoseconds). Due to these differences in precision, it’s important to consider your specific needs when working with timestamps. If you require different precision in either platform, you can use the following options.

1. Use ALTER SESSION:

   --This example is for 2 digits for precision (FF2).
   ALTER SESSION SET TIMESTAMP_OUTPUT_FORMAT = 'YYYY-MM-DD HH24:MI:SS.FF2';

Please note that depending on the data type used to store the value obtained with GETDATE(), there may be limitations in precision that could result in a loss of accuracy.

Related EWIs

There are no known issues.