Save the date – Why we use ISO 8601
In the world of databases, dates are crucial pieces of information that are used for a variety of purposes. They are used to record events, track time-sensitive data, and organise information in chronological order. However, using different date formats and standards can lead to inconsistencies, confusion, and errors. That’s why it’s important to use standardized dates for databases, such as ISO 8601.
ISO 8601 is an international standard for date and time representation. It defines a format for dates that is unambiguous, easy to read, and can be understood by people from different cultures and languages. The standard uses the year-month-day format (YYYY-MM-DD) for dates and the 24-hour clock format (HH:MM:SS) for times.
Using ISO 8601 dates in databases has several benefits. Firstly, it eliminates confusion when working with dates from different regions, cultures, or languages. Different countries use different date formats, such as DD/MM/YYYY, MM/DD/YYYY, or YYYY/MM/DD, which can cause confusion when data is shared between different systems. Using ISO 8601 ensures that all dates are in the same format, regardless of where they originate from.
Secondly, using standardized dates makes it easier to sort and search through data. When dates are stored in different formats, it can be difficult to sort them in chronological order. This can be a problem when analyzing time-sensitive data, such as sales or inventory records. Using ISO 8601 dates ensures that dates are stored in a consistent format, making it easier to sort and analyze data.
In the upcoming Version 5 of SCARD, we will have date pickers and input masking to ensure all dates entered comply is ISO 8601. When it comes to displaying dates, we will still have options to display it in your prefered format.