Mysql – Generate random timestamp taking into account shift to daylight saving time

mariadbMySQLtimestamp

I want to generate random big data in MariaDB.
One of this columns is random timestamp which I generate like this:

select (current_timestamp 
        - interval (rand() * 60 * 60 * 24 * 365 * 10) second
       ) as record_time;

Since the end of March there is a shift to daylight saving time / summer time, so in one day there is no time from 02:00 to 03:00. And when I inserting this data I get error like:
Incorrect datetime value: '2016-03-27 02:20:24.227322' for column db.tab1.record_time.

How to modify this part of insert script to generate correct random timestamp values while accepting daylight saving time?

Link to MariaDB info about timezones

Best Answer

You can create timestamp in SYSTEM timezone with:

FROM_UNIXTIME(timestamp_in_seconds) -- This is a number, not a datetime

To convert back to a timestamp you can use UNIX_TIMESTAMP function.

This sample demonstrate how to generate random datetime based on starting point. It give you only correct timestamps:

select FROM_UNIXTIME(UNIX_TIMESTAMP('2016-03-27 00:30:00') + rand() * 10000);

Related Solutions

Postgresql – Single data type for imprecise date values, as allowed by ISO 8601

No, the interval type supports reduced precision but none of the other date/time types do.

Postgres allows you to roll your own with create type but unfortunately wont allow contraints to be added to the type which limits it's usefulness in this scenario. The best I can come up with requires you to repeat check constraints on every field where the fuzzy type is used:

create type preciseness as enum('day', 'month', 'year');
create type fuzzytimestamptz as (ts timestamptz, p preciseness);
create table t( id serial primary key,
                fuzzy fuzzytimestamptz
                    check( (fuzzy).ts is not null 
                           or ((fuzzy).ts is null and (fuzzy).p is not null) ),
                    check((fuzzy).ts=date_trunc('year', (fuzzy).ts) or (fuzzy).p<'year'),
                    check((fuzzy).ts=date_trunc('month', (fuzzy).ts) or (fuzzy).p<'month'),
                    check((fuzzy).ts=date_trunc('day', (fuzzy).ts) or (fuzzy).p<'day') );

insert into t(fuzzy) values (row(date_trunc('year', current_timestamp), 'year'));
insert into t(fuzzy) values (row(date_trunc('month', current_timestamp), 'month'));
insert into t(fuzzy) values (row(date_trunc('day', current_timestamp), 'day'));

select * from t;

 id |              fuzzy
----+----------------------------------
  1 | ("2011-01-01 00:00:00+00",year)
  2 | ("2011-09-01 00:00:00+01",month)
  3 | ("2011-09-23 00:00:00+01",day)

--edit - an example equality operator:

create function fuzzytimestamptz_equality(fuzzytimestamptz, fuzzytimestamptz)
                returns boolean language plpgsql immutable as $$
begin
  return ($1.ts, $1.ts+coalesce('1 '||$1.p, '0')::interval)
         overlaps ($2.ts, $2.ts+coalesce('1 '||$2.p, '0')::interval);
end;$$;
--
create operator = ( procedure=fuzzytimestamptz_equality, 
                    leftarg=fuzzytimestamptz, 
                    rightarg=fuzzytimestamptz );

sample query:

select *, fuzzy=row(statement_timestamp(), null)::fuzzytimestamptz as equals_now,
          fuzzy=row(statement_timestamp()+'1 day'::interval, null)::fuzzytimestamptz as equals_tomorrow,
          fuzzy=row(date_trunc('month', statement_timestamp()), 'month')::fuzzytimestamptz as equals_fuzzymonth,
          fuzzy=row(date_trunc('month', statement_timestamp()+'1 month'::interval), 'month')::fuzzytimestamptz as equals_fuzzynextmonth
from t;
 id |               fuzzy                | equals_now | equals_tomorrow | equals_fuzzymonth | equals_fuzzynextmonth
----+------------------------------------+------------+-----------------+-------------------+-----------------------
  1 | ("2011-01-01 00:00:00+00",year)    | t          | t               | t                 | t
  2 | ("2011-09-01 00:00:00+01",month)   | t          | t               | t                 | f
  3 | ("2011-09-24 00:00:00+01",day)     | t          | f               | t                 | f
  4 | ("2011-09-24 11:45:23.810589+01",) | f          | f               | t                 | f

Mysql – How to compare (in MySQL) a DATETIME value to a TIMESTAMP value

There is a manual page on Time and Date functions.

The best way to compare date and time and get minutes back is probably to use one of the following:

SELECT TIME_TO_SEC(TIMEDIFF(timea,timeb)+0)/60
SELECT TIMESTAMPDIFF(MINUTE,timeb,timea)

Note that while TIMEDIFF works with times, TIMESTAMPDIFF requires a date component - and the values are switched around for TIMESTAMPDIFF.

You can return hours with either of these:

SELECT TIME_TO_SEC(TIMEDIFF(timea,timeb)+0)/60/60
SELECT TIMESTAMPDIFF(HOUR,timeb,timea)

Note that when using DATEDIFF, the value returned is a difference between the date components of the given time - thus, a value of 23:59 on one day compared to a value of 0:01 on the next (a 2 minute difference) results in a date difference of 1 (a full day).

To get a difference between two times in 24-hour periods (length of a day) first calculate the difference in minutes then divide by the proper values to find the number of 24-hour periods. Try this:

SELECT TRUNCATE(TIMESTAMPDIFF(MINUTE,timeb,timea)/60.0/24.0,0)

This truncates the decimal portion, returning only the number of complete 24-hour periods in the specified timespan.

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Postgresql – Single data type for imprecise date values, as allowed by ISO 8601

Mysql – How to compare (in MySQL) a DATETIME value to a TIMESTAMP value

Related Question