Timezone Control

Timestamps without timezone context are ambiguous. "2024-01-15 10:00:00" could be UTC, Pacific, or any timezone. SQL provides functions to attach timezone information and convert between zones. Timezone Types Converting Timezones The same instant appears differently in each timezone. Tokyo is 9 hours ahead of UTC, so 10:00 UTC becomes 19:00 Tokyo. Time Across Multiple Zones For real-time dashboards, show current time in each region where users operate. Daylight Saving Time DST adds complexity. In March and November, some hours repeat or don't exist. SQL handles this automatically, but be aware of edge cases. IANA timezone names like America/Los_Angeles handle Daylight Saving Time automatically. Using fixed offsets such as UTC-8 breaks twice a year when clocks change. Always store timestamp