Date functions

A key strength of our Convert platform is its powerful date-handling capabilities. The table below lists the available date-related functions.

TODAY

Returns the current date as a text string.

TODAY()

• The function does not require any arguments.
• The date returned is based on UTC time.
• The returned date is formatted as a text string.

DAY

Returns the day of the month as a number between 1 and 31 from a given date.

DAY(date)

• date: A valid date value or text string representing a date. You can also use references for date questions e.g. QA, or insert a serial date.

MONTH

Returns the month of the year as a number between 1 and 12 from a given date.

MONTH(date)

• date: A valid date value or text string representing a date. You can also use references for date questions e.g. QA, or insert a serial date.

YEAR

Returns the year component of a date as a 4-digit number.

YEAR(date)

• date: A valid date value or text string representing a date. You can also use references for date questions e.g. QA, or insert a serial date.

HOUR

Returns the hour component of a time as a number between 0 and 23.

HOUR(time)

• time: A valid time value or text string representing a time. You can also use references for time questions e.g. QA.

MINUTE()

Extracts the minute component of a time as a number between 0 and 59.

MINUTE(time)

• time: A valid time value or text string representing a time. You can also use references for time questions e.g. QA.

SECOND()

Returns the second component of a time as a number between 0 and 59.

SECOND(time)

• time: A valid time value or text string representing a time. You can also use references for time questions e.g. QA.

NOW()

Returns the current date and time as a serial number.

NOW()

• The function does not require any arguments.
• The date returned is based on UTC time.
• The returned date is formatted as a text string.

DATE()

Creates a valid date from individual year, month, and day components.

DATE(year, month, day)

• year: A four-digit integer representing the year.
• month: An integer representing the month (1 to 12).
• day: An integer representing the day (1 to 31).
• All arguments must be numeric values.
• If the month or day values are out of their usual ranges, the function adjusts the date accordingly (e.g., month 13 advances to January of the following year).

PARSEDATE()

Converts a date that is stored as a serial number to a text string.

PARSEDATE(serial_number)

• serial_number: A valid date serial number representing a date.
• The serial number must correspond to a valid date in the platform's date system.
• Returns a text string formatted as a date.

DATEVALUE()

Converts a date that is stored as a text string to a serial number.

DATEVALUE(date_text)

• date_text: A text string representing a date. You can also use references for date-questions, such as QA.
• If date_text is not a valid date, the function returns an error.

EDATE()

Returns a date (as a serial number) on the same day of the month, n months in the past or future.

EDATE(start_date, months)

• start_date: A valid date value or serial number.
• months: An integer representing the number of months to add (positive) or subtract (negative).
• Returns a serial number representing the new date.
• If start_date is not valid, the function returns an error.

WEEKDAY()

Takes a date and returns a number between 1 and 7 representing the day of the week.

WEEKDAY(date, [return_type])

• date: A valid date value or serial number.
• return_type (optional): An integer determining the numbering scheme:
  • 1 or omitted: Numbers 1 (Sunday) through 7 (Saturday).
  • 2: Numbers 1 (Monday) through 7 (Sunday).
  • 3: Numbers 0 (Monday) through 6 (Sunday).
• Returns an integer corresponding to the day of the week.
• If date is not valid, the function returns an error.