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Status Delivered
Workspace IBM i
Categories Db2 for i
Created by Guest
Created on Jan 14, 2026

RELATED IDEAS

Add a new service that will convert *DTS columns to character date format.

When selecting and displaying data from a file with columns of type *DTS char( 8) the column cannot be viewed correctly via SQL 'SELECT' or handled directly for file search and review. Using the TIMESTAMP_FORMAT or the VARCHAR_FORMAT functions will not convert the data to a viewable format. Today we use a UDF that calls the QWCCVTDT API in a *SRVPGM to convert the column to a readable format, this works but is complicated to manage when installed on customer sites (knowing if it is installed and removing when deleting the LPP etc.) so we would like to have an IBM provided service/function that could be used to convert the dates. This will make it a lot easier to manage and see the data in the columns and possible reduce the overhead when running SQL queries? It would also be useful if we could take a text string (formatted as per the normal date and time strings *YYMD *YMD etc) and convert to a *DTS value for file review and searching etc. As this is a type that is found in a number of IBM i/OS outputs it should be handled by SQL in a more formal way.

Idea priority High
  • Guest
    Jul 23, 2026
    This enhancement was delivered in July 2026 with IBM i 7.6 database PTF group 3 and IBM i 7.5 database PTF group 12.

    Two new built-in SQL scalar functions, FROM_SYSTEM_TIMESTAMP and TO_SYSTEM_TIMESTAMP, handle conversions between an internal system timestamp and a timestamp data type.

    They are described in IBM Documentation here:
    https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/i/7.6.0?topic=functions-from-system-timestamp
    https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/i/7.6.0?topic=functions-system-timestamp

    Db2 for i development team
    IBM Power Systems Development
    Reply
  • Guest
    Mar 8, 2026

    Just FYI, if your product is installed like a LPP (via RSTLICPGM) when you restore the programs or *SRVPGMs via that RSTLICPGM, the UDF, UDTF will restore and install along with it automatically.

    Reply
  • Guest
    Jan 14, 2026
    IBM will use this Idea as input to planning, but no commitment is made or implied. This Idea will be updated in the future if IBM implements it.

    Db2 for i development team
    IBM Power Systems Development
    Reply

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