best type for unix file system timestamp?

[Mark Harrison]

So, I'm recording the timestamp from some unix files.

Any opinions as to whether it's best to use a "bigint"
(which matches the file system data) or a "timestamp"
(which might be easier to manipulate in the database)?

TIA!
Mark

--
Mark Harrison
Pixar Animation Studios

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[Glen Parker]

However it may be represented, it IS a timestamp, so why not use a timestamp
data type if you have one available to you? That's what data types are for
after all...

So, I'm recording the timestamp from some unix files.

Any opinions as to whether it's best to use a "bigint"
(which matches the file system data) or a "timestamp"
(which might be easier to manipulate in the database)?

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joining column's datatypes do not match

[Jim Seymour]

Mark Harrison <[e-mail]> wrote:

So, I'm recording the timestamp from some unix files.

Any opinions as to whether it's best to use a "bigint"
(which matches the file system data) or a "timestamp"
(which might be easier to manipulate in the database)?

I tend to choose datatypes that lend themselves to easily and clearly
viewing and manipulating the data with the command-line utility, unless
there's a very good reason to do otherwise.

PostgreSQL has a rich complement of operators and functions for working
with timestamp values, so I'd tend to stick with that, I think.

Jim

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[Robby Russell]

Exactly, with using 'timestamp' you gain data integrity as the database
will make sure that it only accepts valid timestamps. So, if your code
that you use to INSERT gets skewed someway, it will fail if you try to
insert an invalid number.

-Robby
On Fri, 2004-07-30 at 14:26, Glen Parker wrote:

However it may be represented, it IS a timestamp, so why not use a timestamp
data type if you have one available to you? That's what data types are for
after all...

So, I'm recording the timestamp from some unix files.

Any opinions as to whether it's best to use a "bigint"
(which matches the file system data) or a "timestamp"
(which might be easier to manipulate in the database)?

---------------------------(end of broadcast)---------------------------
TIP 9: the planner will ignore your desire to choose an index scan if your
joining column's datatypes do not match

--
Robby Russell | Owner.Developer.Geek
PLANET ARGON | www.planetargon.com
Portland, OR | ro***@planetargon.com
503.351.4730 | blog.planetargon.com

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[Robby Russell]

Also, there is the ability to write code that behaves a certain way
based on the data type.

For example, say you have a PHP script and you want all dates that
display on the page to be displayed with January 1, 2004, you could
program your code in a fashion that would do this should a datatype
'timestamp' be determined as the data type. This comes in handy when you
build generic things like reporting engines that you don't necessarily
know what data is coming to you, but know the data types.

-Robby

On Fri, 2004-07-30 at 16:52, Robby Russell wrote:

Exactly, with using 'timestamp' you gain data integrity as the database
will make sure that it only accepts valid timestamps. So, if your code
that you use to INSERT gets skewed someway, it will fail if you try to
insert an invalid number.

-Robby
On Fri, 2004-07-30 at 14:26, Glen Parker wrote:

However it may be represented, it IS a timestamp, so why not use a timestamp
data type if you have one available to you? That's what data types are for
after all...

So, I'm recording the timestamp from some unix files.

Any opinions as to whether it's best to use a "bigint"
(which matches the file system data) or a "timestamp"
(which might be easier to manipulate in the database)?

---------------------------(end of broadcast)---------------------------
TIP 9: the planner will ignore your desire to choose an index scan if your
joining column's datatypes do not match

--
Robby Russell | Owner.Developer.Geek
PLANET ARGON | www.planetargon.com
Portland, OR | ro***@planetargon.com
503.351.4730 | blog.planetargon.com

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