---
schema_version: "1"
id: 46d1d6e98132eba9bf5fbfb6a0fdf77ad9d56b18f71bf3a2cc4c67f9d960c058
title: Standardize Date Formats
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/analytics/264-0-0/bi_integrate_data_prep_date_format.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.bi_integrate_data_prep_date_format.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 96394312d892d8840db9c093c66643cdf3562858d123edb12f4370be86105be7
description: If a dimension field contains dates in different formats, use the Format Dates recipe transformation to standardize the format for all values in the field. A consistent format enables you to correctly filter and group records by date, including filtering by date component, such as month. It also ensures that you can successfully convert the field type from dimension to date.
products:
  - CRM Analytics
  - Cross Cloud
release: "264"
---
# Standardize Date Formats

If a dimension field contains dates in different formats, use the Format Dates recipe transformation to standardize the format for all values in the field. A consistent format enables you to correctly filter and group records by date, including filtering by date component, such as month. It also ensures that you can successfully convert the field type from dimension to date.

### Required Editions

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            <th scope="colgroup" class="slds-cell-wrap" colspan="2" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:top;" id="d149702e25">User Permissions Needed</th>
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            <td data-label="User Permissions Needed" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d149702e25 ">To create a recipe:</td>
            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d149702e25 ">Edit Analytics Dataflows OR Edit Dataset Recipes</td>
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        </tbody>
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![Note](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-analytics-bi-264-0-0-production-enus/ec791473-f5b4-4f64-a656-9104f455d966/images/icon_note.png)

Note To format dates in a Data Prep recipe, see [Format Dates Transformation: Standardize the Date Format in a Column](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.bi_integrate_recipe_transformation_formatdates.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "In CRM Analytics, if a text column contains dates in different formats, use the Format Dates recipe transformation in a Data Prep recipe to standardize the format for all dates in the column. A consistent format enables you to correctly filter and group records by date, including filtering by date component, such as month. It also ensures you can successfully convert the column type from text to date. Optionally, you can convert the column type from Text to Date.").

1. On the column header of the dimension field, click ![Column menu button](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-analytics-bi-264-0-0-production-enus/ec791473-f5b4-4f64-a656-9104f455d966/resources-global/analytics/images/bi_integrate_replication_actions_button.png).
    
    ![The column dropdown shows multiple transformations, including the Format Dates transformation.](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-analytics-bi-264-0-0-production-enus/ec791473-f5b4-4f64-a656-9104f455d966/bi/images/bi/bi_integrate_data_prep_recipe_formatDatesTransformationOption.png)
2. Select **Format Dates**.
    
    Analytics detects the formats of the dates in the field.
    
    ![The Add Transformation window shows the original date formats used in the column and allows you to specify the standard date format to show in the dataset.](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-analytics-bi-264-0-0-production-enus/ec791473-f5b4-4f64-a656-9104f455d966/bi/images/bi/bi_integrate_data_prep_recipe_formatDatesTransformationConfig.png)
    
    ![Note](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-analytics-bi-264-0-0-production-enus/ec791473-f5b4-4f64-a656-9104f455d966/images/icon_note.png)
    
    Note The order of the date formats in the Original Formats box matters. For example, if a date is 01/06/2011, the date format could be dd/MM/yyyy or MM/dd/yyyy. The Date Format transformation assumes the first matching format shown the Original Date Format box is the right one.
3. If a date format isn’t detected, enter it in the Original Formats box.
4. To convert a dimension field with dates to a date field type, select **Convert field type to date**.
5. Select the desired date format in the Change To field.
6. Click **Add** and save the recipe.

When you run the recipe, the transformation creates a field with the dates standardized in the selected format. If CRM Analytics can’t determine the original format or the date doesn’t have a value for a date component, the transformation replaces the date with null. For example, if you standardize on the MM/dd/yyyy: hh:mm:sssz format and a date value doesn’t have the seconds date component (sssz), CRM Analytics replaces the date with null.

- **[Guidelines for Formatting Dates](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=analytics.bi_integrate_data_prep_date_format_guidelines.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    Review these guidelines when working with dates.