Date Value Standardizer is a cleanse function that normalizes date attribute values across formats and types. It reads values stored as text, dates, or epoch numbers, and returns them in the format and type that you choose. It applies the time zone and locale that you specify when it parses and when it writes the result.

Date Value Standardizer converts the format and the type in a single step. You can use it on its own in a cleanse chain, or as a step in a Cleanse Container.

Date Value Standardizer is available to all tenants and it doesn't require a feature flag. To use it, add DateValueStandardizer to your cleanse configuration. You can set it up through the L3 cleanse configuration only.

Input parameters

Use these parameters to describe the incoming value. Some parameters are required in specific combinations. For more information, see Configuration Rules.

Output parameters

Use these parameters to describe the standardized value.

Parsing and conversion parameters

Use these parameters to control how Reltio interprets and converts the value.

Failure handling parameters

Use these parameters to control what happens when Reltio cannot parse a value.

Configuration rules

Reltio rejects the configuration if any of the following is true:

• inputType is STRING, autoDetectFormat is false, and inputFormat is missing.

• targetType is STRING and outputFormat is missing. STRING is the default target type, so in most configurations you need to specify outputFormat.

• targetType is LONG and outputFormat is anything other than empty, epoch, or milliseconds.

• onParseFailure is DEFAULT_VALUE and defaultValue is missing.

• inputType is MILLISECONDS and epochUnit is SECONDS.

• autoDetectFormat is true and allowedInputFormats is empty.

Input types

The inputType parameter tells Reltio how to read the incoming value. The following table describes each type.

Epoch values

The epochUnit parameter applies to both the incoming and the standardized value. The following outputFormat values write an epoch number:

• milliseconds: Always writes the value in milliseconds.

• epoch: Writes the value in the unit set by epochUnit. When targetType is LONG and outputFormat is empty, Reltio also writes the value in the unit set by epochUnit.

Date patterns and locale

Date patterns follow the Java date format rules, and patterns are case-sensitive. For example, MM means month and mm means minutes. Reltio does not correct invalid dates. A value such as 2026-02-30 fails to parse and follows the action that you set in onParseFailure.

The locale parameter controls month and day names. For example, with en_US the month name is Jan, and with fr_FR it's janv.

Time zones

Reltio reads values that do not include a time zone in the time zone that you set in timezone. Reltio converts values that include a time zone to the configured time zone.

Automatic format detection

When autoDetectFormat is true, Reltio tries each format in allowedInputFormats in the order that you list them and uses the first format that matches the value. The inputFormat and allowPartialDate parameters have no effect when autoDetectFormat is true.

Partial dates

Use allowPartialDate to accept values that contain only part of a date. Reltio uses this pattern only when inputFormat does not match the value. Reltio fills in the missing parts with January 1, and with the time from defaultTime. For example, if the pattern is yyyy, the value 1990 becomes 1990-01-01. The parameter does not apply when autoDetectFormat is on.

Parse failure actions

Use onParseFailure to control what Reltio does with a value that it cannot parse. A time that does not exist because of a daylight saving time change is also treated as a parse failure. The following table describes each action.

Example of a Date Value Standardizer configuration

The following example converts the BirthDate and GraduationDate attributes from text in the MM/dd/yyyy format to dates in the yyyy-MM-dd format, using the UTC time zone and the en_US locale. With this configuration, the value 03/15/1990 becomes 1990-03-15.

{
  "cleanseFunction": "DateValueStandardizer",
  "mapping": {
    "inputMapping": [
      {
        "attribute": "configuration/entityTypes/Individual/attributes/BirthDate",
        "cleanseAttribute": "BirthDate"
      },
      {
        "attribute": "configuration/entityTypes/Individual/attributes/GraduationDate",
        "cleanseAttribute": "GraduationDate"
      }
    ],
    "outputMapping": [
      {
        "attribute": "configuration/entityTypes/Individual/attributes/BirthDate",
        "cleanseAttribute": "BirthDate"
      },
      {
        "attribute": "configuration/entityTypes/Individual/attributes/GraduationDate",
        "cleanseAttribute": "GraduationDate"
      }
    ]
  },
  "params": {
    "inputType": "STRING",
    "inputFormat": "MM/dd/yyyy",
    "targetType": "DATE",
    "outputFormat": "yyyy-MM-dd",
    "timezone": "UTC",
    "locale": "en_US"
  }
}

Example of converting an epoch number to a date

The following parameters convert an epoch number in seconds to a date in the yyyy-MM-dd format. The value 637459200 becomes 1990-03-15. The input mapping and output mapping are omitted.

"params": {
  "inputType": "EPOCH",
  "epochUnit": "SECONDS",
  "targetType": "DATE",
  "outputFormat": "yyyy-MM-dd",
  "timezone": "UTC"
}

Example of automatic format detection

The following parameters accept dates in any of three formats and write them in the yyyy-MM-dd format. Reltio tries the formats in the order listed. The values 1990-03-15, 03/15/1990, and 15-Mar-1990 all become 1990-03-15. The mapping is omitted.

"params": {
  "inputType": "STRING",
  "autoDetectFormat": true,
  "allowedInputFormats": ["yyyy-MM-dd", "MM/dd/yyyy", "dd-MMM-yyyy"],
  "targetType": "STRING",
  "outputFormat": "yyyy-MM-dd",
  "locale": "en_US"
}

Example of Date Value Standardizer in a Cleanse Container

The following step standardizes BirthDate inside a Cleanse Container. Add it to the steps list of the container.

{
  "function": "DateValueStandardizer",
  "params": {
    "inputType": "STRING",
    "inputFormat": "MM/dd/yyyy",
    "targetType": "STRING",
    "outputFormat": "yyyy-MM-dd"
  },
  "inputs": ["BirthDate"],
  "output": "BirthDate"
}