# Datetime format **URL:** \ **Category:** Bugs\ **Tags:** missing-data, odm-v2-rc2\ **Created:** [March 22, 2023, 1:08pm UTC](https://odm.discourse.group/t/datetime-format/114 "2023-03-22T13:08:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wastewater\_belgium](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c0e974/32.png) [@wastewater\_belgium](https://odm.discourse.group/u/wastewater_belgium)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2023, 1:08pm UTC](https://odm.discourse.group/t/datetime-format/114/1 "2023-03-22T13:08:51Z")
I have two remarks about datetime: 1. In the documentation, in sample template description: Columns O to S, U: These are Date fields that are related to various dates associated with your Sample. **These dates will be in the format dd/mm/yyyy.** This sentence about the date format is not consistent with what is explained above in the doc: **Date fields (purple):** Dates are entered in these fields and must be in the form of the [ISO 8601](https://www.iso.org/iso-8601-date-and-time-format.html) format: `yyyy-mm-dd`. All date fields also support entries for hours, minutes, and seconds: `2022-01-01T06:11:54` and `2022-01-01T06:11:54+13:30` 1. how to report a datetime variable when time is never known or is sometimes not known? ---
**Author:** ![dmanuel](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/odm.discourse.group/dmanuel/32/3_2.png) [@dmanuel](https://odm.discourse.group/u/dmanuel)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2023, 12:59pm UTC](https://odm.discourse.group/t/datetime-format/114/2 "2023-05-03T12:59:28Z")
Sorry for the slow reply. 1. I can’t find reference to the data format in the documentation for dd/mm/yyyy. Can you point me to the location? You have a tag for v2-rc2 for this comment. The error may have been fixed in the final v2.0.0. A pdf version is of the documentation is [here](https://osf.io/gs4q3). Regardless, the date fields should be in ISO 8601 format. 1. All date fields use the [`General missingness set`](https://docs.phes-odm.org/sets.html#missingnessSets). For example, `nr` would be reported the case you described: **Not reported** [(nr)](https://docs.phes-odm.org/parts.html#nr). A value could have been recorded, however, it was not. As a general comment, how to report missing or unknown values is describe for each part in the parts [reference] described in the [`Missing sets`](https://docs.phes-odm.org/sets.html#missingnessSets). Specifics for validating data are described in the [validation documentation](https://validate-docs.phes-odm.org/validation-rules/invalid_type.html#datetime). Each part should have a described missingness, but I see that attribute is currently not displayed in the parts reference (example of the parts description for datetime [here](https://docs.phes-odm.org/parts.html#datetime). I’ve created an issue to add that attribute to the documentation. [Part reference list should include the missingness set for each part · Issue #42 · Big-Life-Lab/PHES-ODM-Doc · GitHub](https://github.com/Big-Life-Lab/PHES-ODM-Doc/issues/42) ---
**Author:** ![dmanuel](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/odm.discourse.group/dmanuel/32/3_2.png) [@dmanuel](https://odm.discourse.group/u/dmanuel)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2023, 10:57pm UTC](https://odm.discourse.group/t/datetime-format/114/3 "2023-05-07T22:57:12Z")
How to enter missing information for dates (and all other measures and attributes) is now added to the parts listing in v2.0.1. [https://docs.phes-odm.org/parts.html](https://docs.phes-odm.org/parts.html) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/odm/original/1X/34f6410d4262a308493f8c3b977a49666a3a2929.png) [@system](https://odm.discourse.group/u/system)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2023, 5:26pm UTC](https://odm.discourse.group/t/datetime-format/114/4 "2023-05-09T17:26:28Z")
Closed on May 9, 2023, 5:26pm UTC This topic was automatically closed 24 hours after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.