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# FORMAT_TIMESTAMP

## Overview

The `FORMAT_TIMESTAMP()` function returns a given timestamp value in a specified format. Its syntax is illustrated below:

```sql  theme={null}
FORMAT_TIMESTAMP(timestamp, format_string)
```

This function requires two arguments, i.e., a **timestamp** string that represents the timestamp value that needs to be converted to a specified format and a **format\_string** that specifies the format to be converted into. Its return type is a timestamp value with a timezone.

### #Case 1: Basic `FORMAT_TIMESTAMP()` function

The below example uses the `FORMAT_TIMESTAMP()` function to convert a given timestamp into a timestamp format as specified in the function arguments.

```sql  theme={null}
SELECT FORMAT_TIMESTAMP( 2 '2022-05-30 5:30:04', 3 'YYYY-MM-DD HH:MI:SS' 4);
```

Details of the format specified are as follows:

* `YYYY` is the four-digit year 2022
* `MM` is the month: 05
* `DD` is the day: 30
* `HH` is the hour: 5
* `MI` is the minute: 30
* `SS` is the second: 04

<Info>The format specified in the string can be used in any combination.</Info>

The final output will be as follows:

```sql  theme={null}
+-----------------------------+
| format_timestamp            |
+-----------------------------+
| 2022-05-30 05:30:04+05      |
+-----------------------------+
```

### Case #2: `FORMAT_TIMESTAMP()` function using multiple spaces

The `FORMAT_TIMESTAMP()` when given multiple spaces in the input string, omits the spaces and only returns the correct timestamp value. Let's see how it works using the following example:

```sql  theme={null}
SELECT 2 FORMAT_TIMESTAMP('2008 Dec','YYYY MON');
```

It will return the following output:

```sql  theme={null}
+-----------------------------+
| format_timestamp            |
+-----------------------------+
| 2008-12-01 00:00:00+05      |
+-----------------------------+
```

### Case #3: `FORMAT_TIMESTAMP()` function if the input value of the year is less than 4 digits

`FORMAT_TIMESTAMP()` will adjust the year to the nearest year value if the input argument has less than the required number of digits i.e., less than 4. To see how it works, look at the example below:

```sql  theme={null}
SELECT 2 FORMAT_TIMESTAMP('07 25 09 10:40', 'MM DD YY HH:MI');
```

It will return the following output:

```sql  theme={null}
+-----------------------------+
| format_timestamp            |
+-----------------------------+
| 2009-07-25 10:40:00+06      |
+-----------------------------+
```

In this example, the two-digit year `09` has been changed to the nearest four-digit year i.e., `2009`. Similarly, `70` will become `1970`, and `10` will become `2010,` etc.