Skip to main content

Date and DateTime

Protrak provides separate attributes for capturing a calendar date and for capturing an exact date with time. This allows administrators to model business information at the right level of precision.

AttributePurposeExample
DateCaptures a calendar day only.Contract expiry date, inspection date, leave date
DateTimeCaptures both the calendar day and exact time.Scheduled visit, actual work start, ticket closure

Date Attribute

The Date attribute is used when the business requirement is concerned with a day, rather than the time at which an activity occurs. It provides a consistent date-picker experience and avoids unnecessary time entry.

It can be used in forms, layouts, rules, filters, reports, and dashboards. Date values can also support lifecycle decisions, such as preventing a record from moving forward before an effective date or highlighting records that are due for review.

Use case: Asset warranty and renewal management​

An organisation needs to record the warranty expiry date for each installed asset. The exact hour is not relevant; what matters is the calendar date on which the warranty ends.

A Date attribute named “Warranty Expiry Date” can be added to the Asset type. Users select the applicable date while creating or updating the asset record.

The value can then be used to:

  • Identify warranties nearing expiry.
  • Create dashboards for assets requiring renewal action.
  • Filter assets by expiry month or quarter.
  • Trigger a reminder or escalation before the expiry date.
  • Support service and renewal planning.

Example: If an asset warranty expires on 31 December 2026, the platform can show it in a renewal report and notify the responsible team before that date.​

DateTime Attribute

The DateTime attribute is used when both the date and exact time of an event are significant. It supports planning, scheduling, recording actual execution, monitoring deadlines, and maintaining a time-based operational trail.

A DateTime attribute can be configured for planned, actual, or target milestones. It can be used with lifecycle permissions to control when users may update it, and with rules or notifications to identify upcoming, delayed, or overdue activity.

Use case: Service-ticket scheduling and completion tracking​

A dispatcher needs to schedule an engineer’s visit and record when the work actually starts and finishes. The service ticket therefore needs exact timestamps rather than dates alone.

The ticket can use DateTime attributes such as:

  • Scheduled Date and Time
  • Actual Arrival Date and Time
  • Start Travel Time
  • End Travel Time
  • Start Work Time
  • End Work Time
  • Closure Time

These values can be displayed in calendar and planning views, used for reminders, and compared to measure service performance.

Example:​

A ticket is scheduled for 12 August 2026 at 10:00 AM. The engineer records actual arrival at 10:15 AM and work completion at 11:30 AM. The platform retains this timeline for operational reporting, SLA measurement, and review.