The operations that set the DATE format are best described as a hierarchy, where one setting overrides another.
At the lowest level, the system comes with a DateForm of IntegerDate (' YY/MM/DD '). Your system administrator can override that date format by changing the DateForm to ANSIDate (' YYYY-MM-DD ') or creating a custom SDF that changes the default DATE format (any valid date format).
You can override the system-level date format for a user, session, individual column, or individual value.
The following table summarizes the hierarchy of date formats.
| For this operation … | The format is set for … | And using this session date setting … | And field mode display format … |
The export data type is … |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SELECT with FORMAT phrase | an individual column | user-defined display format | as defined by FORMAT | CHAR(10) if DateForm is ANSIDate; ELSE four-byte integer |
| CREATE / ALTER TABLE, with FORMAT phrase | ||||
| SET SESSION DateForm | the session | ANSIDate | YYYY-MM-DD | CHAR(10) |
| CLI SessionOptions parcel DateForm | IntegerDate | YY/MM/DD, or the value of the DATE element in a custom SDF | four-byte integer | |
| CREATE / MODIFY USER DateForm | the user | ANSIDate | YYYY-MM-DD | CHAR(10) |
| IntegerDate | YY/MM/DD, or the value of the DATE element in a custom SDF | four-byte integer | ||
| System DBS Control utility DateForm |
the system | ANSIDate | YYYY-MM-DD | CHAR(10) |
| IntegerDate | YY/MM/DD, or the value of the DATE element in a custom SDF | four-byte integer | ||
| Default DATE format in custom SDF | the system | IntegerDate | as defined by the DATE format in the SDF | four-byte integer |