To define or change your time zone or how Vantage formats numeric, date, time, and currency output, use the command-line utility Teradata Locale Definition (tdlocaledef).
Tdlocaledef converts a specification for data formatting (SDF) text file into a Vantage globally distributed object (GDO), an internal binary format file that stores configuration information. The GDO is made available simultaneously to all nodes of an MPP system. The utility can also convert the text file to a local, non-distributed, binary file, that can be converted back to text in order to ensure the formatting syntax is valid.
- Format changes take effect only after Vantage is restarted, and do not affect columns that were created prior to the restart.
- A new Teradata system is typically staged with global defaults in the SDF file that are appropriate for the United States. International customers and those who need customized settings, including TimeZoneString, can change the defaults using tdlocaledef.
For more details on the SDF file, see “SDF File” in the description of the Teradata Locale Definition (tdlocaledef) utility in Teradata Vantage™ - Database Utilities , B035-1102 .