There are three types of date and time fields in Microsoft Dynamics AX, which correspond to different data types in the database:

  • Combined date/time fields - The preferred method of entering date and time data in Microsoft Dynamics AX. The datetimedata type stores time and date data in a single field in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). UTC is the standard time common to every place in the world, coordinated by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures. It is also known as Greenwich Mean Time. The datetimedata type is associated with a time zone.

  • Date fields - Used to enter dates only. The datedata type stores a day, month, and year. However, these values are not stored in UTC, and cannot be associated with a time zone.

  • Time fields - Used to display the number of seconds that have elapsed since midnight for the current date. The timeofDaydata type stores an integer value. Time values are not stored in UTC.

Time zones

To express UTC times in the local time, you must set a time zone. The time zone controls the offset from UTC that is the equivalent of the local time. For example, the offset for Moscow is UTC+3:00.

Your preferred time zone is initially set according to the Windows locale of your computer, although it may have been changed by an administrator. Your preferred time zone is used only when displaying combined dates and times.

For more information, see Set your preferred time zone.

Arabic calendar

For Arabic-language installations, you can also set which calendar to use in calculating dates: Gregorian, Hijri, or Um al-Qura. For more information, see Select an Arabic calendar.