11.5. CURRENT_TIMESTAMP

Available inDSQL, PSQL, ESQL

TypeTIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE

⚠
Caution

Data type changed in Firebird 4.0 from TIMESTAMP WITHOUT TIME ZONE to TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE. Use Section 11.12, “LOCALTIMESTAMP” to obtain TIMESTAMP WITHOUT TIME ZONE.

Syntax 

  |CURRENT_TIMESTAMP [ (<precision>) ]
  | 
  |<precision> ::= 0 | 1 | 2 | 3

The optional precision argument is not supported in ESQL.

Table 11.2. CURRENT_TIMESTAMP Parameter
ParameterDescription

precision

Precision. The default value is 3. Not supported in ESQL

CURRENT_TIMESTAMP returns the current server date and time in the session time zone. The default is 3 decimals, i.e. milliseconds precision.

ⓘ
Note

  • The default precision of CURRENT_TIME is 0 decimals, so CURRENT_TIMESTAMP is not the exact sum of CURRENT_DATE and CURRENT_TIME, unless you explicitly specify a precision (i.e. CURRENT_TIME(3) or CURRENT_TIMESTAMP(0)).

  • Within a PSQL module (procedure, trigger or executable block), the value of CURRENT_TIMESTAMP will remain constant every time it is read. If multiple modules call or trigger each other, the value will remain constant throughout the duration of the outermost module. If you need a progressing value in PSQL (e.g. to measure time intervals), use Section 11.14, “'NOW'”.

🛑
CURRENT_TIMESTAMP and Firebird 4.0 Time Zone Support

Firebird 4.0 added support for time zones. As part of this support, an incompatibility with the CURRENT_TIMESTAMP expression was introduced compared to previous versions.

In Firebird 4.0, CURRENT_TIMESTAMP returns the TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE type. In order for your queries to be compatible with database code of Firebird 4.0 and higher, Firebird 3.0.4 and Firebird 2.5.9 introduced the Section 11.12, “LOCALTIMESTAMP” expression. In Firebird 3.0.4 and Firebird 2.5.9, LOCALTIMESTAMP is a synonym for CURRENT_TIMESTAMP.

In Firebird 4.0, LOCALTIMESTAMP continues to work as it does in Firebird 3.0.4 and higher and Firebird 2.5.9 (returning TIMESTAMP [WITHOUT TIME ZONE]), while CURRENT_TIMESTAMP now returns a different data type, TIMESTAMP WITH TIME ZONE.

Examples 

  |select current_timestamp from rdb$database
  |-- returns e.g. 2008-08-13 14:20:19.6170
  | 
  |select current_timestamp(2) from rdb$database
  |-- returns e.g. 2008-08-13 14:20:23.1200

See alsoSection 11.4, “CURRENT_TIME”, Section 11.11, “LOCALTIME”, Section 11.12, “LOCALTIMESTAMP”