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Timestamp

A primitive Value Type representing a fixed instant on the global timeline, stored uniformly as UTC.

type: data-model · status: draft · abstraction: instance

What it is​

Timestamp represents one exact instant on the global timeline, independent of any location or local clock. The instant may be in the past or future. IMOS stores it uniformly in UTC and may display it in a viewer's local timezone without changing the underlying value.

Use Timestamp when the absolute instant must remain fixed: for example, when a machine fault occurred, when goods entered custody, when an access token expires or when a globally agreed deadline is reached. It supports reliable chronological ordering across sites and systems because timezone preferences and later daylight-saving rule changes do not alter the stored instant.

Timestamp does not preserve an intended local wall-clock time. If a future activity must remain at 06:00 at a particular factory when timezone rules change, use Zoned Timestamp instead. Timestamp also provides no cryptographic integrity or proof by itself; those guarantees require separate audit and security controls.

Why it exists​

Manufacturing systems must distinguish fixed instants from local scheduling intent. Events, telemetry, transactions, expiries and globally fixed deadlines need an unambiguous point on the timeline so they can be compared and processed consistently across locations.

Timestamp provides that primitive without attaching a timezone or promising that a local clock reading will remain unchanged. This keeps ordering and execution stable when users view data from different locations or governments alter timezone rules. Where local wall-clock intent matters, Zoned Timestamp carries the additional semantics instead.

Relationships​

Outgoing

  • is an instance of → Value Type (many-to-one)
  • is distinct from → Date — Timestamp fixes an exact instant on the global timeline; Date is a pure calendar day with no time or timezone.

Incoming

  • is distinct from ← Zoned Timestamp — Zoned Timestamp preserves local clock intent and its timezone; Timestamp stores only the resolved instant.

Neighbourhood​

Stakeholder summaries​

  • Product — Provides a field for exact past or future instants that remain fixed globally while being displayed in the viewer's local timezone. Use Zoned Timestamp instead when a site's local clock time must be preserved.
  • Investor — Provides the unambiguous temporal primitive required for reliable operations, integrations and audit records across locations, without overstating its security properties.
  • Marketing — Records exact moments consistently across sites, from machine events and goods receipt to expiries and globally fixed deadlines.
  • Engineering — Store an unambiguous UTC instant suitable for indexing, comparison and execution. Timestamp carries no local-time intent, timezone-rule version or cryptographic integrity guarantee.