Converting strings to dates and dates to strings
There are a variety of date formats that need to be updated to a data type that meets the needs of the analysis. A string formatted date may need to be updated to a date/time format. On the other hand, a date/time format may need to be updated to a string format. The complexity of updating this can be quite cumbersome and there are formulas available to make these necessary updates. Better yet, there is a DateTime tool in Alteryx that includes options on selecting the format to convert.
The following image shows the DateTime tool located in the Parse tool palette.
![](https://static.packt-cdn.com/products/9781788392655/graphics/1dc53872-5645-43fb-8232-bdb2c15c640f.png)
The DateTime tool can convert a date/time format to string and vice versa, a string to a date/time format. The flexibility of the format selections is quite helpfully located in just one tool! It contains prestored formats and an option to specify a custom format. Let's go through a few examples using the DateTime tool and looking at how it may benefit you to make the format updates...