Language reference
to_timestamp (parse a string to a TIMESTAMP)
Syntax
to_timestamp(<string-or-temporal>)
σ to_timestamp(ts_str) >= TIMESTAMP '2026-01-01T00:00:00Z' (RawEvents)Description
to_timestamp turns a text string into a proper TIMESTAMP (an instant), so date-time data that arrived as text can be filtered, sorted, and used in time arithmetic like a real timestamp.
Technical Description
to_timestamp(s: STRING | DATE | TIMESTAMP) → TIMESTAMP. Parses s as an ISO-8601 date-time via the same rule as the TIMESTAMP literal (an offset is normalised to UTC; an offsetless payload is interpreted as UTC). A malformed string is an evaluation error. NULL input returns NULL. PURE, DETERMINISTIC.
Given a temporal value it converts it as SQL's CAST does: a DATE gives its midnight at UTC, and ISO text naming a date gives that date's midnight. A TIMESTAMP is returned as it is, and any other kind is an evaluation error. CAST(x AS TIMESTAMP) is this function.
Examples
Parse and window imported event times:
σ to_timestamp(ts_str) >= TIMESTAMP '2026-01-01T00:00:00Z' (RawEvents)σ to_timestamp(ts_str) ≥ TIMESTAMP '2026-01-01T00:00:00Z' (RawEvents)SELECT to_timestamp(ts_str) >= TIMESTAMP '2026-01-01T00:00:00Z' (RawEvents)Sort by a parsed timestamp:
τ to_timestamp(logged) DESC (RawLogs)SORT to_timestamp(logged) DESC (RawLogs)Limitations
Expects ISO-8601 date-time; other formats error. Offsets fold to UTC; offsetless values are read as UTC. STRING argument; NULL in → NULL out.
Alternatives
to_date / to_time for date-only or time-only strings; a TIMESTAMP '…' literal for constants.