Within Kognitiv Loyalty, there are multiple types of dates and times to consider when examining activities and transactions. In order for the loyalty platform to properly store and represent dates and times as they relate to transactions, Kognitiv Loyalty has two unique timestamps: activity timestamp and transaction timestamp.
Here, we will briefly explore the difference between those two timestamp types, and we will explain source dates.
Activity Timestamp vs. Transaction Timestamp
The activity timestamp is the specific time and date than an individual activity occurs. If a retail purchase was made a cash register on April 11th, 2019, at 1:30 PM, the activity timestamp will be 2019-04-11 13:30:31.541.
The transaction timestamp represents the date and time when the activity was recorded in the Kognitiv Loyalty database. If a retail purchase was made at a cash register on April 11th, 2019, at 1:30 PM, but it was not posted to Kognitiv Loyalty database until that same day at 5:30 PM, the transaction timestamp will be 2019-04-11 17:30:22.875.
The activity timestamp represents the date and time when the activity actually occurred, while the transaction timestamp represents the date and time when the activity was recorded in Kognitiv Loyalty.
Source Date
The other date type used in Kognitiv Loyalty is the source date. The source date does not include a timestamp. This source date represents the date when the system activity occurred, based on the location of the source. This distinction is relevant typically for Kognitiv Loyalty users with locations in time zones around the world.
Consider an Kognitiv Loyalty user with locations in Paris and Singapore. The source dates of transactions that occur at exactly the same time may be different. For example, the following transactions occurred at the exact same time on different source dates.
Transaction #1 (Paris)
Occurs at September 7, 2019 10:23 PM local time.
Transaction #2 (Singapore)
Occurs at September 8, 2019 4:23 AM local time.
With the above example in mind, it is important to understand source dates when looking up transactions based on a date range. If an Kognitiv Loyalty user looks up member transactions in a specific date range, they need to understand that the date range they select covers the source dates for transactions. If the user explores locations with unique source dates, they may not see the transactions they are looking for if they do not expand the date range to cover potential source dates.
If an Kognitiv Loyalty user working in Paris wants to see transaction #2, they will need to expand date ranges in their search to include September 8, 2019, as a potential date.
Note: Proper source dates require accurate date reporting and appropriate system configurations.
