What is the format for specifying a DateTime value in USQL?

The format for specifying a DateTime value in USQL is represented as yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm. This format follows the ISO 8601 standard, which is commonly used for date and time representations in various programming and database contexts.

The components of this format delineate years, months, days, hours, and minutes in a clear and unambiguous manner. The yyyy represents the year in four digits, which is crucial for ensuring there is no confusion, particularly over the turn of a century. The MM indicates the month in two digits, ensuring every value is uniform and sortable. The dd specifies the day, also in a two-digit format. Finally, the HH denotes hours in a 24-hour format, allowing for a standard time representation without ambiguity between AM and PM.

This format enhances consistency and interoperability across systems that consume or process DateTime values, making it the preferred choice when working with data in USQL. The other formats, while they may be used in certain contexts or other languages, either do not follow this standard or do not use the correct delimiters for USQL.