# Date

> Use a Date column for due dates, appointments, and reporting periods. Choose the precision, display format, locale, and date limits.

A Date column stores a point in time. Its precision decides what that is: a day, a day and a time, a month, a year, a quarter, or a time of day.

## When to use it

Use Date for Due Date, Appointment, Delivery Date, or Reporting Period. A [calendar view](/docs/views/calendar) needs a Date column for when each record starts, and can use a second Date column for when it ends.

You don't need a Date column to record when a record was created or last changed. SAPUGO tracks that for you, and you can show it with a [Created At or Last Modified At column](/docs/columns/audit).

## Settings

| Setting | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Date Precision** | What the column stores: Date only, Date & time, Month & year, Year only, Time only, or Quarter. |
| **Display Format** | How dates are written: Default, MM/DD/YYYY, DD/MM/YYYY, YYYY-MM-DD, or DD.MM.YYYY. The full settings also offer each of these with a time. |
| **Locale** | The language and regional style for dates: English (US), English (UK), German, French, Spanish, or Italian. |
| **Minimum Date** and **Maximum Date** | The earliest and latest date people can enter. |
| **Business Days Only** | Only allows weekdays. |
| **Future Dates Only** | Only allows dates in the future. |
| **Past Dates Only** | Only allows dates in the past. |
| **Default to Today** | Fills in today's date when someone creates a new record. |
| **Use 24 Hour Format** | Shows times as 14:30 instead of 2:30 PM. Only for Date & time. |
| **Show Seconds** | Includes seconds in the time. Only for Date & time. |

**Date Precision** and **Display Format** appear when you create the column. The rest are under **Show advanced options**, or in **Edit property** afterwards.

## Tips

- Pick the precision the work actually uses. An appointment is a date and time. A due date is a date. A reporting period is a month or a quarter.
- A business event such as "Approved At" or "Shipped At" is different from the record's own history. Use a Date column for it, and let a [computation rule](/docs/business-rules/computation) or a [workflow](/docs/workflows) fill it in at the right moment.
- A Date column can be converted to Text, and a Text column can be converted to Date. See [Change a column's type](/docs/columns#change-a-columns-type).

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Source: https://community.sapugo.app/docs/columns/date