---
title: "Time Offset in Imports"
slug: "engage-time-offset-in-imports"
updated: 2026-07-30T13:19:38Z
published: 2026-07-30T13:19:38Z
canonical: "docs.mapp.com/engage-time-offset-in-imports"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.mapp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Time Offset in Imports

## Overview

This page explains how imported date-time values in the format `yyyy-mm-ddThh:mm:ss.sss` are stored. The behavior differs depending on whether the imported value carries an additional time offset:

- Values **without** an additional time offset are treated as UTC and then shifted by the cluster time-zone offset.
- Values **with** an additional time offset are normalized to UTC and then reinterpreted as local time in the selected time zone.

---

## Without additional time offset

When the incoming data has the format `yyyy-mm-ddThh:mm:ss.sss` and contains no additional time offset, the imported value is treated as UTC and then shifted by the cluster time-zone offset. The following examples show the outcome for the EU and US clusters.

### EU cluster

#### Selected time zone is different from the cluster time zone

**Example 1**

|  | Daylight Saving Time | Standard Time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Import time | 2021-06-20T10:00:00.000 | 2021-12-20T10:00:00.000 |
| Selected time zone | America/Chicago (UTC-5) | America/Chicago (UTC-6) |
| Outcome time | 2021-06-20 17:00:00.000 << UTC+2 - (UTC-5) = +7h | 2021-12-20 17:00:00.000 << UTC+1 - (UTC-6) = +7h |

**Example 2**

|  | Daylight Saving Time | Standard Time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Import time | 2021-06-20T10:00:00.000 | 2021-12-20T10:00:00.000 |
| Selected time zone | Jamaica (UTC -5) | Jamaica (UTC -5) |
| Outcome time | 2021-06-20 17:00:00.000 << UTC+2 - (UTC-5) = +7h | 2021-12-20 16:00:00.000 << UTC+1 - (UTC-5) = +6h |

---

#### Selected time zone is the same as the cluster time zone

> [!NOTE]
> **Important information**
> 
> - Incoming date-time values are treated as “UTC” time zone, not as the selected time zone (Europe/Berlin for the EU cluster, and US/Eastern for the US cluster).
> - Incoming date-time values are transformed and saved by calculating the hour difference between UTC time zone offsets: *ClusterTimezeone* minus UTC+0.

|  | Daylight Saving Time | Standard Time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Import time | 2021-06-20T10:00:00.000 | 2021-12-20T10:00:00.000 |
| Selected time zone | Europe/Berlin (UTC+2) | Europe/Berlin (UTC+1) |
| Outcome time | 2021-06-20 12:00:00.000 << UTC+2 - (UTC-0) = +2h | 2021-12-20 11:00:00.000 << UTC+1 - (UTC-0) = +1h |

---

### US cluster

#### Selected time zone is different from the cluster time zone

**Example 1**

|  | Daylight Saving Time | Standard Time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Import time | 2021-06-20T10:00:00.000 | 2021-12-20T10:00:00.000 |
| Selected time zone | America/Chicago (UTC-5) | America/Chicago (UTC-6) |
| Outcome time | 2021-06-20 11:00:00.000 << UTC-4 - (UTC-5) = +1h | 2021-12-20 11:00:00.000 << UTC-5 - (UTC-6) = +1h |

**Example 2**

|  | Daylight Saving Time | Standard Time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Import time | 2021-06-20T10:00:00.000 | 2021-12-20T10:00:00.000 |
| Selected time zone | Jamaica (UTC -5) | Jamaica (UTC -5) |
| Outcome time | 2021-06-20 11:00:00.000 << UTC-4 - (UTC-5) = +1h | 2021-12-20 10:00:00.000 << UTC-5 - (UTC-5) = +0h |

---

#### Selected time zone is the same as the cluster time zone

> [!NOTE]
> **Important information**
> 
> - Incoming date-time values are treated as “UTC” time zone, not as the selected time zone (Europe/Berlin for the EU cluster, and US/Eastern for the US cluster).
> - Incoming date-time values are transformed and saved by calculating the hour difference between UTC time zone offsets: ClusterTimezeone minus UTC+0.

|  | Daylight Saving Time | Standard Time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Import time | 2021-06-20T10:00:00.000 | 2021-12-20T10:00:00.000 |
| Selected time zone | US/Eastern (UTC -4) | US/Eastern (UTC -5) |
| Outcome time | 2021-06-20 06:00:00.000 << UTC-4 - (UTC-0) = -4h | 2021-12-20 05:00:00.000 << UTC-5 - (UTC-0) = -5h |

---

## With additional time offset

When the incoming data has the format `yyyy-mm-ddThh:mm:ss.sss` and includes an additional time offset (for example, `+03:00`), the value is first normalized to UTC and then reinterpreted as local time in the time zone selected during import.

### Time offset behavior

When an imported value includes an additional time zone offset (for example, `+06:00`), the value is handled in two steps:

1. The value is first converted to UTC (`+00:00`).
  - Example: `2022-05-01T00:00:00.000+06:00` → `2022-04-30T18:00:00.000+00:00`
2. The resulting UTC value is then treated as the local time in the time zone selected during import.
  - Example: `2022-04-30T18:00:00.000` (selected time zone)

There is no conversion from UTC to the selected time zone. Instead, the time zone of the value itself is adjusted.

---

### Examples

#### EU Cluster

The default EU cluster time zone is Europe/Berlin:

- **CEST**: UTC+2 (Daylight Saving Time)
- **EST**: UTC+1 (Standard Time)

For more information, see [Mapp Engage Clusters and Time Zones](/v1/docs/mapp-engage-clusters-and-time-zones).

**Example 1**

| Import time | 2022-05-01T00:00:00.000+06:00 (Daylight Saving Time) |
| --- | --- |
| Selected time zone | Europe/London |
| Outcome | 2022-04-30T19:00:00.000+02:00 |

**Example 2**

| Import time | 2022-05-01T00:00:00.000+06:00 (Daylight Saving Time) |
| --- | --- |
| Selected time zone | Europe/Berlin (the same as the EU cluster) |
| Outcome | 2022-04-30T20:00:00.000+02:00 |

**Example 3**

| Import time | 2022-05-01T00:00:00.000+06:00 (Daylight Saving Time) |
| --- | --- |
| Selected time zone | Asia/Shanghai |
| Outcome | 2022-04-30T12:00:00.000+02:00 |

---

#### US cluster

The default US cluster time zone is US/Eastern:

- EST: UTC-5 (Standard Time)
- EDT: UTC-4 (Daylight Saving Time)

For more information, see [Mapp Engage Clusters and Time Zones](/v1/docs/mapp-engage-clusters-and-time-zones).

**Example 1**

| Import time | 2022-05-01T00:00:00.000+06:00 (Daylight Saving Time) |
| --- | --- |
| Selected time zone | Europe/London |
| Outcome | 2022-04-30T19:00:00.000+02:00 |

**Example 2**

| Import time | 2022-05-01T00:00:00.000+06:00 (Daylight Saving Time) |
| --- | --- |
| **Selected time zone** | US/Eastern (the same as the US cluster) |
| Outcome | 2022-04-30T20:00:00.000+02:00 |

**Example 3**

| Import time | 2022-05-01T00:00:00.000+06:00 (Daylight Saving Time) |
| --- | --- |
| **Selected time zone** | Asia/Shanghai |
| Outcome | 2022-04-30T12:00:00.000+02:00 |