# time

> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.redpanda.com/llms.txt). Component-specific: [cloud-data-platform-full.txt](https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform-full.txt)

---
title: time
latest-operator-version: v26.1.4
latest-console-tag: v3.7.3
latest-connect-version: 4.93.0
latest-redpanda-tag: v26.1.9
docname: sql/sql-data-types/time-type/time
page-component-name: cloud-data-platform
page-version: master
page-component-version: master
page-component-title: Cloud
page-relative-src-path: sql/sql-data-types/time-type/time.adoc
page-edit-url: https://github.com/redpanda-data/cloud-docs/edit/main/modules/reference/pages/sql/sql-data-types/time-type/time.adoc
description: The `time` data type in Redpanda SQL stores time values without any date information.
page-topic-type: reference
page-git-created-date: "2026-05-26"
page-git-modified-date: "2026-05-26"
---

<!-- Source: https://docs.redpanda.com/cloud-data-platform/reference/sql/sql-data-types/time-type/time.md -->

The `time` data type in Redpanda SQL stores time values without any date information. It represents a specific time of day, independent of any time zone or date.

## [](#format)Format

The format for the `time` data type is as follows:

```sql
HH:MM:SS[.SSSSSS]
```

-   `HH`: One or two-digit hour (valid values from 00 to 23).

-   `MM`: One or two-digit minutes (valid values from 00 to 59).

-   `SS`: One or two-digit seconds (valid values from 00 to 59).

-   `[.SSSSSS]` : Optional fractional seconds, with up to six decimal places (microsecond precision).


## [](#examples)Examples

### [](#create-a-schedule-table)Create a schedule table

The following example creates a table to manage employee schedules, containing their names and the time they are scheduled to start work. The `start_time` column uses the `time` data type.

```sql
CREATE TABLE employee_schedule (
    employee_name TEXT,
    start_time TIME
);

INSERT INTO employee_schedule (employee_name, start_time)
VALUES
('John Doe', '08:30:00'),
('Jane Smith', '09:00:00'),
('Michael Johnson', '10:15:00');
```

The table has been successfully created after executing the query:

```sql
COMPLETE
INSERT 0 3
```

### [](#view-the-employee-schedule)View the employee schedule

To view all employee schedules in the `employee_schedule` table, use the `SELECT` statement.

```sql
SELECT * FROM employee_schedule;
```

The output displays the employee names and their corresponding scheduled start times:

```sql
  employee_name  |   start_time
-----------------+-----------------
 John Doe        | 08:30:00.000000
 Jane Smith      | 09:00:00.000000
 Michael Johnson | 10:15:00.000000
(3 rows)
```