Now

now returns the current datetime using your Metabase report timezone.

Creating conditional logic using the current date or time

Let’s say you have some project data, and you want to add a status column for each task. We’ll assume today’s date and time is November 22, 2022, 12:00:00.

To mark a task in progress, you’d use the expression:

now >= [Start] AND now < [Deadline]

To check if you need to ask for an extension:

now >= [Start] AND now >= [Deadline]

If you’re looking for an adrenaline rush (and you have real-time data), you can flag the tasks that are due right this second:

now = [Deadline]

To set up the Status column that combines all three situations above, you’d wrap everything in a case expression:

case(now >= [Start] AND now < [Deadline], "In progress",
     now >= [Start] AND now >= [Deadline], "Needs extension",
     now = [Deadline], "DUE RIGHT NOW!")

Data types

now returns a timestamp with time zone if time zones are supported by your database, otherwise now returns a timestamp without time zone.

For more info about the way these data types behave in Metabase, see Timezones.

Limitations

now might not actually be now (in your local time) if you don’t live in the same timezone as your Metabase report time zone.

If you need to compare now to a column in a different time zone, use convertTimezone to shift both columns into the same time zone. For example:

convertTimezone(now, 'UTC', <report timezone>) >= convertTimezone([Deadline], 'UTC', <source time zone>)

Related functions

Different ways to do the same thing, because while you’d love to use custom expressions more, now’s just not the time.

• SQL
• Spreadsheets
• Python

SQL

When you run a question using the query builder, Metabase will convert your query builder settings (filters, summaries, etc.) into a SQL query, and run that query against your database to get your results.

By default, now uses your Metabase’s report time zone. If your admin hasn’t set a report time zone, now will use your database’s time zone.

Say you’re using a Postgres database. If your Metabase report time zone is set to EST, you’ll get now in EST:

SELECT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP AT TIME ZONE 'EST'

If you don’t have a report time zone, you’ll get now in the Postgres database’s time zone (typically UTC):

SELECT CURRENT_TIME

Spreadsheets

The spreadsheet function NOW() gets the current date and time in your operating system’s time zone (the time that’s on your computer or mobile device).

Python

You can use pd.Timestamp.now() using the pandas module. This will give you a Timestamp object with the current date and time in your operating system’s time zone.

Further reading

• Custom expressions documentation
• Custom expressions tutorial
• Time series analysis