> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://parabola.io/docs/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Start with date & time row > Start a Parabola flow with a single row containing the current date and time, plus optional offsets and timezones, for use as API parameters or relative date logic. The **Start with date & time row** step creates a single row with the current date and time, plus customizable day offsets and timezone settings. It's a starting step — no input arrows — and the date is calculated at run time, so each flow run gets a fresh value. The most common use case: feeding a date variable into a downstream API call. APIs that filter by date range need a date sent in, and hardcoding "yesterday" defeats the point of automation. This step gives you a relative date that updates on every run. ## Customize settings Click **Add Date & Time Rule** to add additional rules. Each rule shows up as its own column in the output. Start with date & time row step showing rule configuration with day offset and timezone The **Days Offset** field defaults to 0 (current date and time). Positive values produce future dates; negative values produce past dates. Output values are formatted as `YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss` — for example, `2019-09-18 12:33:09`. Connect a [**Format dates**](/product/transform/format-dates) step after this one to convert to a different format. ## Related steps * [Format dates](/product/transform/format-dates) — to convert the output to a different date format * [Pull from an API](/product/integration/webhook) — for API endpoints that need a date parameter * [Run another Parabola flow](/product/integration/parabola-flows) — to pass the date row to a downstream flow * [Combine tables](/product/transform/combine-tables) — to attach the date to other data via a cross join