Formating dates

Using the Format Date Step in Parabola

If you've ever worked with dates in spreadsheets, you know how tricky formatting them can be. Fortunately, Parabola makes it easy to standardize even the messiest date values using the Format Date step.

How the Format Date Step Works

To properly reformat dates, you need to provide Parabola with:

1. The column containing the date values (e.g., "Order Date")
2. The current format of the dates in that column
3. The new format you want to apply

Setting the Starting Date Format

You have a few options for defining the current format:

• Preset options – Choose from common date formats.
• Custom formats – Use format codes (e.g., MMMM for full month, MM for two-digit month).
• Auto-detect (Recommended) – Let AI analyze your dataset and determine the correct format. This usually gets it 95% correct, requiring minimal adjustments.

Setting the New Date Format

Once the starting format is identified, you can specify the new format manually:

• Example: To convert dates to MM DD YYYY, you would enter:
  • MM for month
  • DD for day
  • YYYY for year

After applying these settings, Parabola reformats all date values instantly.

Using AI to Configure Date Formatting (Recommended)

Instead of manually selecting formats, try the Configure with AI option:

1. Type a natural language prompt (e.g., "Convert dates to MM/DD/YYYY").
2. Click "Configure it for me."
3. AI will automatically:
   • Identify the Order Date column
   • Detect the starting format
   • Apply the desired output format

This approach removes manual guesswork and ensures consistency across your dataset.

Try It Yourself!

Check out the building challenge below and experiment with both manual and AI-driven formatting methods. 🚀