Convert Pandas Column to DateTime

python datetime pandas
Chris picture Chris · Nov 5, 2014 · Viewed 528.3k times · Source

I have one field in a pandas DataFrame that was imported as string format. It should be a datetime variable. How do I convert it to a datetime column and then filter based on date.

Example:

  • DataFrame Name: raw_data
  • Column Name: Mycol
  • Value Format in Column: '05SEP2014:00:00:00.000'

Answer

chrisb picture chrisb · Nov 5, 2014

Use the to_datetime function, specifying a format to match your data.

raw_data['Mycol'] =  pd.to_datetime(raw_data['Mycol'], format='%d%b%Y:%H:%M:%S.%f')

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