Timestamp Difference In Hours for PostgreSQL

TheLizardKing picture TheLizardKing · Dec 26, 2009 · Viewed 107k times · Source

Is there a TIMESTAMPDIFF() equivalent for PostgreSQL?

I know I can subtract two timestamps to get a postgresql INTERVAL. I just want the difference between the two timestamps in in hours represented by an INT.

I can do this in MySQL like this:

TIMESTAMPDIFF(HOUR, links.created, NOW())

I just need the difference between two timestamps in hours represented as an integer.

Solution works for me:

SELECT "links_link"."created",
"links_link"."title",
(EXTRACT(EPOCH FROM current_timestamp - "links_link"."created")/3600)::Integer AS "age" 
FROM "links_link"

Answer

Michael Krelin - hacker picture Michael Krelin - hacker · Dec 26, 2009

The first things popping up

EXTRACT(EPOCH FROM current_timestamp-somedate)/3600

May not be pretty, but unblocks the road. Could be prettier if division of interval by interval was defined.

Edit: if you want it greater than zero either use abs or greatest(...,0). Whichever suits your intention.

Edit++: the reason why I didn't use age is that age with a single argument, to quote the documentation: Subtract from current_date (at midnight). Meaning you don't get an accurate "age" unless running at midnight. Right now it's almost 1am here:

select age(current_timestamp);
       age        
------------------
 -00:52:40.826309
(1 row)