CastTimeUnit / Temporal Layer

Convert temporal values to different time unit precision, similar to pandas astype() for datetime64 or Arrow's cast operation.

Example conversions:

Original (ns)	To ms	To μs
2024-01-01 12:30:00.123456789	...123	...123456
2024-01-01 15:45:30.987654321	...987	...987654

Important notes:

Converting to lower precision (e.g., ns → ms) loses information
Converting to higher precision adds zeros
Original timezone information is preserved

Common applications:

Database compatibility
Storage optimization
System integration
Time series alignment
Performance analysis
Log file processing

Table

Transforms

[, ...]

Select

column

Temporal column to convert. Must be a datetime, time, or duration type. Common sources:

event_timestamp: System events
created_at: Record creation time
measurement_time: Sensor readings
duration_ms: Operation durations

TimeUnit

enum

Millisecond

Target precision for temporal values. Choice affects storage size and resolution.

Millisecond ~

Millisecond precision (10⁻³ seconds). Suitable for:

Web application timestamps
User interaction tracking
Most business operations Storage: 3 decimal places

Microsecond ~

Microsecond precision (10⁻⁶ seconds). Suitable for:

Scientific measurements
High-frequency trading
Performance profiling Storage: 6 decimal places

Nanosecond ~

Nanosecond precision (10⁻⁹ seconds). Suitable for:

System kernel events
Hardware timing
Ultra-precise measurements Storage: 9 decimal places

Name for the new column. If not provided, the system generates a unique name. If AsColumn matches an existing column, the existing column is replaced. The name should follow valid column naming conventions.