Description
Parses common date string formats and returns an ISO 8601 date (YYYY-MM-DD). Use it to standardize date values from mixed sources before storing, sorting, or joining on date.
Accepted input formats:
- ISO date:
2026-05-22
- Slash or dash US-style:
05/22/2026, 5/2/2026, 05-22-2026
- English month names (case-insensitive):
May 22, 2026, 22 May 2026
- Datetime values, from which the date portion is extracted:
2026-05-22T10:00:00, 2026-05-27T17:57:44Z, 2026-05-27T17:57:44+05:00, 2026-05-27 17:57:44.123
For datetime inputs that include a timezone offset, NormalizeDate returns the date as written and performs no timezone conversion. NormalizeDate('2026-05-27T01:00:00+12:00') returns 2026-05-27, not 2026-05-26.
The function uses strict date resolution, so silently-adjusted values such as Feb 30 are rejected rather than rolled forward.
Syntax
NormalizeDate(string_expression[, locale_tag])
The optional locale_tag controls how ambiguous numeric formats are interpreted. It is case-insensitive.
| Locale tag | Behavior |
|---|
US (default) | Month/day/year for numeric formats (05/22/2026 is May 22). |
EU | Day/month/year for numeric formats (01/02/2026 is February 1). |
ISO | Only accepts unambiguous formats. Rejects NN/NN/YYYY but accepts datetime forms. |
Examples
NormalizeDate('May 22, 2026') returns '2026-05-22'.
NormalizeDate('05/22/2026') returns '2026-05-22'.
NormalizeDate('01/02/2026', 'EU') returns '2026-02-01'.
NormalizeDate('2026-05-27T17:57:44Z') returns '2026-05-27'.
NormalizeDate('2026-05-27T01:00:00+12:00') returns '2026-05-27'.
Return value datatype
String
Impact of null value
Returns null for any of the following:
- Null, empty, or whitespace-only input
- Invalid calendar dates (
Feb 30, month 13, non-leap Feb 29)
- Invalid time components in datetime inputs (hour 25, minute 60)
- 2-digit years
- Unknown locale tags
Last modified on May 28, 2026
