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In FME Desktop 2014, I am reading a spatial dataset (point data) from an Oracle database, then doing some maniupulation like creating a balloon with HTML text, setting symbols for the points, then writing the data to KMZ (OGCKML writer). I understand that all FME Readers read dates and times into a string field using a common syntax that is database neutral (e.g., YYYYMMDDHHMMSS).

 

 

Without using a DateFormatter transformer, my output KML file date attributes are being written as YYMMDDHHMMSS format.

 

 

Do I need to use the DateFormatter transformer and specify each date-time attribute excplicitly? I'd like to save future hassles (when existing date-time fields are removed or new date-time fields are added to the source Oracle table that I'm reading). I'm trying to automate this FME workspace as much as possible, so is there a way to tell the KML writer to generally write all date-time attributes in a specific format (and not have to specify each individual date-time attribute in DateFormatter)?
If the Source Date Format is the same in all your source data (e.g. YYYYMMDDHHMMSS), or the DateFormatter seems to correctly detect the Source Date Format when Unknown - Automatic Detection is selected, and the Destination Date Format is always the same, you could probably use one DateFormatter, given that the Date Attribute name is the same.

 

Alternatively, to make the Date Attribute(s) of the DateFormatter more flexible, you could set this to a User Parameter, and at runtime, the user could select or specify the name(s) of the Date Attribute(s). 
OK. Thanks Natalie. I see that in the DateFormatter I can choose individual attribute fields ahead of time, or as you mention, I can set up a user parameter to have it specified at run time.

 

I mainly wanted to know if there was some way to set a Writer default date format in the workspace so that the user doesn't have to be aware of each individual date field. So it sounds like that is not an option, and I'll use your advice for setting the DateFormatter transformer for each individual date field, possibly using user parameter(s).

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