Converting Integer-Based Time Values to Readable Format in VDM

Trouble Viewing Images? Right-click on any image and select "Open in new tab" to view a larger version. You can also zoom in using Ctrl + Mouse Wheel for easier readability.

Article Goal

Show different methods to convert integer-based time values (stored in seconds or hours) into a readable time format using Finished Reports and Visualize.

What Are Integer-Based Time Values?

In some data sources, time values are stored as integers, typically representing:

• Seconds — e.g., 600 = 10 minutes, 3600 = 1 hour

• Hours — for military-style hour formatting

These values need to be transformed into readable HH:mm:ss or hh:mm tt format for reporting and display.

Tip: Use addseconds or format string logic to simplify this process inside Finished Reports or Visualize.

Download Sample

Download Sample View

Method 1: Finished Reports – Manual Time Formatting

Step-by-Step

1. Add a Label to the report design area

2. Click the Label Tasks drop-down (cog icon on the label) and open the Expression Editor

3.  Paste the following expression:

FormatString('{0:00}:{1:00}:{2:00}', 
    Floor(ToDecimal([YourField])/3600), 
    Floor((ToDecimal([YourField])-3600*Floor(ToDecimal([YourField])/3600))/60), 
    ToDecimal([YourField])%60)

4. Replace [YourField] with the field name holding the time value

5. Click OK, then Preview the report

Tip: This converts raw seconds into HH:mm:ss.

Method 2: Finished Reports – Using addseconds() (Recommended)

Step-by-Step

1. Right-click in the Field List → Add Calculated Field

2. Set the Data Source and Field Type

3. In the Expression Editor, paste: addseconds('1/1/1900', [YourField])

4. Replace [YourField] with your time field

5. Drag the calculated field into your Finished Report layout

6. Format it using: {0:HH:mm:ss}

Recommended: Cleaner and easier to maintain than manual parsing.

Method 3: Finished Reports – Military Time with addhours()

Step-by-Step

1. Add a Calculated Field

2. Set the data source and data type as needed

3. Open the expression editor

4. Paste the following expression: addhours('1/1/1900', [YourField])

5. Replace [YourField] with your hours-based integer field

6. Format the field using: {0:hh:mm tt}

Useful when integer values represent whole hours, like 14 for 2:00 PM.

Method 4: Visualize – Custom Expression for HH:mm:ss

Step-by-Step

1. Create a Calculated Field

2. Paste the following expression:

Iif(ToInt([YourField] % (24 * 60 * 60) / (60 * 60)) < 10, '0' +
ToStr([YourField] % (24 * 60 * 60) / (60 * 60)),
ToStr([YourField] % (24 * 60 * 60) / (60 * 60))) 
+ ':' +
Iif(ToInt([YourField] % (60 * 60) / 60) < 10, '0' +
ToStr([YourField] % (60 * 60) / 60), 
ToStr([YourField] % (60 * 60) / 60)) 
+ ':' +
Iif(ToInt([YourField] % 60) < 10, '0' +
ToStr([YourField] % 60), 
ToStr([YourField] % 60))

3. Replace [YourField] with your seconds-based field

4. Add the calculated field to your Visualize layout and preview the result

Tip: This method allows full customization of time formatting inside dashboards.

Article Summary

If your dataset includes time stored as integer seconds or hours, VDM offers several ways to convert those into readable formats:

• Use manual string formatting or addseconds() in Finished Reports

• Use addhours() for military time conversion

• Use custom expressions in Visualize for on-screen dynamic formatting

Use Case: Convert 3600 into 01:00:00 for a performance dashboard or show 14 as 2:00 PM using military formatting in a report.