DateTimeZone.FixedUtcNow

DateTimeZone

Returns the current UTC date and time as a datetimezone, fixed for the entire query evaluation.

Syntax

DateTimeZone.FixedUtcNow() as datetimezone

Return Value

datetimezone — The current UTC date and time with a +00:00 offset, fixed at the start of query evaluation.

Remarks

DateTimeZone.FixedUtcNow returns the current UTC date and time as a datetimezone value with a +00:00 offset, fixed to the moment query evaluation began. Unlike DateTimeZone.UtcNow(), all calls within a single query return the same value. This makes it ideal for audit timestamps, consistent age calculations, or any scenario requiring a stable, timezone-unambiguous reference point.

Prefer DateTimeZone.FixedUtcNow() over DateTime.FixedLocalNow() in Power BI Service and Dataflows cloud refreshes. Because cloud environments run on UTC, using UTC explicitly removes any ambiguity about what "local" time means across different refresh environments. The fixed variant ensures all computed columns based on "now" use an identical reference instant, eliminating subtle time-skew bugs in long-running queries.

For the non-fixed variant that may advance between calls, use DateTimeZone.UtcNow(). To convert the UTC datetimezone to a specific local timezone for display, pipe through DateTimeZone.SwitchZone.

Examples

Example 1: Stamp each row with a consistent UTC refresh time

let
    RefreshTime = DateTimeZone.FixedUtcNow(),
    Source = Table.SelectColumns(Table.FirstN(Sales, 4), {"OrderID", "OrderDate"}),
    WithStamp = Table.AddColumn(Source, "RefreshedAtUTC",
        each RefreshTime, type datetimezone)
in
    WithStamp

Applied Steps

The final output — the WithStamp table showing each order alongside its consistent UTC refresh timestamp.

	OrderID	OrderDate	RefreshedAtUTC
1	1	1/15/2024	3/8/2026 4:00:00 PM
2	2	1/18/2024	3/8/2026 4:00:00 PM
3	3	2/1/2024	3/8/2026 4:00:00 PM
4	4	2/10/2024	3/8/2026 4:00:00 PM

Example 2: Return the fixed UTC now

#table(
    type table [FixedUTCNow = datetimezone],
    {{DateTimeZone.FixedUtcNow()}}
)

Result

	FixedUTCNow
1	3/8/2026 4:00:00 PM

Example 3: Convert UTC refresh time to a local display timezone

let
    UTCNow = DateTimeZone.FixedUtcNow(),
    EasternNow = DateTimeZone.SwitchZone(UTCNow, -5),
    Source = Table.SelectColumns(Table.FirstN(Sales, 3), {"OrderID"}),
    WithStamp = Table.AddColumn(Source, "RefreshedAtEST",
        each EasternNow, type datetimezone)
in
    WithStamp