AEM as a Cloud Service: Supporting Alberta Time (UTC-06:00)
This article provides guidance on how to support Alberta Time (UTC-06:00) requirements in Adobe Experience Manager as a Cloud Service, where the platform time zone is fixed to UTC.
Description description
Environment
Adobe Experience Manager as a Cloud Service (AEMaaCS) (all versions)
Symptoms
There is a need to support regional time requirements for Alberta Time (UTC-06:00) in applications and services running on Adobe Experience Manager as a Cloud Service. The platform operates in UTC and doesn’t allow customer-configurable time zones.
Cause
AEM as a Cloud Service is designed to operate in UTC for consistency and scalability. Support for regional time zones, such as Alberta Time (UTC-06:00), must be implemented in the application logic, scheduling, and reporting layers rather than at the platform level.
Resolution resolution
Follow the steps below to resolve the issue:
- Review all application logic, scheduled jobs, and integrations that rely on local time.
- For scheduled jobs or batch processes intended to run at a specific Alberta Time, convert the desired local time to the equivalent UTC schedule.
- Validate that all cron expressions or time-based triggers reflect the correct UTC offset for Alberta Time (UTC-06:00).
- Confirm that any user-facing timestamps, reports, or audit logs are either labelled as UTC or converted to Alberta Time in the application or reporting layer.
- Update reporting logic or UI components as needed to display local time to end users.
- Ensure all integrations that exchange timestamps use UTC or offset-aware formats (such as ISO 8601 with a time zone offset). Implement conversion logic before data exchange if downstream systems require Alberta Time.
- Review notification and workflow triggers to confirm correct timing relative to Alberta Time. Adjust any time-based logic to account for the UTC platform setting.
- Test all scheduled jobs, reports, and integrations in a Staging environment to confirm correct behavior after time zone adjustments.
- Validate that business processes align with Alberta Time requirements.
No platform downtime is required, as changes are made at the application and integration layers.