How do I set the time zone in my Oracle B2C Service application?

Environment:

Configuration settings, Time zone
Oracle B2C Service, All versions

Resolution: 

The TZ_INTERFACE configuration setting allows for the specification of time zones for use in your Oracle B2C Service site.  This setting specifies the time zone for the interface.  Through Configuration Assistant, this value can be set during site creation and adding a new interface.

Important Note:  This value affects the timestamp used in incidents created and responded to through the specific interface.  For this reason, it is recommended this value only be changed in the early stage of an interface lifecycle.

Changing the time zone on an established interface is not recommended, as it can lead to issues such as the removal of the SLAs, or the shift of old time metrics. SLA Response Interval times and chat hours are both set with a different mechanism in the database. When the time zone value changes, these times are not adjusted automatically and may be skewed as a result.

It is also possible to submit a service request to Ask Technical Support and indicate the interface and the timezone desired, should a change be needed.  NOTE:  If the time zone on an interface or site that uses SLAs and/or chat is modified by Technical Support, the customer will need to adjust Response Interval Times and chat hours after the service request is completed.

To view the timezone of an interface you're logged into, see steps in Answer ID 8100: Viewing the time and time zone in the console.

Please review the document below of acceptable time zone values. If submitting an incident to Ask Technical Support, let us know which time zone is preferred for use on your interface.

Acceptable Formats for TZ_INTERFACE:

For specific options and values that can be used with the TZ_INTERFACE setting, refer to the file attachment below. Within the continental United States, you may use EASTERN, CENTRAL, MOUNTAIN, or PACIFIC to designate the time zone.

The TZ_INTERFACE should be correctly set as each interface is created and should be part of your Best Practices interface and site planning.

Please see Acceptable Values for TZ_ DST (PDF) for a full list and information on which timezones support daylight savings.

GMT should not be selected unless you are certain that the interface will not have to adjust for daylight savings time seasonally.

For information about Daylight Savings, refer to the following published answer:
Answer 8974: Daylight Savings changes are automatic

Please note that the operator used in the GMT-type variable is opposite of what might expect. If using the GMT-type format, the GMT-type time zone variable is determined by what adjustment is required in order to make your time match GMT.

For example, people in New York need to add 5 hours to the time to match GMT, so the entry for New York using the GMT variable is GMT+5 (not GMT-5). Similarly, people in Sydney, Australia, need to subtract 10 hours from their time to match GMT, so the entry for Sydney is GMT-10 (not GMT+10).