# Force timestamp

**URL:** <https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/force-timestamp/18552>\
**Category:** Ignition\
**Created:** [June 21, 2018, 7:35am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/force-timestamp/18552 "2018-06-21T07:35:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Amarth](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/amarth/32/3313_2.png) [@Amarth](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Amarth)\
**Post date:** [June 21, 2018, 7:35am UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/force-timestamp/18552/1 "2018-06-21T07:35:24Z")

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Hello all,

Is there a way to “force” a timestamp of a tag ?

The idea would be to retrieve history information from an external system and to write them in Ignition tags ( **value and timestamp** ). Those tags would then be exposed to another external system that will suscribe using OPC-UA.

The tracks I have in my for that are:

- a Tag Consuming Provider. I can’t find anywhere if the timestamps source is managed by the database (stored in a column) or by Ignition (the time Ignition reads the value in the database becomes the tag timestamp)
- a module that would get history from a database and write in a SimpleTagProvider. But I’m not sure that I can write a timestamp with this solution nor that I can expose such a tag provider for OPCUA.

Any clues / Ideas welcomed.