Timestamp

Elements of data type Timestamp contain the same information as DateTime values. Unlike that data type, Timestamp information is not intended to have meaning at the other end of the communication. In addition, microseconds are the minimum required precision of the time portion of this data type.

The intent here is to describe a type identical to DateTime but without semantic meaning between two machines. The general DateTime data type has meaning on both ends of the protocol (even though time synchronization is not required by this specification). Timestamp indicates an exact point in time with respect to the generating application.

For example, a Timestamp value may be generated at a server when creating an audit response. The client application may return that value to the server in later requests, but the client software should not interpret the information.