[ARROW-13938] [C++] Date and datetime types should autocast from strings

• Type: Improvement
• Status: Resolved
• Priority: Major
• Resolution: Fixed
• Fix Version/s: 11.0.0
• Component/s: C++
• Labels: kernel
• External issue URL: https://github.com/apache/arrow/issues/29548
• Assignee: Neal Richardson
• Reporter: Jonathan Keane
• Created: 08/Sep/21 19:19
• Updated: 11/Jan/23 08:36
• Resolved: 04/Nov/22 11:53

Description

When comparing dates and datetimes, people frequently expect that a string (formatted as ISO8601) will auto-cast and compare to dates and times.

Examples in R:

library(arrow)
#> 
#> Attaching package: 'arrow'
#> The following object is masked from 'package:utils':
#> 
#>     timestamp

arr <- Array$create(as.Date(c("1974-04-06", "1988-05-09")))
arr > "1980-01-01"
#> Error: NotImplemented: Function greater has no kernel matching input types (array[date32[day]], scalar[string])

# creating the scalar as a date works, of course
arr > Scalar$create(as.Date("1980-01-01"))
#> Array
#> <bool>
#> [
#>   false,
#>   true
#> ]

# datatimes also do not auto-cast
arr <- Array$create(Sys.time())
arr > "1980-01-01 00:00:00"
#> Error: NotImplemented: Function greater has no kernel matching input types (array[timestamp[us]], scalar[string])


# or a more real-world example
library(dplyr)
#> 
#> Attaching package: 'dplyr'
#> The following objects are masked from 'package:stats':
#> 
#>     filter, lag
#> The following objects are masked from 'package:base':
#> 
#>     intersect, setdiff, setequal, union
mtcars$date <- as.Date(c("1974-04-06", "1988-05-09"))

ds <- InMemoryDataset$create(mtcars)

ds %>%
  filter(date > "1980-01-01") %>%
  collect()
#> Error: NotImplemented: Function greater has no kernel matching input types (array[date32[day]], scalar[string])

Issue Links

• is fixed by: ARROW-17462 [R] Cast scalars to type of field in Expression building