What timepoint means and how to use it
The moment in time is characterized by only one value expressing validity. It can be used to model either one timepoint or the start point of the duration. If the timepoint represents only one value, it must be ensured that a new state is inserted for each moment, regardless of the change. For example, a new data image must be entered into the database every month if monthly granularity is used. The management of the system is controlled by a plan (calendar) of events, which occurs periodically. These systems are suitable for obtaining a slice (image) of data in precisely defined periods but without further analysis of the changes in individual attributes. This limitation is just related to storage demands. Data is stored periodically, irrespective of the real change. As a result, many duplicates can be present. Expressing the duration by the end point is uncommon as it can be unknown or not very precise. People usually don’t know in advance...
