ColdFusion stores and manipulates dates and times as date-time objects. Date-time objects store data on a time line as real numbers. This storage method increases processing efficiency and directly mimics the method used by many popular database systems. In date-time objects, one day is equal to the difference between two successive integers. The time portion of the date-and-time value is stored in the fractional part of the real number. The value 0 represents 12:00 AM 12/30/1899.

Although you can use arithmetic operations to manipulate date-and-time values directly, this method can result in code that is difficult to understand and maintain. Use the ColdFusion date-time manipulation functions instead. For information on these functions, see the CFML Reference.