# getmonth



Use the `getmonth` function in APL to extract the month number from a datetime value. The function returns an integer from 1 to 12, where 1 represents January and 12 represents December.

You can use `getmonth` to group records by month when analyzing seasonal patterns, monthly trends, or periodic fluctuations in your data. This is useful for dashboards, monthly reporting, and cohort analysis.

Use it when you want to:

* Aggregate events by month for trend analysis.
* Compare metrics across months to detect seasonal patterns.
* Create monthly summaries across log, trace, or security datasets.

## Usage [#usage]

### Syntax [#syntax]

```kusto
getmonth(datetime)
```

### Parameters [#parameters]

| Name     | Type       | Description               |
| -------- | ---------- | ------------------------- |
| datetime | `datetime` | The input datetime value. |

### Returns [#returns]

An `int` from 1 to 12 representing the month number.

## Use case examples [#use-case-examples]

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Log analysis">
    Analyze HTTP request volume by month to identify traffic patterns throughout the year.

    **Query**

    ```kusto
    ['sample-http-logs']
    | extend month = getmonth(_time)
    | summarize request_count = count() by month
    | sort by month asc
    ```

    [Run in Playground](https://play.axiom.co/axiom-play-qf1k/query?initForm=%7B%22apl%22%3A%22%5B'sample-http-logs'%5D%20%7C%20extend%20month%20%3D%20getmonth\(_time\)%20%7C%20summarize%20request_count%20%3D%20count\(\)%20by%20month%20%7C%20sort%20by%20month%20asc%22%7D)

    **Output**

    | month | request\_count |
    | ----- | -------------- |
    | 1     | 4521           |
    | 2     | 4187           |
    | 3     | 4893           |

    This query groups HTTP log entries by month number and counts the requests in each month.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="OpenTelemetry traces">
    Compare monthly average span durations by service to spot performance changes across months.

    **Query**

    ```kusto
    ['otel-demo-traces']
    | extend month = getmonth(_time)
    | summarize avg_duration = avg(duration) by month, ['service.name']
    | sort by month asc
    ```

    [Run in Playground](https://play.axiom.co/axiom-play-qf1k/query?initForm=%7B%22apl%22%3A%22%5B'otel-demo-traces'%5D%20%7C%20extend%20month%20%3D%20getmonth\(_time\)%20%7C%20summarize%20avg_duration%20%3D%20avg\(duration\)%20by%20month%2C%20%5B'service.name'%5D%20%7C%20sort%20by%20month%20asc%22%7D)

    **Output**

    | month | service.name | avg\_duration    |
    | ----- | ------------ | ---------------- |
    | 1     | frontend     | 00:00:01.2340000 |
    | 2     | frontend     | 00:00:01.1890000 |
    | 3     | frontend     | 00:00:01.3020000 |

    This query calculates the average span duration per month for each service, helping you track monthly performance trends.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Security logs">
    Find which months have the most server errors to uncover seasonal reliability patterns.

    **Query**

    ```kusto
    ['sample-http-logs']
    | where toint(status) >= 500
    | extend month = getmonth(_time)
    | summarize error_count = count() by month
    | sort by error_count desc
    ```

    [Run in Playground](https://play.axiom.co/axiom-play-qf1k/query?initForm=%7B%22apl%22%3A%22%5B'sample-http-logs'%5D%20%7C%20where%20toint\(status\)%20%3E%3D%20500%20%7C%20extend%20month%20%3D%20getmonth\(_time\)%20%7C%20summarize%20error_count%20%3D%20count\(\)%20by%20month%20%7C%20sort%20by%20error_count%20desc%22%7D)

    **Output**

    | month | error\_count |
    | ----- | ------------ |
    | 7     | 89           |
    | 12    | 76           |
    | 3     | 54           |

    This query identifies the months with the highest number of server errors, sorted by error count in descending order.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## List of related functions [#list-of-related-functions]

* [monthofyear](/apl/scalar-functions/datetime-functions/monthofyear): Returns the month number from a datetime. Equivalent to `getmonth`.
* [getyear](/apl/scalar-functions/datetime-functions/getyear): Extracts the year part from a datetime as an integer.
* [dayofmonth](/apl/scalar-functions/datetime-functions/dayofmonth): Returns the day of the month from a datetime.
* [startofmonth](/apl/scalar-functions/datetime-functions/startofmonth): Returns the start of the month for a datetime, useful for monthly binning.
* [endofmonth](/apl/scalar-functions/datetime-functions/endofmonth): Returns the end of the month for a datetime value.

## Other query languages [#other-query-languages]

<LanguageComparisons>
  <Accordion title="Splunk SPL users">
    In Splunk SPL, you typically use the `strftime` function with the `%m` specifier to extract the month number. In APL, the `getmonth` function directly returns the month number as an integer.

    <CodeGroup>
      ```sql Splunk example
      ... | eval month=strftime(_time, "%m")
      ```

      ```kusto APL equivalent
      ... | extend month = getmonth(_time)
      ```
    </CodeGroup>
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="ANSI SQL users">
    In ANSI SQL, you use `EXTRACT(MONTH FROM timestamp)` or the `MONTH()` function to get the month number. In APL, `getmonth` provides the same result.

    <CodeGroup>
      ```sql SQL example
      SELECT EXTRACT(MONTH FROM timestamp_column) AS month FROM events;
      ```

      ```kusto APL equivalent
      ['dataset']
      | extend month = getmonth(_time)
      ```
    </CodeGroup>
  </Accordion>
</LanguageComparisons>