Right now I am using the following functions to calculate a date and time int like this (ymd), (hms). I believe it is easier to do this for comparison.

```
def getDayAsInt():
    time = datetime.datetime.now()
    year = time.strftime("%Y")
    month=makeTimeTwoDigit(time.strftime("%m"))
    day=makeTimeTwoDigit(time.strftime("%d"))
    return year+month+day
def getTimeOfDay():
    day=makeTimeTwoDigit(time.strftime("%d"))
    hour=makeTimeTwoDigit(time.strftime("%H"))
    minute=makeTimeTwoDigit(time.strftime("%M"))
    second=makeTimeTwoDigit(time.strftime("%S"))
    return hour+minute+second 

```

I initially tried something like this:

```
    'date': str(datetime.now()),

```

However I ran into an issue of easier generating a date range to query it. For example if today is 20140616 I can simply query dates between 20140601 and 20140616 where as generating all of the possible date times is harder. Does that make sense?

Ex I want to find out events that happened today but having a date time string stored in dynamodb is harder (more things to match to) to match.

I'm wondering if there is an easier or more efficient way? Is breaking the date and time down like that done? Should I take this:

```
    year = time.strftime("%Y")
    month=makeTimeTwoDigit(time.strftime("%m"))
    day=makeTimeTwoDigit(time.strftime("%d"))

```

And do it inn one line? Like should I do time.strftime("%Y%m%d")?