diff --git a/cbutil/data_points.py b/cbutil/data_points.py
index 3027f4e2b99553c95b6b3f5b5eb947135c94b21c..ba1b436c54691144e18dade4ddb3681d39e39737 100644
--- a/cbutil/data_points.py
+++ b/cbutil/data_points.py
@@ -1,4 +1,8 @@
 from dataclasses import dataclass, asdict
+from .util import time_conversion
+import logging
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__file__)
 
 
 @dataclass
@@ -37,5 +41,10 @@ def data_point_factory(run, *,
         tag_keys = run.keys() - no_tag_keys - field_keys - {time_key}
 
     tags = {key: run[key]for key in tag_keys}
-    time = run.get(time_key)
+    time = run[time_key]
+    try:
+        time = time_conversion(time)
+    except ValueError:
+        logger.warn(f"{time} could not be transformed with the current pattern")
+        pass
     return DataPoint(measurement_name, time, fields=fields, tags=tags)
diff --git a/cbutil/postprocessing/plain_text.py b/cbutil/postprocessing/plain_text.py
index 9638aa103e878d21736c2df20aec0f7ef654e1c7..501e8a284982511bdbffab72f011937463307200 100644
--- a/cbutil/postprocessing/plain_text.py
+++ b/cbutil/postprocessing/plain_text.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 from typing import Callable, Iterable
 import csv
+from cbutil.util import file_time_to_sec
 
 
 def process_linewise(func: Callable, lines: Iterable):
@@ -11,7 +12,11 @@ def process_linewise(func: Callable, lines: Iterable):
             pass
 
 
-def iterate_csv(path):
+def iterate_csv(path, time_key="timestamp"):
+    file_time = file_time_to_sec(path)
+
     with open(path, "r") as in_file:
         for row in csv.DictReader(in_file):
+            if time_key not in row:
+                row[time_key] = file_time
             yield row
diff --git a/cbutil/util.py b/cbutil/util.py
index 67cd85285272cf3769dc6028d7ed810c759861a5..bc2029a6dd1d37429d102f85b565debdd1995cd2 100644
--- a/cbutil/util.py
+++ b/cbutil/util.py
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 import git
+import os
+from datetime import datetime
 
 from typing import Union, Tuple
 from pathlib import Path
@@ -44,3 +46,16 @@ def get_git_infos(repo_path: Union[Path, str], *, commit_key="commit", commit_ms
     commit, commit_msg = get_commit_infos(get_current_head(get_repo(repo_path)))
     commit_msg = remove_newline(commit_msg)
     return {commit_key: commit, commit_msg_key: commit_msg}
+
+
+def file_time_to_sec(file_path) -> int:
+    return int(os.path.getmtime(file_path))
+
+
+def time_conversion(time_stamp, *, pattern="%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S"):
+    try:
+        return int(time_stamp)
+    except ValueError:
+        pass
+
+    return int(datetime.strptime(time_stamp, pattern).timestamp())
diff --git a/tests/test_csv.py b/tests/test_csv.py
index 5585c185fec7b67198f08ce2d7e98cd4dee75523..0105ab37597dc5bb1c9cc766c114cce5a180f154 100644
--- a/tests/test_csv.py
+++ b/tests/test_csv.py
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 from cbutil.postprocessing.plain_text import iterate_csv
+from cbutil.util import file_time_to_sec
 
 
 def test_iteration():
     dicts = list(iterate_csv("tests/benchmark.csv"))
     assert len(dicts) == 20
+    assert dicts[0]["timestamp"] == file_time_to_sec("tests/benchmark.csv")
diff --git a/tests/test_util.py b/tests/test_util.py
index aceb81e9b31f2675583573370550580a7de18d10..d672955a56687bdb741353fafe8d418fcba38c8a 100644
--- a/tests/test_util.py
+++ b/tests/test_util.py
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
-from cbutil.util import read_file_line_wise, get_git_infos
+from cbutil.util import read_file_line_wise, get_git_infos, time_conversion
 from contextlib import contextmanager
 from pathlib import Path
 import os
 import git
+import pytest
 
 
 @contextmanager
@@ -28,3 +29,13 @@ def test_read_file():
 def test_git_infos():
     infos = get_git_infos(".", commit_key="commit", commit_msg_key="commit_message")
     assert infos["commit"] == git.Repo(".").head.commit.hexsha
+
+
+def test_time_conv():
+    time_str = "2022-08-03 15:34:46"
+    assert time_conversion(time_str) == int(1659533686.0)
+    assert time_conversion(12341234) == 12341234
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError):
+        time_conversion("ajsdkfljaskldj")
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError):
+        time_conversion("2022-08-0315:34:46")