FPDS Query Library
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Accession Number

NASA-specific accession number recorded on the award. It serves as an internal identifier or reference key associated with the award record rather than a descriptive measure of contract performance.

Family: Award
Category: General
Data Type: identifier_or_code
Semantic Type: identifier
Mapping: flattened_fpds_xml_field
AI Confidence: high

Variable Overview

FPDS Query Variable
content__award__agencySpecificAwardElements__NASASpecificAwardElements__accessionNumber
Title
Accession Number
FPDS Path
award/agencySpecificAwardElements/NASASpecificAwardElements/accessionNumber
Description
NASA-specific accession number recorded on the award. It serves as an internal identifier or reference key associated with the award record rather than a descriptive measure of contract performance.
Business Meaning
This field helps trace NASA award records back to the agency's internal tracking and administrative systems. Analysts use it to support record matching, de-duplication, and crosswalks between FPDS and NASA-specific datasets.
Example Value
1
Observed Non-Null Count
64,095

FPDS Compare

FPDS Query Variable
content__award__agencySpecificAwardElements__NASASpecificAwardElements__accessionNumber
FPDS XML Path
award/agencySpecificAwardElements/NASASpecificAwardElements/accessionNumber
Mapping Type
flattened_fpds_xml_field
Comparison Summary
FPDS Query flattens the original nested FPDS XML path 'award/agencySpecificAwardElements/NASASpecificAwardElements/accessionNumber' into the SQL-ready variable 'content__award__agencySpecificAwardElements__NASASpecificAwardElements__accessionNumber'.

Use Cases

  • Dictionary lookup and field explanation
  • SQL filtering and grouping
  • Analytical reporting and reusable query building

Common Usage

  • Matching FPDS awards to NASA internal award records
  • Identifying agency-specific administrative references
  • Supporting data validation and deduplication

Common Mistakes

  • Using the value as a measure of award size, status, or performance
  • Assuming identical meaning across agencies or systems

Query Guidance

Use in SELECT, JOIN, and WHERE clauses for record linkage or filtering on NASA-specific references. If the field is stored as text, compare as a string and avoid numeric assumptions; if multiple NASA award elements exist, inspect companion identifier fields and observed value patterns before building joins.

SQL Examples

Preview values

SELECT
    content__award__agencySpecificAwardElements__NASASpecificAwardElements__accessionNumber AS accession_number
FROM fpds.data
WHERE content__award__agencySpecificAwardElements__NASASpecificAwardElements__accessionNumber IS NOT NULL
LIMIT 25

Top values

SELECT
    content__award__agencySpecificAwardElements__NASASpecificAwardElements__accessionNumber AS value,
    count() AS record_count
FROM fpds.data
WHERE content__award__agencySpecificAwardElements__NASASpecificAwardElements__accessionNumber IS NOT NULL
GROUP BY value
ORDER BY record_count DESC
LIMIT 25

Each dictionary item includes SQL-ready examples generated alongside the variable metadata, allowing immediate use in FPDS Query for filtering, aggregation, and analysis.