FPDS Query Library
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Transaction Number

A sequence value that identifies the specific transaction within an award record. It distinguishes one modification, action, or award event from others under the same contract identifier.

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

Variable Overview

FPDS Query Variable
content__award__awardID__awardContractID__transactionNumber
Title
Transaction Number
FPDS Path
award/awardID/awardContractID/transactionNumber
Description
A sequence value that identifies the specific transaction within an award record. It distinguishes one modification, action, or award event from others under the same contract identifier.
Business Meaning
This field matters because it lets analysts reconstruct the award history and separate the original award from later modifications or other transactional updates. It is essential for tracking lifecycle changes, de-duplicating records, and ordering procurement actions over time.
Observed Non-Null Count
111,509,025

FPDS Compare

FPDS Query Variable
content__award__awardID__awardContractID__transactionNumber
FPDS XML Path
award/awardID/awardContractID/transactionNumber
Mapping Type
flattened_fpds_xml_field
Comparison Summary
FPDS Query flattens the original nested FPDS XML path 'award/awardID/awardContractID/transactionNumber' into the SQL-ready variable 'content__award__awardID__awardContractID__transactionNumber'.

Use Cases

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

Common Usage

  • ordering award transactions chronologically
  • distinguishing original awards from modifications
  • joining or de-duplicating award-level transaction records

Common Mistakes

  • treating it as a contract number or obligation amount
  • assuming higher values always indicate later business time without checking the full award date fields

Query Guidance

Select and partition by the full award identifier set when reconstructing award history; use this field with the contract identifier and action date to order transactions. In SQL, treat it as an identifier field and avoid numeric comparisons unless the source data is explicitly stored as numeric and the analysis requires sequence ranking.

SQL Examples

Preview values

SELECT
    content__award__awardID__awardContractID__transactionNumber AS transaction_number
FROM fpds.data
WHERE content__award__awardID__awardContractID__transactionNumber IS NOT NULL
LIMIT 25

Top values

SELECT
    content__award__awardID__awardContractID__transactionNumber AS value,
    count() AS record_count
FROM fpds.data
WHERE content__award__awardID__awardContractID__transactionNumber 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.