FPDS Query Library
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Major Program Code

Coded value identifying the major program associated with the contract in the FPDS award record. It is an identifier, not a narrative description, and typically appears as an abbreviated program code such as "RC2."

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

Variable Overview

FPDS Query Variable
content__award__contractData__majorProgramCode
Title
Major Program Code
FPDS Path
award/contractData/majorProgramCode
Description
Coded value identifying the major program associated with the contract in the FPDS award record. It is an identifier, not a narrative description, and typically appears as an abbreviated program code such as "RC2."
Business Meaning
This field supports program-level classification of procurement actions, allowing analysts to group obligations and awards by major federal program. It is useful for portfolio reporting, program tracking, and comparing contract activity across agencies or mission areas.
Example Value
RC2
Observed Non-Null Count
7,061,283

FPDS Compare

FPDS Query Variable
content__award__contractData__majorProgramCode
FPDS XML Path
award/contractData/majorProgramCode
Mapping Type
flattened_fpds_xml_field
Comparison Summary
FPDS Query flattens the original nested FPDS XML path 'award/contractData/majorProgramCode' into the SQL-ready variable 'content__award__contractData__majorProgramCode'.

Use Cases

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

Common Usage

  • Program-level spend and award counts
  • Filtering contract records by major program
  • Joining to reference data for code translation

Common Mistakes

  • Assuming the code is a descriptive program name
  • Aggregating without checking for missing, null, or agency-specific values

Query Guidance

Use this field as a grouping or join key, typically after standardizing values and validating against known code lists. In SQL, filter on exact code matches, count distinct values to assess coverage, and join to a lookup table when you need human-readable labels.

SQL Examples

Preview values

SELECT
    content__award__contractData__majorProgramCode AS major_program_code
FROM fpds.data
WHERE content__award__contractData__majorProgramCode IS NOT NULL
LIMIT 25

Top values

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