FPDS Query Library
About Us
Contact Us

Created By

Identifies the user account that created the FPDS transaction record. It is an administrative audit attribute, not a procurement action or award characteristic.

Family: Award
Category: General
Data Type: string
Semantic Type: attribute
Mapping: flattened_fpds_xml_field
AI Confidence: high

Variable Overview

FPDS Query Variable
content__award__transactionInformation__createdBy
Title
Created By
FPDS Path
award/transactionInformation/createdBy
Description
Identifies the user account that created the FPDS transaction record. It is an administrative audit attribute, not a procurement action or award characteristic.
Business Meaning
This field helps analysts trace record provenance, distinguish originating users or offices, and assess workflow patterns in FPDS data entry and maintenance. It can support audit reviews, data quality checks, and identification of repeat submitters or systems behind specific transaction streams.
Example Value
MIKE.SANDERS@HQ.DOE.GOV
Observed Non-Null Count
111,507,817

FPDS Compare

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

Use Cases

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

Common Usage

  • audit trail and provenance checks
  • grouping transactions by submitting user or office
  • data quality review and anomaly detection

Common Mistakes

  • interpreting it as the contracting officer or awardee
  • assuming one unique value always equals one unique person

Query Guidance

Use it as a text field for filtering, grouping, or distinct counts after normalizing case. In SQL, compare with UPPER() or LOWER(), and avoid joins to entity tables unless you have a validated mapping from account strings to users or organizations.

SQL Examples

Preview values

SELECT
    content__award__transactionInformation__createdBy AS created_by
FROM fpds.data
WHERE content__award__transactionInformation__createdBy IS NOT NULL
LIMIT 25

Top values

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