FPDS Query Library
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Middle Initial

The middle initial for NASA's alternate principal investigator named on the award record. It is a personal-name attribute used to more fully identify that individual when present.

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__agencySpecificAwardElements__NASASpecificAwardElements__alternatePrincipalInvestigator__middleInitial
Title
Middle Initial
FPDS Path
award/agencySpecificAwardElements/NASASpecificAwardElements/alternatePrincipalInvestigator/middleInitial
Description
The middle initial for NASA's alternate principal investigator named on the award record. It is a personal-name attribute used to more fully identify that individual when present.
Business Meaning
This field helps analysts distinguish among people with similar names in NASA-related awards, supporting accurate attribution, de-duplication, and linkage to other award records or external reference data. It is most useful when analyzing award personnel, participation patterns, or matching records where name completeness matters.
Example Value
A
Observed Non-Null Count
2,142

FPDS Compare

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

Use Cases

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

Common Usage

  • Disambiguating alternate principal investigators with similar names
  • Joining award records to personnel or identity reference tables
  • Filtering NASA awards that include named alternate principal investigators

Common Mistakes

  • Using the field alone as an identifier
  • Assuming a blank value means no alternate principal investigator exists

Query Guidance

Use this field as a supporting attribute in WHERE, JOIN, or deduplication logic alongside first and last name fields. In SQL, normalize case and trim whitespace when comparing values, and expect nulls, single-letter initials, or inconsistent punctuation rather than a controlled vocabulary.

SQL Examples

Preview values

SELECT
    content__award__agencySpecificAwardElements__NASASpecificAwardElements__alternatePrincipalInvestigator__middleInitial AS middle_initial
FROM fpds.data
WHERE content__award__agencySpecificAwardElements__NASASpecificAwardElements__alternatePrincipalInvestigator__middleInitial IS NOT NULL
LIMIT 25

Top values

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