FPDS Query Library
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Effective Date

The date and time when the IDV becomes effective, meaning the agreement is legally active from that point forward. It is a timestamp-style field stored as a string and represents the effective date associated with the IDV record.

Family: IDV
Category: Dates
Data Type: string
Semantic Type: attribute
Mapping: flattened_fpds_xml_field
AI Confidence: high

Variable Overview

FPDS Query Variable
content__IDV__relevantContractDates__effectiveDate
Title
Effective Date
FPDS Path
IDV/relevantContractDates/effectiveDate
Description
The date and time when the IDV becomes effective, meaning the agreement is legally active from that point forward. It is a timestamp-style field stored as a string and represents the effective date associated with the IDV record.
Business Meaning
This date is important for understanding when a vehicle was available for use, aligning obligations to the correct period, and sequencing award activity across fiscal years. Analysts use it to measure award timing, compare issuance patterns, and support reusable procurement analyses such as IDV lifecycle and obligation timing.
Example Value
1991-12-04 12:52:34
Observed Non-Null Count
5,862,440

FPDS Compare

FPDS Query Variable
content__IDV__relevantContractDates__effectiveDate
FPDS XML Path
IDV/relevantContractDates/effectiveDate
Mapping Type
flattened_fpds_xml_field
Comparison Summary
FPDS Query flattens the original nested FPDS XML path 'IDV/relevantContractDates/effectiveDate' into the SQL-ready variable 'content__IDV__relevantContractDates__effectiveDate'.

Use Cases

  • Dictionary lookup and field explanation
  • SQL filtering and grouping
  • Analytical reporting and reusable query building
  • Timeline, cohort, and period analysis

Common Usage

  • filtering IDVs by effective date range
  • grouping awards by month, quarter, or fiscal year
  • ordering contract actions chronologically

Common Mistakes

  • treating it as the award announcement or signature date
  • comparing the raw string without converting to a date or timestamp type

Query Guidance

Convert the string to a timestamp or date type before filtering or aggregating. In SQL, use the effective date as the anchor for time-based analysis, and apply date truncation when building monthly or fiscal summaries; if the dataset mixes formats, normalize to a consistent timestamp first.

SQL Examples

Preview values

SELECT
    content__IDV__relevantContractDates__effectiveDate AS effective_date
FROM fpds.data
WHERE content__IDV__relevantContractDates__effectiveDate IS NOT NULL
LIMIT 25

Top values

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