FPDS Query Library
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Reason for Modification

Human-readable reason explaining why an Other Transaction Award record was modified. It describes the justification or category associated with the modification event rather than the modification itself. The example value "M" suggests the field may contain a coded or abbreviated value set.

Family: Other Transaction Award
Category: Contract Data
Data Type: string
Semantic Type: attribute
Mapping: flattened_fpds_xml_field
AI Confidence: high

Variable Overview

FPDS Query Variable
content__OtherTransactionAward__contractDetail__contractData__reasonForModification
Title
Reason for Modification
FPDS Path
OtherTransactionAward/contractDetail/contractData/reasonForModification
Description
Human-readable reason explaining why an Other Transaction Award record was modified. It describes the justification or category associated with the modification event rather than the modification itself. The example value "M" suggests the field may contain a coded or abbreviated value set.
Business Meaning
This field helps analysts distinguish and classify award changes, which is important for understanding contract evolution, obligation shifts, administrative corrections, and post-award activity patterns. It supports grouping and comparing modification drivers across programs, offices, vendors, and time periods.
Example Value
M
Observed Non-Null Count
31,768

FPDS Compare

FPDS Query Variable
content__OtherTransactionAward__contractDetail__contractData__reasonForModification
FPDS XML Path
OtherTransactionAward/contractDetail/contractData/reasonForModification
Mapping Type
flattened_fpds_xml_field
Comparison Summary
FPDS Query flattens the original nested FPDS XML path 'OtherTransactionAward/contractDetail/contractData/reasonForModification' into the SQL-ready variable 'content__OtherTransactionAward__contractDetail__contractData__reasonForModification'.

Use Cases

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

Common Usage

  • Group award modifications by reason category
  • Filter records to a specific modification driver
  • Analyze patterns in post-award changes over time

Common Mistakes

  • Confusing the reason code with the actual modification action or date
  • Assuming the value is always plain-language text rather than a coded label

Query Guidance

Use this field in WHERE or GROUP BY clauses only after confirming the observed code set and any companion description fields. In SQL, normalize values with TRIM/UPPER and aggregate by distinct reason values; if you need semantics, map codes to labels in a lookup table or CASE expression.

SQL Examples

Preview values

SELECT
    content__OtherTransactionAward__contractDetail__contractData__reasonForModification AS reason_for_modification
FROM fpds.data
WHERE content__OtherTransactionAward__contractDetail__contractData__reasonForModification IS NOT NULL
LIMIT 25

Top values

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