FPDS Query Library
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PSC Code Description

Human-readable description associated with the PSC Code on an Other Transaction IDV record. It labels the product or service classification represented by the paired coded PSC value.

Family: Other Transaction IDV
Category: General
Data Type: string
Semantic Type: description
Mapping: flattened_fpds_xml_field
AI Confidence: high

Variable Overview

FPDS Query Variable
content__OtherTransactionIDV__contractDetail__PSCCode__description
Title
PSC Code Description
FPDS Path
OtherTransactionIDV/contractDetail/PSCCode/description
Description
Human-readable description associated with the PSC Code on an Other Transaction IDV record. It labels the product or service classification represented by the paired coded PSC value.
Business Meaning
This field lets analysts interpret procurement category data without decoding abbreviated PSC values manually. It supports spend classification, portfolio analysis, and comparison of obligations across product and service groupings.
Example Value
NATIONAL DEFENSE R&D SERVICES; DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE - MILITARY; APPLIED RESEARCH
Observed Non-Null Count
13,410

FPDS Compare

FPDS Query Variable
content__OtherTransactionIDV__contractDetail__PSCCode__description
FPDS XML Path
OtherTransactionIDV/contractDetail/PSCCode/description
Mapping Type
flattened_fpds_xml_field
Comparison Summary
FPDS Query flattens the original nested FPDS XML path 'OtherTransactionIDV/contractDetail/PSCCode/description' into the SQL-ready variable 'content__OtherTransactionIDV__contractDetail__PSCCode__description'.

Paired Field

Relationship
description_of
Variable
PSC Code

Use Cases

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

Common Usage

  • Translate PSC codes into readable procurement categories
  • Group obligations by product or service type
  • Validate PSC-based rollups and dashboard labels

Common Mistakes

  • Treating the description as a unique key instead of the coded PSC value
  • Aggregating on descriptions without checking for variant labels or inconsistent text

Query Guidance

Join or select this field alongside PSC Code when reporting or grouping by procurement category. In SQL, use it for display labels and descriptive filters, but base primary grouping and deduplication on the PSC code to avoid text variation issues.

SQL Examples

Preview values

SELECT
    content__OtherTransactionIDV__contractDetail__PSCCode__description AS p_s_c_code_description
FROM fpds.data
WHERE content__OtherTransactionIDV__contractDetail__PSCCode__description IS NOT NULL
LIMIT 25

Top values

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