FPDS Query Library
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Partition Date

Date used to partition the FPDS record, typically representing the record's load or lifecycle date at the grain stored by the query system. It is a date field, not a coded attribute or descriptive label.

Family: General
Category: General
Data Type: date
Semantic Type: date
Mapping: project_level_field
AI Confidence: high

Variable Overview

FPDS Query Variable
partition_date
Title
Partition Date
FPDS Path
partition_date
Description
Date used to partition the FPDS record, typically representing the record's load or lifecycle date at the grain stored by the query system. It is a date field, not a coded attribute or descriptive label.
Business Meaning
This field supports time-based slicing of procurement data for reporting, refresh control, and lifecycle analysis. Analysts use it to align records to reporting periods and to understand when records are available or updated in the dataset.
Example Value
1967-01-01
Observed Non-Null Count
117,423,893

FPDS Compare

FPDS Query Variable
partition_date
FPDS XML Path
partition_date
Mapping Type
project_level_field
Comparison Summary
This variable is exposed directly as a project-level field in FPDS Query.

Use Cases

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

Common Usage

  • Incremental data loads
  • Date range filtering
  • Record timing and refresh checks

Common Mistakes

  • Using it as a proxy for award date without validation
  • Comparing it to business event dates without accounting for ingestion timing

Query Guidance

Use partition_date in WHERE clauses to limit scans and to filter records by the dataset's partitioning date. In SQL, prefer BETWEEN or >= / < date boundaries for period extraction, and avoid using it when the analysis requires obligation, action, or completion dates unless you have confirmed it is the correct lifecycle date.

SQL Examples

Preview values

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

Trend by year

SELECT
    toYear(partition_date) AS year,
    count() AS record_count
FROM fpds.data
WHERE partition_date IS NOT NULL
GROUP BY year
ORDER BY year

Each dictionary item includes SQL-ready examples generated alongside the variable metadata, allowing immediate use in FPDS Query for filtering, aggregation, and analysis.