Dateofreport

Dateofreport is a field name used in data management and document metadata to record the date on which a report was created or published. It helps with sorting, filtering, auditing, and archival by establishing a clear timeline for documents and datasets. In different schemas, the same concept may appear as date_of_report, ReportDate, or similar variants.

Meaning and scope: typically, dateofreport refers to the date the report was authored or released. It is not necessarily the date of any underlying observation, event, or submission to an external system. Some organizations also use it to indicate the date a report was finalized or approved. Clear semantics should be defined in a data dictionary to avoid confusion among users and systems.

Formats and data types: dateofreport can be stored as a date (year-month-day) or as a timestamp (date and time). When time is relevant or reports are generated across time zones, a timestamp with an explicit time zone is preferable. If only the calendar date is known, a date type suffices. Adopting a consistent format, often ISO 8601, improves interoperability.

Usage considerations: use a standard field name and document its meaning in data governance materials. Enforce validation to ensure valid dates, handle time zones consistently, and distinguish the report date from related dates such as event date or receipt date. In multi-system environments, synchronize formats and maintain clear lineage to support accurate reporting and analysis.