Modifiedtimestamp

Modifiedtimestamp is a metadata field used to record the moment a record, document, or item was last modified. It provides a lightweight audit trail and supports synchronization, caching, and change detection. In practice, the value is stored as a timestamp and is typically updated whenever the item is changed.

Representation and maintenance: in most databases the field is stored in UTC as a timestamp or as a numeric epoch value, or as an ISO 8601 string. Many systems implement automatic updates via database features (for example, a field defined to default to the current timestamp on creation and automatically update on modification) or via application logic and triggers. It is common to maintain both a created timestamp and a modified timestamp.

Applications and best practices: use the modified timestamp to order recent items, drive cache invalidation, or perform incremental synchronization. Indexing the field improves query performance for recency checks. Store times in a consistent time zone (preferably UTC) and convert for display as needed. Be mindful of clock skew in distributed environments and consider keeping high-precision timestamps if your use case requires it.

Example: in MySQL, a table column modifiedtimestamp TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP ON UPDATE CURRENT_TIMESTAMP continuously updates on row changes. See also created_at, updated_at, last_modified.