detailsdates

Detailsdates is a conceptual data construct used in information management to attach structured, granular date information to an item or record. The name suggests a focus on capturing distinct dates and the surrounding details that affect their interpretation. While not a formal standard, detailsdates appears in templates and data models across content management, digital archives, and project tracking tools.

A detailsdates model typically includes fields such as date_value, start_date, end_date, time_zone, precision, and metadata like source, certainty, and notes. The start_date and end_date support date ranges or durations, while date_value may store a single representative date when a range is not needed. The precision field indicates the level of certainty (for example year, month, day). Time zone ensures consistent interpretation across locales.

Usage examples: representing historical events with uncertain dates (circa 1800), planning a project with a planned start and finish window, or describing a publication date alongside an archival date. In data integration, detailsdates supports aligning records with different date formats by exposing multiple date attributes.

Implementation considerations: many systems adopt ISO 8601 for date_value and ranges; fields can be stored as separate columns or as a structured object; compatibility with existing metadata standards such as Dublin Core or schema.org is common to improve interoperability.

Status and see also: Detailsdates is a practical pattern rather than a formal standard and is used to improve precision and interoperability in metadata. Related concepts include metadata, date fields, time zones, date ranges, and ISO 8601.