fieldused

Fieldused is a concept in data modeling and software engineering that refers to a boolean indicator associated with a data field. It signals whether the field has been explicitly set or used during an operation, such as a form submission, API request, or database update, rather than merely existing in the record.

Origin and usage: The term is a compound of field and used, and has appeared in software engineering discussions and some documentation to support partial updates, auditing, and data validation. It is commonly used in systems that distinguish between omitted fields and fields provided with a value.

Patterns and implementations: Fieldused can be implemented as a separate per-field flag, as a per-record collection of field names, or via a presence bitmap. In RESTful APIs, it helps distinguish between fields omitted in a PATCH call and fields intentionally cleared or set to null. Some designs derive a fieldused value from input presence or from an explicit flag included in the payload.

Applications and limitations: Fieldused aids partial updates, change tracking, and input validation, but adds complexity and storage cost. It can complicate serialization and increase risk of inconsistency if flags and values diverge. Careful policy is needed for default values, resets, and privacy.

See also: dirty flag, presence bit, nullability, optional field, auditing.