Managing Reference Data Status

Over time, as improvements are made in construction methods and materials, vendors and funding sources close, and other changes occur, some rows in reference data lists become outdated and should no longer be used in agency planning or construction. To prevent outdated data from being used, the system allows you to manage the status of all reference data rows, and to specify when a row becomes active and when it expires. A row is not available in the system before its effective date. Once its expiration date has passed, the data can still be viewed in historical information, but it can no longer be added to new or existing entity rows.

Follow these steps to manage the status of a reference data row:

1. Navigate to the reference data component containing the row for which you want to record effective and expiration dates.

2. Click in the Effective Date field and type the earliest date you want users to be able to use the row. You can also select the date on a calendar by clicking the calendar icon. Any date is valid for this field, even prior dates.

3. Click in the Expiration Date field and type the date you want the row to expire. You can also select the date on a calendar by clicking the calendar button. If you leave this field blank, the system assumes the row should never expire.

4. Click in the Status field and select a value for the row's current status.

5. Click the Save button.

Active Indicator

The system uses the values in the Effective Date, Expiration Date, and Status fields to determine the value for the Active indicator, and this is what ultimately determines the status of a reference data row in the system.

If today's date falls between the Effective Date and Expiration Date for a data row, and the Status field is set to Active, the Active indicator automatically displays a value of Yes. When a reference data row is active (that is, the Active indicator is set to Yes), that row is available in lists and can be added to new or existing entities.

If the Status field is not set to Active, the Active indicator automatically displays a value of No. The Active indicator also displays a value of No if the Effective Date is blank or today's date does not fall between the Effective Date and Expiration Date, even if the Status field is set to Active. When a reference data row is inactive (that is, the Active indicator is set to No), that row can no longer be added to new or existing entity rows, but can still be viewed in rows created before the row became inactive.