input date
The automatically recorded time when any data value is recorded in the database.
The input date for any data value is an automatically recorded timestamp indicating when it was entered into the database. This is used in various ways to evaluate the validity of data: for example, when the input date is earlier than the start date for a particular value, that means that the data is entered as a projection about the future, and should be confirmed later. The input date is also a check on the anchor date, as no anchor date may be later than the input date.
The timestamp concerns entry of information, rather than the beginning of the real-world condition it describes. A later start date identifies information entered ahead of its expected validity.
The start date and end date describe the validity period itself. The input timestamp remains the time of the database entry even when that period lies in the past or future.