Store Source Dates Separately from Verification Dates

Separate event, publication and verification dates so recent CRM entry does not make old or planned business information look current.

10/23/20263 min read

Publication, planned event, verification and record-entry dates leave a depot opening unconfirmed.

A record entered today can still be based on an old announcement. If the CRM stores only “last updated,” a colleague may assume the underlying fact was recently verified. That confusion matters when an office opening is planned, a role has changed, or a source describes an earlier business structure.

Separate the event date, publication date and verification date. Add the record-entry timestamp as a system fact when useful, but do not let it stand in for any of the other three. Each date answers a different question.

Define the three dates precisely

Event date describes when the reported change happened or is expected to happen. Publication date describes when the source made the statement available. Verification date describes when your team checked the relevant evidence. A future event should also have a status such as planned or confirmed complete, rather than being treated as current because a date exists.

Unknown dates should remain unknown. Do not substitute a page's copyright year for publication or assume the day a researcher found an article is the day it was published. A source without an event date can still support a bounded statement, but the missing timing must remain visible.

Store date meaning beside date value

Use fields for date value, precision, time zone when relevant, and evidence reference. Precision can be exact day, month only, year only or not established. A date such as “spring” should not silently become the first day of a chosen month.

For verification, record what was checked. Opening a page confirms that the page was reviewed, not necessarily that the real-world event occurred. A researcher may verify that a company still publishes an announcement while the announcement's planned action remains unconfirmed.

Work through an illustrative site announcement

Fictional Redwillow Distribution publishes an announcement on 12 March saying a new depot is planned for September. A researcher reads it on 20 October but finds no completion statement. The CRM entry is also created on 20 October.

Event timing: planned for September; exact date and completion not established.
Publication date: 12 March, as stated by the source.
Verification date: 20 October; researcher reviewed the announcement and checked for a confirming update.
Record-entry date: 20 October; describes internal processing, not event freshness.
Current conclusion: planned depot remains unconfirmed; do not describe it as operational.

These fictional dates illustrate separate meanings. They are not a report about an actual business. The next research question concerns completion, not whether the record was recently entered.

Design freshness rules around the claim

A freshness check should ask whether the evidence is suitable for the intended decision. Historical incorporation information and a current project role have different change patterns. Do not impose one arbitrary age threshold on every field or interpret a recent check as a guarantee of accuracy.

When a claim is material, define a review trigger and a reason. A role should be revisited after a known responsibility change. A planned event should be checked when its status matters to qualification. If the evidence remains unavailable, defer the dependent conclusion instead of repeatedly updating the checked date to make the record look fresh.

Test imports and reports for date confusion

Use synthetic records with a future event, missing publication date, month-only timing and a source reviewed long after publication. Confirm that sorting and display labels preserve the meaning. Check how the CRM parses dates and time zones before import; product-specific behavior and subscription constraints must be verified.

Avoid a single green “fresh” indicator unless its rule is explained. A better display shows source timing, last relevant check and unresolved status. The three-date model is working when a colleague can tell whether the business fact is recent, the source is recent, or only the data entry is recent. Those distinctions prevent administrative activity from masquerading as new evidence.

Research access and CRM configuration are separate purchases. Leads Automation offers an independent US$15/month service and is not affiliated with LinkedIn. Confirm the actual plan, eligibility and terms; do not assume schema design, imports or integrations are included. Discuss the offer on WhatsApp.

Sources and scope

This is a proposed operating method, not a vendor-prescribed workflow. Verify product capabilities in your actual subscription before implementation.