Why storing company data as static columns erases historical truth

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A software developer argues that storing company attributes like CEO names and headquarters as simple database columns is fundamentally flawed, because these facts change over time and static fields cannot capture that history. When a value is overwritten, the previous data is permanently lost, making it impossible to answer questions tied to a specific point in time. The proposed fix is an event-based schema where each change is recorded as a new row with a valid_from date, a valid_to date, and a source URL, preserving the full timeline. The author also highlights the need to store date precision alongside dates, since sources often only specify a year or quarter rather than an exact day. The core principle offered is that any company fact capable of changing should be modelled as a dated, sourced event rather than a column.

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