Description
Shift a research contact date by a supplied signed number of calendar days.
Epidemiological reporting depends on case-definition versions, observation windows, censoring, person/test denominators and time-bin boundaries. Missing and indeterminate results differ, while multiple tests can belong to one person. Local record arithmetic does not diagnose infection, establish transmission or select a public-health rule.
Shift a research contact date by a supplied signed number of calendar days.
When to use this tool
Use Research Contact Date Redaction Shift when checking the stated benign surveillance record, time, exposure or denominator convention.
How to use the tool and how it works
- Enter contactDate, suppliedShiftDays. Use the units and conventions below.
- Run the tool. Correct any format, range, or cross-field input error before interpreting the output.
- Read shiftedDate. Use the output convention below.
Parse a real contact YYYY-MM-DD date and require signed whole suppliedShiftDays. Shift its UTC date by that many days and require the resulting year within 0000..9999; return YYYY-MM-DD.1
| Input field | Meaning and units | Accepted input |
|---|---|---|
| contactDate | Contact Date | Required. Text; maximum UTF-16 length 8192. Real proleptic Gregorian YYYY-MM-DD; four-digit years 0000-9999 accepted. |
| suppliedShiftDays | Signed whole UTC date shift with resulting year restricted to 0000..9999; not guaranteed anonymization. | Required. Safe integer. |
| Output field | Interpretation | Returned shape |
|---|---|---|
| shiftedDate | Shifted Date | Required. Text; maximum UTF-16 length 8192. |
{
"input": {
"contactDate": "2026-10-28",
"suppliedShiftDays": 4
},
"output": {
"shiftedDate": "2026-11-01"
}
}Limitations and assumptions
- A uniform date shift is not proven anonymization or lawful disclosure; no identity risk or public-health event is evaluated.
- Inputs must satisfy both the field types and the cross-field conditions above. Invalid input causes an error; a successful false flag or documented placeholder is a different result.
- Numeric calculations use binary floating point unless exact decimal-integer arithmetic is explicitly stated. No hidden measurement tolerance or decimal rounding is added; nonfinite or out-of-contract results are rejected. Numeric signed-zero results are exported as zero.
Alternative or Complementary methods
Use verified source records, current authoritative definitions and appropriate complete epidemiological/statistical methods with qualified public-health interpretation for actual decisions.
References
Similar or alternative tools
- Case Definition Revision Onset Boundary
Compare an onset date with a supplied case-definition revision boundary.
- Surveillance Week Partial Day Denominator Tool
Combine explicit complete surveillance days with a partial day on a supplied hours-per-day basis without assigning calendar weeks.