# Store raw facts, derive the rest Store observations, not conclusions. `date_due` is a fact. `days_until_due` is a judgment that changes every single day; the moment you store it, it starts rotting. Facts age well. Derived values don't. So keep the raw data in your notes (dates, numbers, statuses), and let the tools compute everything else, on the fly, always current. In [[Obsidian Properties]] terms: properties hold the facts, [[Obsidian Bases]] formulas derive the rest. My dashboards sort themselves by urgency from one stored date and zero maintenance. The same principle shows up everywhere in computing: spreadsheets (data in cells, formulas derive), event sourcing (store the events, compute the state), reporting (raw tables, derived views). Whenever you catch yourself updating a value that could be computed, you've stored a conclusion. Write the facts once, derive forever. ## Related - [[Obsidian Properties]] - [[Obsidian Bases]] - [[A property is a promise]] - [[Database]] - [[The Complete Guide to Obsidian Properties (Article)]]