diff --git a/include/openPMD/RecordComponent.hpp b/include/openPMD/RecordComponent.hpp
index 87b7915407..cb22b6a336 100644
--- a/include/openPMD/RecordComponent.hpp
+++ b/include/openPMD/RecordComponent.hpp
@@ -440,11 +440,14 @@ OPENPMD_protected
 
     inline Data_t const &get() const
     {
+        // cannot call this in the const overload
+        // datasetDefined(*m_recordComponentData);
         return *m_recordComponentData;
     }
 
     inline Data_t &get()
     {
+        setDatasetDefined(*m_recordComponentData);
         return *m_recordComponentData;
     }
 
diff --git a/include/openPMD/backend/BaseRecordComponent.hpp b/include/openPMD/backend/BaseRecordComponent.hpp
index a6d4a5b70f..ebe71d17e8 100644
--- a/include/openPMD/backend/BaseRecordComponent.hpp
+++ b/include/openPMD/backend/BaseRecordComponent.hpp
@@ -49,6 +49,10 @@ namespace internal
          * instead defined via light-weight attributes.
          */
         bool m_isConstant = false;
+        /*
+         * ... document this ...
+         */
+        bool m_datasetDefined = false;
 
         BaseRecordComponentData(BaseRecordComponentData const &) = delete;
         BaseRecordComponentData(BaseRecordComponentData &&) = delete;
@@ -166,6 +170,10 @@ class BaseRecordComponent : virtual public Attributable
         Attributable::setData(m_baseRecordComponentData);
     }
 
+    void setDatasetDefined(Data_t &);
+
+    bool datasetDefined() const;
+
     BaseRecordComponent();
     BaseRecordComponent(NoInit);
 }; // BaseRecordComponent
diff --git a/include/openPMD/backend/PatchRecordComponent.hpp b/include/openPMD/backend/PatchRecordComponent.hpp
index 41f3239d3f..f2e3540f29 100644
--- a/include/openPMD/backend/PatchRecordComponent.hpp
+++ b/include/openPMD/backend/PatchRecordComponent.hpp
@@ -124,11 +124,14 @@ OPENPMD_protected
 
     inline Data_t const &get() const
     {
+        // cannot call this in the const overload
+        // setDatasetDefined(*m_recordComponentData);
         return *m_patchRecordComponentData;
     }
 
     inline Data_t &get()
     {
+        setDatasetDefined(*m_patchRecordComponentData);
         return *m_patchRecordComponentData;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/backend/BaseRecordComponent.cpp b/src/backend/BaseRecordComponent.cpp
index 9c4216e051..4de7eb797e 100644
--- a/src/backend/BaseRecordComponent.cpp
+++ b/src/backend/BaseRecordComponent.cpp
@@ -92,4 +92,16 @@ BaseRecordComponent::BaseRecordComponent() : Attributable(NoInit())
 
 BaseRecordComponent::BaseRecordComponent(NoInit) : Attributable(NoInit())
 {}
+
+void BaseRecordComponent::setDatasetDefined(
+    internal::BaseRecordComponentData &data)
+{
+    data.m_datasetDefined = true;
+}
+
+bool BaseRecordComponent::datasetDefined() const
+{
+    auto & data = get();
+    return data.m_datasetDefined;
+}
 } // namespace openPMD