diff --git a/engine/table/src/main/java/io/deephaven/engine/table/impl/select/analyzers/PreserveColumnLayer.java b/engine/table/src/main/java/io/deephaven/engine/table/impl/select/analyzers/PreserveColumnLayer.java
index d6bf93c9f13..57fc59f7fff 100644
--- a/engine/table/src/main/java/io/deephaven/engine/table/impl/select/analyzers/PreserveColumnLayer.java
+++ b/engine/table/src/main/java/io/deephaven/engine/table/impl/select/analyzers/PreserveColumnLayer.java
@@ -24,13 +24,13 @@
  */
 final public class PreserveColumnLayer extends DependencyLayerBase {
     private final BitSet dependencyBitSet;
-    private final boolean flattenedResult;
+    private final boolean alreadyFlattenedSources;
 
     PreserveColumnLayer(SelectAndViewAnalyzer inner, String name, SelectColumn sc, ColumnSource<?> cs, String[] deps,
-            ModifiedColumnSet mcsBuilder, boolean flattenedResult) {
+            ModifiedColumnSet mcsBuilder, boolean alreadyFlattenedSources) {
         super(inner, name, sc, cs, deps, mcsBuilder);
         this.dependencyBitSet = new BitSet();
-        this.flattenedResult = flattenedResult;
+        this.alreadyFlattenedSources = alreadyFlattenedSources;
         Arrays.stream(deps).mapToInt(inner::getLayerIndexFor).forEach(dependencyBitSet::set);
     }
 
@@ -77,15 +77,10 @@ public LogOutput append(LogOutput logOutput) {
                 .append("}");
     }
 
-    @Override
-    public boolean flattenedResult() {
-        return flattenedResult;
-    }
-
     @Override
     public boolean alreadyFlattenedSources() {
-        // we can only preserve a flat source if it was already made flat
-        return flattenedResult;
+        // we can only preserve a flat source if it was already flat
+        return alreadyFlattenedSources;
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/engine/table/src/main/java/io/deephaven/engine/table/impl/select/analyzers/SelectAndViewAnalyzer.java b/engine/table/src/main/java/io/deephaven/engine/table/impl/select/analyzers/SelectAndViewAnalyzer.java
index 20bc7928a49..de6d8bd4485 100644
--- a/engine/table/src/main/java/io/deephaven/engine/table/impl/select/analyzers/SelectAndViewAnalyzer.java
+++ b/engine/table/src/main/java/io/deephaven/engine/table/impl/select/analyzers/SelectAndViewAnalyzer.java
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ public static SelectAndViewAnalyzerWrapper create(
                 }
 
                 analyzer = analyzer.createLayerForPreserve(
-                        sc.getName(), sc, sc.getDataView(), distinctDeps, mcsBuilder, flatResult && flattenedResult);
+                        sc.getName(), sc, sc.getDataView(), distinctDeps, mcsBuilder, flattenedResult);
 
                 if (!sourceIsNew) {
                     // we can not flatten future columns because we are preserving a column that may not be flat
@@ -196,7 +196,7 @@ public static SelectAndViewAnalyzerWrapper create(
                 final ColumnSource<?> alias = resultAlias.get(realColumn.getSourceName());
                 if (alias != null) {
                     analyzer = analyzer.createLayerForPreserve(
-                            sc.getName(), sc, alias, distinctDeps, mcsBuilder, flatResult);
+                            sc.getName(), sc, alias, distinctDeps, mcsBuilder, flattenedResult);
                     continue;
                 }
             }
@@ -387,8 +387,9 @@ private SelectAndViewAnalyzer createLayerForView(String name, SelectColumn sc, C
     }
 
     private SelectAndViewAnalyzer createLayerForPreserve(String name, SelectColumn sc, ColumnSource<?> cs,
-            String[] parentColumnDependencies, ModifiedColumnSet mcsBuilder, boolean flatResult) {
-        return new PreserveColumnLayer(this, name, sc, cs, parentColumnDependencies, mcsBuilder, flatResult);
+            String[] parentColumnDependencies, ModifiedColumnSet mcsBuilder, boolean alreadyFlattenedSources) {
+        return new PreserveColumnLayer(this, name, sc, cs, parentColumnDependencies, mcsBuilder,
+                alreadyFlattenedSources);
     }
 
     abstract void populateModifiedColumnSetRecurse(ModifiedColumnSet mcsBuilder, Set<String> remainingDepsToSatisfy);