Data fields

Data fields store the values of the key metrics that are tracked in projects and in dashboard reports.

In This Topic

Single-value category
Data table
Manage local data fields
Data in the dashboard

Before you create or edit a data field, decide whether to add it to a single-value category or a data table.

Single-value category

A single-value category is a group of single-value data fields. Each single-value data field can store only one user-entered value at a time, for example, a project leader or a due date. Some single-value data fields can have multiple options, for example, a project's status can be 'not started', 'in progress', or 'completed', but the data field can store only one status at a time. The following image shows examples of single-value data fields on a form.

Data table

A data table contains data fields that can have rows of values. For example, a project typically has several tasks and each task might have information about what it is, who it's assigned to, and when it's due. The following image shows an example of a data-entry table where data fields are the columns (Subject, Status, and Start Date) and the user-entered values are the rows.

Note

If you have a group of closely-related data fields, then you can create a new single-value category or data table. For example, you might create a new data table called Vendor to categorize vendor-related data fields such as name, address, phone, contact, goods, services, and so on.

Manage local data fields

Local data fields are specific to the project that they are created in. If you have edit access to a project, then you can create and edit local data fields, but you cannot use them in other projects or in dashboard reports.

Note

Only data architects can create and edit data fields that can be tracked in the dashboard. If you are data architect, go to Create global data fields.

You can manage the local data fields for your project in the Data Definitions dialog box. From this dialog box, you can add, edit, or delete data fields.

Create local data fields

Decide whether the data belongs to a single-value category or a data table.
Choose File > Data Definitions.
In the Data Definitions dialog box, expand the category or data table to add the field to, then click New field.
In the Add Field dialog box, enter a name and choose a field type. For help with choosing a field type, go to Types of data fields.
Select the available options, then close the Data Definitions dialog box.

Edit existing local data fields

Choose File > Data Definitions.
In the Data Definitions dialog box, from Show definitions, choose Local.
Expand the category or data table that the data field belongs to, select the field, and then click the Edit button.
In the Edit Field dialog box, edit the available options, then close the Data Definitions dialog box.

Data in the dashboard

If you are using the Companion dashboard, consider how you want to view the data in reports. Single-value data summarizes data from multiple projects. On the dashboard, single-value data can be displayed in graphs and tables, as shown in the following image.

Data collected in a data table shows multiple data points for a single project. On the dashboard, this data can only be displayed in the Projects table where it appears as a link in a column. When you click the link, you can see the individual values for each data point, or row, in the table. For example, you can see the savings values for each month, as shown in the following image.

Project counts

In the dashboard, project counts are unique variables that use key date fields, such as Start Date or Due Date, to determine the number of projects within a specific time interval, location, or other grouping variable. For example, you might use the project count called Number of Projects Completed, which uses Completion Date to determine the number of projects completed by month, by quarter, this year, and so on.

You can create a new project count based on a date field or a formula field that uses date values. You can also change the name or the associated date for existing project counts. Project counts are only available in dashboard reports. You cannot add them as data fields in form templates.