Data Collection Templates: Concepts

A data collection template is a group of fields you can organize into one or more sections. You use data collection templates in tasks to collect information from users. You can apply data collection templates to steps in workflows or to tasks in projects or change orders.

Workflow administrators typically create data collection templates. You define a data collection template's fields using base attributes and extended attributes from projects, change orders, and activities, as well as extended attributes from tasks. The base attributes appear as read-only.

When you apply a data collection template to steps in a workflow or to tasks in a project or change order, the application displays the template information as sections and fields on a task's Details tab.

Note:
Usually, users must complete all required items before they can close a task. However, for tasks with the All Must Close workgroup action or review tasks with multiple reviewers, if the task includes the same data collection template or step checklist for multiple users, the application allows those users to close without completing the required items, until only one of those users has not closed. Then, that user must complete the required items before closing.

Example:

You use a standard set of data each time you create a flyer. You create a data collection template that has a section titled Materials Specifications. The data you want to capture each time a flyer is created includes these required fields:

Proof dimensions
Finish style
Color depth

You create a data collection template with these items and reuse it each time you need a flyer.

Note:
The Data Collection Templates module is located in Workflow Administration.

Design Considerations

You can create fields from all base attributes and extended attributes for activities, projects, and change orders, as well as extended attributes for tasks. You create sections into which you group the fields. You can put multiple fields into each template. You can select each extended attribute only once for a given template.

When you create or edit data collection templates, keep these points in mind:

Data collection templates are available for use in any task in any project or change order, and for any step in any workflow.
When you define section columns, you must select at least 1 field to save the section.
When you add more than 1 section to a data collection template, you can click the Set Layout Sequence button and use the arrow buttons to move the sections into the display order you want.
The application marks required fields as Required in the data collection template and in the user's task. Users can save changes to tasks with required fields that are not completed.
You can mark fields as read-only. If you mark a field as read-only, you cannot mark it as required.
If you put a read-only extended attribute field in a data collection template, workflow administrators can edit it in the Data Collection Templates module.
Users who are not on the activity's edit access list can update the extended attributes in the data collection template. Therefore, users who cannot edit an activity can still update the activity fields used in a data collection template.
When you edit a data collection template, it does not affect any projects or change orders that are currently using the data collection template.
For cascading sections, if a user selects a parent value and populates field values in a section that is triggered to display based on that parent value and then change the parent value, the populated field values are not nulled even though the fields themselves no longer display.

Details

Field	Description
Task Inbox Default Display	Select how the Task Inbox displays the data collection template when a user opens a task. Select Expanded to have all sections of the template open automatically, or Collapsed to leave the template closed. Collapsed is the default setting. Note: Changing this setting only affects projects created after the change.
Display Title	Enter a title for the Task Inbox to display instead of the template's actual title. Display titles are useful if your template titles typically contain codes or wording that do not provide users with a meaningful context. Note: Outside of the Data Collection Templates module, a template's title or display title only appears in the Task Inbox.
Status	Specify whether the data collection template is available for use. The status must be Active for you to use and assign a data collection template. When you change a data collection template's status to Inactive, all steps and tasks that currently use the template remain active, but the data collection template is not available to use in new steps or tasks.

Field

Description

Task Inbox Default Display

Select how the Task Inbox displays the data collection template when a user opens a task. Select Expanded to have all sections of the template open automatically, or Collapsed to leave the template closed.

Collapsed is the default setting.

Note:
Changing this setting only affects projects created after the change.

Display Title

Enter a title for the Task Inbox to display instead of the template's actual title. Display titles are useful if your template titles typically contain codes or wording that do not provide users with a meaningful context.

Note:
Outside of the Data Collection Templates module, a template's title or display title only appears in the Task Inbox.

Status

Specify whether the data collection template is available for use. The status must be Active for you to use and assign a data collection template.

When you change a data collection template's status to Inactive, all steps and tasks that currently use the template remain active, but the data collection template is not available to use in new steps or tasks.

Sections

Each section on the Sections tab is a customized field or group of fields created using base attributes and extended attributes for projects, change orders, and activities, as well as extended attributes for tasks. From the Sections tab, you can create a new section or modify an existing section. You can create multiple sections for a data collection template.

Section Buttons

Each section in a data collection template has Edit, Delete, and Field Configuration buttons.

Click the Edit button to edit the details for a section, including the fields defined for it.
Click the Delete button to remove a section from the data collection template. When a data collection template is in use, you cannot delete its sections.
Tip:
If you do not want to permanently remove a section, but you do not want it to appear at this time, change the section's status to Inactive instead of deleting the section.
Click the Field Configuration button to access a page that enables you to:
- Define the vertical row span for the section fields.
  Note:
  The row span can be between 1 row and 9 rows.
- Determine whether a field is required.
- Determine whether a field is read-only.

Notes:

A field can be required, read-only, or neither. Fields cannot be both required and read-only.
If a read-only extended attribute field appears in a data collection template, workflow administrators can edit it in the Data Collection Templates module.

Example:
You have a section in a data collection template that contains 3 fields. Two fields appear in the right column, and 1 field appears in the left column. To make the columns more balanced, you assign a row span of 1 to each of the right column fields. You assign the left column a row span of 2 so that it is centered in the left column in relation to the 2 right column fields.

Details

Click the New button to add a section to the template. You select the fields for the section on the Details tab.

Field	Description
Status	Select the current status of each section. The status determines whether the section is available in the data collection template. If you mark a section as Inactive, it still appears on the data collection template's main Sections tab, but it has Inactive in parentheses next to the section name. When you apply a data collection template, inactive sections do not appear.
Left Column and Right Column	Select the fields in each column. Each section contains fields that are base attributes or extended attributes for activities, projects, and change orders, as well as extended attributes for tasks. Select the fields that you want to have as part of that section. You can assign the attribute to the left column or the right column. You can apply each attribute only once in a given template. Use the arrows next to each column's Selected list to position the fields in the list. The Available lists display all available attributes you can select for either column. The fields appear to the user in a task in the order and the column in which you set them in the data collection template.
Parent Required	Select whether this section will display only when a user selects certain values in a parent field.
Parent	This field appears only if the Parent Required field is set to Yes. Select the field in which a user must select certain values in order to display this section of the data collection template.
Parent Values	This field appears only if the Parent Required field is set to Yes. Select the values that a user must select in the parent field in order to display this section of the data collection template.