Custom Data Sets Part III: Entering Data Into Custom Data Sets

Custom Data Sets Part III: Entering Data Into Custom Data Sets

1. Custom data sets are fields that you/your staff create in your CRM system to capture data when there is no other place to put that data. See our Part I and Part II tutorials on creating custom data sets. Please Note: this tutorial only focuses on system default (program recipient, mentor, mentee, client, committee member, board member) user created custom data sets that are tied to contact records. The special system default custom data sets (gift additional information (add/edit gift screen), membership additional information (add/edit membership screen), and grants additional information (add/edit grant) are handled differently/don't appear on view/edit contact.
2. Once the custom data set is created, data is entered into it from the EDIT CONTACT screen. Please Note: you cannot enter data into a custom data set from view contact. Data can only be entered from edit contact.
3. You must have permission to view the data in the custom data set to see the fields and any data entered into them on view contact and edit contact. You must have permission to add/edit the data in the custom data set in order to enter or change any data entered into the custom data set. These permissions are set on Tab 1: Security when creating or editing a custom data set (see our Part I tutorial for more information on assigning user rights and permissions to view, add/edit, and/or delete custom data set data). If you do not have permission to add/edit and/or to delete data from the custom data set, a red message will appear on the screen alerting you to this fact.

   

4. You may have to "turn on" the custom data set in view contact to get it to show up. To do this, navigate to a contact record, view the record, and click on the Gear Icon on the upper left and under Custom Data set header, select the custom data set name.
5. Make sure the box is checked next to the name of the custom data set in the left hand side of the screen (you will have to do this in both organizational contact layout and individual contact layout to get the field to show in both types of contact records, but you only have to do it once/in one record of each kind. Additionally, if you want to see the custom data set on Household View, you will also have to turn on the custom data set in household view layout configurations as well).
   

   

   • Please Note: only fields where the user has selected "Display on contact view screen" in the custom data set's configurations (Main Menu: Custom Data Sets: Edit Data Set: Tab 2: Basic: Edit the field) will show on View Contact

     

6. When you return to view contact, you will now see the module in the lower half of the screen.

   

7. You will be able to enter data into the custom data set by editing the contact record and navigating to the Custom Info tab and then selecting the custom data set's tab/name in the list of sub-tabs. If you associated the custom data set to a contact type, you will NOT find the custom data set on the custom info tab. Instead, you will find it on the contact type's sub tab. For instance, the four custom data sets in the 3rd screen shot below are all associated to the contact type "member," therefore these custom data sets are found on the Member tab, not the Custom Info Tab.

   

   
   

8. Note- When there is no data in the contact type custom data set, you will see a trashcan next to that custom data set tab. Clicking on that Trashcan will remove the custom dataset tab and also the contact type from the contact record. The trashcan will disappear as soon as data entered into the custom data set. 
   
9. NOTE: You can activate the widget for custom datasets on contact view screen. However, activating widget on contact view is universal setting for all contacts, so once a custom dataset widget is activated on contact view, the widget will show up for all the contacts even if the
   contact doesn't have the CDS contact type. 
10. There are two types of custom data sets: general and transactional.
    • General data sets only let you save one record/one set of data per contact for that data set. To enter new values, you have to erase/overwrite the old values. Pictured here is an example of a general custom data set.

      

    • Transactional data sets allow you to save more than one record/one set of data per contact for that data set. When you enter new values, they are saved along with the older/previous values. The data in a transactional data set will be saved as a table as the top of the data set screen.  Pictured below is a tranactional custom data set.

      

    • Tranactional data set records will be sorted by date entered/transaction date by default. You can change the sort order using the two "sort by" field drop down menus in the upper left above the saved data.

      

      

      

    • Each row/record in a transactional data set can be edited or deleted individually while preserving the other records/data by using the Edit/Delete options to the right of the row/records you want to edit.

      

      

11. Regardless of the type of data set, enter your data into the custom data set fields and click the Save button in the lower right to save your changes.

    

12. After any data is entered into a GENERAL custom data set, if you have permission to delete data from the custom data set, a Clear All button will appear in the lower right. This allows you to delete ALL of the data in the custom data set, even data in required fields. In essence, Clear All erases all data in the custom data set for this contact/this record. Please Note: if you do not have permission to delete the data in the custom data set, the Clear All button will not appear. Further, the Clear All button ONLY appears on general data sets; it does not appear on transactional data sets.