Fields
If you've ever filled out a Google Form or conducted a survey, then you've seen fields before. A field is like a column in a spreadsheet that defines what type of data can be stored in it. Meanwhile, the actual values that are stored in the field are like rows in that column.
Using ChartHop as an example, the age field would be a column, while each Org member's specific age value would be stored in a cell within that column.
Fields can store virtually any kind of information, so it's helpful to have a way of assigning meaning to each field. In ChartHop, the information stored in a field is given meaning by the label, field code, and data type. Consider the table below.
Field code | Label | Data type | Usage |
age | Age | Number | The age of an Org member. See age. |
startDate | Start Date | Date | The date on which a person joined the Org. See startDate. |
band | Band | Group | The compensation band to which an Org member has been assigned. See band. |
Let's define each of the three descriptors mentioned above:
- Field code: A unique code that identifies a specific field, used in Carrot query language.
- Field label: A descriptive name that indicate how the field should be displayed in the UI. These cannot begin with numbers, such as 1field.
- Data type: the type of data that can be stored in the field. Ex. numbers, strings, dates, etc.
- Applies to: what the field applies to.
- Dated: whether the field has an effective date associated with it.
- Sensitivity: who can view data in this field.
As you can see in the table above, the three fields each have a unique field code, unique label, and specific data type. All three descriptors are needed in order to fully define the nature of the field.
For example, we know that the age field stores an age value of type Number.
The chosen data type significantly affects the capabilities of a field.
For example, a field of type Number can only store Number values like 56. In cases where you may encounter responses containing either String values (fifty-six) or Number values (56), it's best to use the String data type to capture the responses. Doing so will automatically convert Number values to String values, ex. 56 to "56". If you need to store the responses as Number values for reporting purposes, you can then create a second custom field that converts the values stored in this field to Number values. The relevant Carrot query can be found here.
ChartHop comes with a wide range of useful fields built right into the platform. From age and startDate, to budgetCost and cashComp, and everything in between.
The best resource for learning about ChartHop's default fields is the Carrot glossary. Each field listed there has a detailed page in which you can find the data type, field code, label, and other useful information.
You can also start exploring many of ChartHop's default fields from the Data Sheet. Each column on the Data Sheet represents a single field. Simply select the fields you'd like to see from the column chooser, and start exploring the data contained in them. You can learn more about the column chooser here.
You cannot delete, modify, or create new default fields. Default fields can be hidden via the Fields list or the Categories page. Because cloning always creates a new custom field, cloning a default field will not create a new default field.
Note: default fields cannot be moved from their default categories
Custom field are fields created by you (the user). Just like default fields, custom fields are used to describe data points within ChartHop. The data captured within a custom field is determined by its data type and configuration. Consider the table of hypothetical custom fields below.
Field code (custom) | Label (custom) | Data type | Config notes | Usage |
oooNeg | 1-on-1 Negatives | String (Long text) | N/a | Could be used to capture long-form responses to a question like: "What could have gone better over the last week?" during a 1-on-1. |
vaccinationStatus | Vaccination Status | Enum (Single select) | Three options are present on this custom field: Vaccinated, Unvaccinated, Scheduled. | Could be used to capture single-select responses to a question like "Are you currently vaccinated?" on a survey created with Forms. |
compRangePenetration | Comp Range Penetration | Smart Calc | The formula used in this Smart Calc is base / (variable + base) | Could be used to return the percent of the total attainable compensation of all listed Org members in the Data Sheet. |
As you can see, there is a lot of flexibility when creating custom fields. To learn more about custom fields in ChartHop, see Creating a new custom field.
