What are database fields, and why are they important?
Database fields represent key information you want to collect and update about volunteers. These typically include contact details like phone numbers and addresses but can extend to other essential data, such as emergency contacts. Essentially, database fields capture any information your organization needs to know about its volunteers.
When deciding whether a piece of information should be a database field or a standard form field, ask yourself the following:
Will I need to import this information for volunteers?
Do I want this information to appear on the Profile tab on the volunteer's profile card?
Is it something I want to input or update about a volunteer manually?
Will I regularly need to export or reference this information for queries or scheduling?
Creating a database field is a good idea if you answered "yes" to any of these questions.
Managing your database fields
In the main navigation, go to Settings and click on Database Fields. You'll see a default view with pre-existing fields. The name and email fields are mandatory for the Timecounts account login, while other fields are fixed and appear in the user profile for volunteers to update their details. These fields cannot be deleted. However, you are not required to include them in your forms or ask volunteers to answer these questions. You have complete control over the information you collect about volunteers, not Timecounts.
Create a new database field
Click the button in the top right corner to add a new custom field. A popup will guide you through the process. For example, create a database field for 't-shirt size.'
The first step is to select your Field Type. This determines the format or combination of fields that will work best for the information you want to collect. Since we only want users to select one option, we will choose Multiple Choice.
Next, you will be prompted to create a Label for your field. This label is not visible to your volunteers; it appears when selecting the field in the form builder or the database field management list. Once created, the label cannot be edited, so if you make a mistake, you must delete the field and start over. The inability to edit a label is to ensure data consistency, as it is stored in the database, and changing it could lead to mismatched data.
The final step is to edit how the field will appear to volunteers when used in forms or displayed on their profile cards. All components of this field are editable, and unlike the label, you can change the content. However, keep in mind that editing a database field may impact responses you have already received.
You may want to edit the title to appear as a question. Additionally, you can modify the default text to include options like Small, Medium, Large, and Extra Large or any other values relevant to your database field.
Once you save your tags, you’ll see them listed in the database field options, the form builder database field section, and the profile card when you click to edit. After creating several database fields, you can drag them to reorder their appearance on the profile card.
Note: Associating tags, as seen in the example above, is a Pro feature available only for certain field types, such as Multiple Choice. This feature allows you to automatically link tags with the answers volunteers submit, making it easier to filter and sort volunteers. Before doing this, you must create your tags under Settings > Tags.