Configure user data fields

This section provides instructions on how to configure a user data field to capture information specific to your organization.

In this topic:

Configure a user data field

You can create, edit and delete a user data field.

To create a new or edit an existing user data field:

1. From PPM menu, click Administration > Open Workbench.

2. On the PPM Workbench shortcut bar, click Administration > Open Workbench..

3. Open a user data type, or create a new user data context. For details, see Create user data contexts.

   The User Data Context window opens to the Fields tab.

4. Click New.

5. In the Field: New window, provide information for the fields described in the following table.

   Field Name	Description
   Field Prompt	Label displayed for the user data field in the request.
   Token	Uppercase text string used to identify the token. The token name must be unique to the specific user data. An example of a token name is ASSIGNED_TO_USER_ID.
   Description	Provide a description of the user data field in this field.
   Enabled	Select Yes to enable the field or No to disable the field.
   Validation	Use the Validation auto-complete to specify the logic to use to determine the valid values for this field. This could be a list of user-defined values, a rule that the result must be a number, and so on. After you select the validation logic, the Component Type field displays the type of component (for example, drop-down list, text field and auto-complete list) used in the validation.
   Multiselect	If the validation uses an auto-complete list component type, and you want users to be able to specify multiple values, select Yes.

6. If the Attributes tab is displayed, provide the information listed in the following table.

   Field Name	Description
   User Data Col	Indicates the internal column in which the field value is to be stored. These values are then be stored in the corresponding column in the table for the given entity (such as KNTA_USERS for the users entity). User data provides the ability to store information in up to 20 columns, thus allowing for up to 20 fields. No two fields in user data can use the same column.
   Display Only	Indicates whether the field is read-only. Select Use Dependency Rules to use the logic defined on the Dependencies tab.
   Display	Indicates whether the user can view this field on the User Data tab.
   Required	Indicates whether the user must specify a value for this field. Select Use Dependency Rules to use the logic defined on the Dependencies tab.

7. If the Defaults tab is displayed, click it, and provide information listed in the following table.

   Field Name	Description
   Default Type	Specifies whether the field is to have default value, and if it is, whether the default value is a constant value or a parameter value. Note: If the new user data field has a default value, the field is added to all existing requests, but has a NULL value for those requests. This affects request searches that use this field because users cannot specify NULL as a field value in the search criteria.
   Visible Value	If you select the Constant default type, specify the constant value here.
   Depends On	To default from another field, choose the token name for that field. When using this user data, every time a value is provided or updated in the source field, it will automatically be provided or updated in this destination field.

8. If the Dependencies tab is displayed, set the field dependencies using one of the following options:

   Option	Description
   Clear When the Following Changes	Clears the field when the value in another field changes.
   Display Only When	Makes the field read-only when another field meets specific logical criteria. This option is available only when you select Use Dependency Rules for the Display Only field on the Attributes tab. For details, see Display Only. The options works with two adjacent fields, a list that contains logical qualifiers, and a list that dynamically changes to a date, list, or text field, depending on the validation specified for the current field. For details about the logical qualifiers, see Field dependency logical qualifier.
   Required When	Makes the field required when the specified field meets certain logical criteria. This option is available only when you select Use Dependency Rules for the Required field on the Attributes tab. For details, see Required. The option works with two adjacent fields, a list of logical qualifiers, and a list that dynamically changes to a date, list, or text field, depending on the validation specified for the field. For details about the logical qualifiers, see Field dependency logical qualifier.

   Field dependency logical qualifier

   Logical qualifier	Description
   like	Looks for close matches of the value to the contents of the selected field.
   not like	Looks for contents in the selected field that are not close matches to the specified value.
   is equal to	Looks for an exact match of the value to the contents of the selected field.
   is not equal to	Is true when no results exactly match the value specified in the field.
   is null	Is true when the selected field is blank.
   is not null	Is true when the selected field is populated.
   is greater than	Looks for a numerical value greater than the value specified.
   is less than	Looks for a numerical value less than the value specified in the field.
   is less than equal to	Looks for a numerical value less than or equal to the value specified.
   is greater than equal to	Looks for a numerical value greater than or equal to the value specified.

9. If the Security tab is visible, use this tab to specify the users who can view and edit this field:

   1. Click the Security tab.

      By default, the new user data field is visible to and editable by all users.

   2. Click Edit.

   3. In the Edit Field Security window, configure the security-related fields described in the following table:

      Field or Option	Description
      Visible to all users	Select this check box if you want to make the field visible to all users.
      Editable by all users	Select this check box if you want to make this field editable to all users.
      Select Users/ Security Groups that can view this field (list)	To enable this field, you must clear the Visible to all users check box. Specify users or security group members that have the view and edit access to the field: Security Group. Enables you to specify one or more security groups whose members can view and/or edit the field. This selection dynamically updates the auto-complete displayed under the list to provide security group names. Username. Enables you to specify one or more user who can view and/or edit the field. (The user must have an email address.) This selection dynamically updates the auto-complete displayed under the list to provide user names. Standard Token. Enables you to select a standard token that resolves to a security group (based on group name or ID) or user name, or user (based on username or ID) who can view and/or edit the field. User Defined Token. Enables you to define a token that resolves to a security group (based on group name or ID) or user (based on username or ID) who can view and/or edit the field.
      Security Group Username Standard Token or User Defined Token (auto-complete)	The label for this field changes dynamically based on the value you select from the Select Users/Security Groups that can view this field list. Do one of the following: Use the Security Group auto-complete to specify one or more security groups to view and/or edit the field. Use the Username auto-complete to select the names of one or more users who can view and/or edit the field. Use the Standard Token auto-complete to select a standard token that resolves to a security group (based on group name or ID) or user name, or user (based on username or ID) who can view and/or edit the field. Use the User Defined Token auto-complete to define a token that resolves to a security group (based on group name or ID) or user (based on username or ID) who can view and/or edit the field. You can use the Tokens button to access the Token Builder). For information on how to use the Token Builder to create user-defined tokens, see the Commands, Tokens, and Validations Guide and Reference.
      Provide Editing Rights	To give the security groups and users you selected (using the auto-complete) permission to edit the user data field, leave this checkbox selected (the default), and then click the Add button . To prevent the security groups and users you selected (using the auto-complete) from editing the user data field, clear this check box, and then click the Add button .

10. Click OK.

    The Field window displays the new field.

11. Click OK.

To remove a field from a user data type:

1. From the User Data Workbench, select a user data type whose field you want to remove.
2. Select the field to remove, and click Remove.
3. Click OK.

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Copy a field definition

You can configure a new field by copying the definition of an existing field.

To copy a field definition:

1. On the PPM Workbench shortcut bar, click Configuration > User Data.

2. Open a user data type whose field you want to copy.

   The User Data Context window opens to the Fields tab.

3. Click New.

4. Click Copy From.

5. To search for the field to copy, complete one or more of the fields in the Field Selection window, and click List.

   The Field Selection window lists the fields that match your search criteria.

   Note: You can query fields using several criteria, including the token name or field prompt. You can also perform more complex queries. For example, you can list all fields that reference a specific validation or all fields that a specific entity uses.

6. Select the field to copy, and click Copy.

   The Field: New window displays the attributes of the copied field.

7. Make any necessary changes, and click OK.

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