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Codes, Custom Fields, and Tags Overview

Categorize, label, and work with data in your site using codes, custom fields, and tags.

Codes, custom fields, and tags offer the ability to categorize, label, and work with the data in your site. There are some similarities between these features, but also unique benefits and components of each. 

  • Codes - Categories your foundation can add on the backend of your site. Codes can then be assigned to records. Codes are a powerful analysis tool, driving many features throughout GivingData.
    • Example: Codes to track the program area(s) of each request. 
  • Custom Fields - Data fields your foundation can add to specific record types. Data can then be populated in the fields on specific records.
    • Example: A custom field added to request records to track the anticipated number of participants served.
  • Tags - Categories that can be applied directly to records.
    • Example: A blog post tag applied to organization records that will be highlighted in an upcoming website highlight.

Codes

The code structure is built in the settings area of your GivingData site. This includes adding a code type for each data category you would like to track, building available codes beneath each code type, and any subcodes beneath the codes. Once the code structure is built, codes can be assigned to records. Code data can be used throughout the site, such as in super searches, the budget manager tool, payments and approvals dashboards, and as fields on grantee portal intake forms.

Several other features or components are available related to codes. A code type can be configured to track percentages, allowing request or payment amounts to be allocated across multiple codes assigned to a record. Default codes can be configured to be assigned automatically when adding new organization and request records. If available with your subscription, advanced code assignment rules can be created to create relationships between code types when assigning them to records.

Custom Fields

Custom fields are bespoke data points that can be added to a specific record type to address your foundation’s unique data collection needs. Custom fields are added to your site by GivingData staff. Custom fields are commonly used for collecting certain types of data on a grantee portal intake form when a code can’t meet the need. They can also be used for internal purposes, such as adding fields to organization or request records to track and report on specific data for the board. The data stored in custom fields can be used in multiple ways throughout your site, such as in super searches, super docs, documents templates, and more.

Custom fields can be built in a variety of different formats, and appear in one or more separate tabs on the specified record type. Calculated custom fields can also be built by GivingData staff to perform calculations or display data based on other field values in the site. 

Tags

Tags are a tool for categorizing your grantmaking data, and are typically used for more informal or temporary data tracking. They might be used to track additional characteristics that are not built into a code, or to bookmark records for a specific purpose. For example, tags can be used to track items that are needed for an audit, or to label interactions related to a specific topic. It is not possible to create multiple levels of categorization with tags.