Tables and Fields are fundamental to creating Forms, Reports, Auto Actions, and Templates.
Tables and Fields show the structure and relationships of data in SAM.
Tables & Fields
| In SAM, click Settings (gear icon) > Tools > Tables & Fields |
An example of the different tables under the Family entity
Tables
Tables are groups of information to organize data. Main Entities/Record types have a main table that holds basic information: name, age, address, etc. Under the main table are sub-tables of grouped information, such as Parent 1 Details, Home Studies, or Parent Education.
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In SAM, click Settings (gear icon) > Tools > Tables & Fields > select a Table SAM opens to Table Properties. |
⚠️Important
Accounting-related tables (Placements, Rate History, Child Location Timeline) have certain fields that are unable to be modified/customized to maintain data integrity.
Parent Table Relationships
Multiple Records per Parent Record - This is a common table structure and setup for the majority of tables in SAM. This is used to record history and when many records are required for proper tracking for situations like Parent Education, Communication records, or Progress Reports.
Only One Record per Parent Record - This table structure is used to organize more detailed information about a subject. This is used less frequently. Examples are Family - Ap 1 Details or Family - Ap 2 Details tables that hold more detailed information about family applicants.
Fields
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In SAM, click Settings (gear icon) > Tools > Tables & Fields > select a Table > click on a Field name SAM opens to Field Properties. |
Field Types
There are several field types in SAM for getting users to enter data consistently. Field Type is shown on Field Properties.
Text
- Small - 16 characters, e.g., zip codes
- Regular - 46 characters, e.g., street address
- Large Multi-Line
- WYSIWYG Text-Area
Lists
- Drop Down List - Allows only one selection
- Big Search List - Access another record in SAM
- Checkbox-List - Allows multiple value selections
- Radio-Button-List - Allows only one selection
- Yes/No (Radio Button)
- Checkbox - Yes/No values, simple checkbox for ease of entry
Date
- Date Only
- Time Only
- Date & Time
- Annual Date (Month and Day Only)
- Timeline - One Date Field - Another Date Field. Represented in Days, Weeks, Months, Years, Year and Month (child ages)
When entering dates you must enter in the format: M/D/YYYY. If you enter 3/2/08, the system will record 3/2/1908 for the value.
Invalid Date Error for a Valid Date
Timeline Fields
Create a Timeline Field
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In SAM, open the Table or Form the field should be added to > Add New Field (sidebar) > enter field name and desired details > Save > Select Date or Time or Timeline > Save > Select Timeline > Save > Enter Start Date and End Dates and the Interval Type for how you want the results to display > Save |
For Report Statistics, access Advanced Field Properties and set Totals on Forms and Reports = Yes.
Other Field Types
- Number - Allow Decimals, Allow Negative Number
- Currency
- Email Address
- Hyperlink
- Phone Number
- Document (File Upload)
Document Uploads
Document fields can be added to Client Checklist and Public Forms for end users to upload documents. Uploaded documents are added to the record's Documents section and viewable from other forms where the document is shown.
Full Address
There are Full Address fields that pull together Street Address, Street Address 2, City, State, Zip into a more visually appealing single field. This field type can be found on the Main Entities.
Add a New Field
SAM Leads can add new fields on a Table directly.
| In SAM, click Settings (gear icon) > Tools > Tables & Fields > select your desired Table to add the Field to > click Add New Field (sidebar) > enter field name and desired details > Save > set Field Type > Save |
Modify a Field
Fields can be changed and moved from one table to another to better setup your data structure.
Change a Field Title
| In SAM, click Settings (gear icon) > Tools > Tables & Fields > select the Table with Field to modify > select desired Field > click the value of the Field title > rename > Save |
The new field title should be related to the original field title's intent. If not, create a new field.
Edit Field Type
| In SAM, click Settings (gear icon) > Tools > Tables & Fields > select the Table with Field to modify > select desired Field > click the value of the Field title > select the new Field Type from the available options > follow prompts to continue field type setup as needed > Save |
Fields can only be converted to another field type when no records have data in that field.
Options when converting from one Field Type to another:
- Text to List - values entered in the text field will become List Items after selecting/creating a new list.
- List to Text - values entered in the list field will be converted to text.
- List to Radio-Button-List - data entry will be changed from a drop down list to a radio button.
- List to Checkbox-List - data entry will be changed from a drop down list to a checkbox-list.
- Radio-Button-List to Checkbox-List - values will be lost for records. Recommended only if there are no existing values.
- Yes/No (Radio Buttons) to List - List Items will be entered as Yes =1 and No = 2. Edit List Items to rename and add the other List Items as needed. Yes/No Radio Buttons are different from a Radio Button List, because Yes/No Radio Buttons are stored as true/false values.
- Yes/No (Radio Buttons) to Checkbox-List - Not possible. Create new field.
Copy Field to another Table
| In SAM, click Settings (gear icon) > Tools > Tables & Fields > select the Table with Field to modify > select desired Field > click Advanced Options (sidebar) > Copy to Another Table (sidebar) > choose the Table to copy the field to > Save |
SAM only allows specific tables to move to, and it may take more than one time going through this process to move a field up multiple levels in the table hierarchy. Sometimes creating a new field is the better option.
⚠️WARNING!
Moving a field can cause data loss if you are moving up one level, like from the Case table to the Main table. If you're unsure, it's better to Create a new Field or use Bulk Update to copy the data from the original field to the new field.
Fields that cannot be moved
Calculated Fields fields from Multi-record Tables to a 1:1 relationship cannot be moved. Create a new Field instead.
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