GroveSite Custom Database Editor
Page 2 of 38 I. DATABASE USE OVERVIEW... 3 II. STEPS TO CREATE A NEW DATABASE TABLE... 3 III. ACCESS THE TABLE EDITOR... 4 IV. ADD A NEW TABLE... 5 V. SET TABLE OPTIONS... 6 VI. DEFINE TABLE FIELDS... 8 VII. BUILD SUMMARY AND EXPANDED VIEWS... 19 VIII. CREATE CUSTOM VIEWS INCLUDING FILTERS... 23 IX. ADD GROUPING AND TOTALING TO YOUR VIEWS... 26 X. CREATE A PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP... 29 XI. CREATE A DATABASE LOOKUP RELATIONSHIP... 32 XII. HELP... 38
Page 3 of 38 I. DATABASE USE OVERVIEW Track customer issues and resolutions while giving feedback to your customers along the way. Use a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) database to follow and report on your sales team's progress. Keep your equipment inventory online for access at any time from any location. Manage project proposals and the relevant documents in one central location. These are just a few current applications of a GroveSite custom database. GroveSite organization administrators can now create and maintain their own custom database using the new Manage Database feature. This documentexplains the steps to create tables, views and relationships in a custom database and how the different options are used when users view and/or edit table records. Before Getting Started: Please be aware that editing an existing table will affect records using that table schema. When a new record is added or an existing record is edited, it will use the updated table schema. Any custom reports associated with the table schema may be affected by changes to a table layout. II. STEPS TO CREATE A NEW DATABASE TABLE 1. DESIGN THE TABLE Spend some time laying out the table definition on paper. It helps to think about field types, sizes, labels, security, and visibility before starting to build a table. Should everyone be able to edit the fields? See the fields? What are the options for a dropdown or radio list? Include an attachment? What about a discussion thread? Defining the table first makes the actual build process much easier and quicker. 2. CREATE THE TABLE Add the table and choose the table level attributes that match the security and process requirements. 3. DEFINE THE FIELDS Build the field definitions. The field definitions with the labels and attributes determine how the data is stored in the database and also how the table data is displayed on the Add/Edit pages. 4. BUILD THE VIEWS The summary and expanded views are default views which are automatically created when you create the table. They control how the table is displayed on the web pages within the organization. For each view, pick the fields that should be displayed, set the field labels and define the order of the fields.
Page 4 of 38 III. ACCESS THE TABLE EDITOR 1. Switch to Organization Administration mode. 2. Select Manage Database This page will display the names of any existing tables, an expiration date if the table is expired and the number of active pages and records associated with that table schema. Each table also shows an excel icon which, if clicked, will download the table schema in an excel format. 3. To add a new table click on [new table] on the top of the page. 4. To edit an existing table, click on [edit] beside the table name.
Page 5 of 38 IV. ADD A NEW TABLE To create a new database table, simply enter the table name, label, table notes and starting layout. Table Name: The table name is used when adding a new page to a site. The organizations tables appear on the Add New Page form under Custom Database Page Types. This field is required. Label: The label is used on a Custom Database page to describe an entry in the database table. For example, an Issue Tracking table would use the label Issue. This label is used within page menu links, for example [Add a New Issue]. This field is required. Table Notes: The table notes only appear in the Manage Custom Tables page and are not used in any table pages or table records display. This field is optional. Copy existing table definition: A new table can be created with an empty layout or from an existing layout. The dropdown will display the GroveSite template tables and all the existing tables in the organization. To clone a table, simply select the table name from the dropdown menu and the new table will have a copy of that schema as a starting point. For example, copy the GroveSite Easy Issue Tracking table to customize it for the organization with more dates and/or different status options.
Page 6 of 38 V. SET TABLE OPTIONS The following options are set at the table level: Participant Security: Use the See Own option to remind site administrators to set the Participants only see their own records Row Security flag when adding a new page using this table schema. Participant Add Only: Setting this option means that participants can add a record on a page using this table schema but cannot edit an existing record. Participant Can t Delete: Setting this option means that participants cannot delete records on a page using this table schema. Participant Can t Download: Setting this option means participants cannot download any of the items on the table regardless of the security setting for the page. Save As New: Use this option to display the Save as New button on the edit record page. This gives users the ability to open up an existing record and save it as a copy of the original record. For users that are entering repetitive information, this option may be a time-saver. Multi-Add: Use this option to display the Add and New button on the Add Record page. Using Clear will save the first record and display the Add Record page with no defaulted fields. Using Fill will save the first record and display the Add Record page with defaulted data from the first record.
Page 7 of 38 Copy/Move: Use this option to display the Copy/Move button on the edit record page for Site Administrators and Moderators. Copy/Move can be used to copy or move a record to another page that uses the same table schema. Allow Participant Notifications: Use this option to allow participants to use email notifications on table record updates even if the Site Broadcast option is turned off. Email Default: This option allows you to determine what the default will be for sending notification. Record Selector Display Fields: Select the fields from within a table to help identify and reference records easily. What is set in Field 1 will be used as the Lookup Field identifier in a Lookup Table relationship. This is usually the field that is the unique identifier for this item.
Page 8 of 38 VI. DEFINE TABLE FIELDS To add a new field, simply type in a field name, select the field type and click on Add Field. The field will display in the Table Fields list and, by default, be added to the Summary and Expanded views. The field name is used to save the data in the database but is not displayed to end users in the add page, edit page or the summary/expanded views. All of the fields have labels that are displayed to the users in the different views. The Table Fields list displays in the order that the Add and Edit record pages will display. To move fields, click on the radio button in the Set Field Order column and then click on the move to top, move up one, move down one or move to bottom buttons.
Page 9 of 38 Each field type has its own options that control how a field it displayed and validated. Click on the field name to display these options. Auto Number: Label Seed Increment Scope Text that is displayed on the add/edit record page for the field. This value is required. Starting number for the first record added within the scope. Number to count by - 1, 10, 100, etc. Scope of numbering start counting over at the page, site or organization level.
Page 10 of 38 Checkbox: Label Default Value Moderator Edit Only Moderator View Only Text that is displayed on the add/edit record page for the field. This value is required. Value to display if item is checked Yes, True, Selected, etc. If a new value is not entered, the automatic default is True. Check this option to display the field to participants but only allow updates for Site Administrators and Moderators. Check this option to only display this field and allow updates for Site Administrators and Moderators. Discussion Link: Label Note Text that is displayed on the add/edit record page for the field. This value is required. Text to display with the go to discussion button on the edit record page.
Page 11 of 38 Dropdown List: Label Required Option List Multi-Select Rows Default Value Moderator Edit Only Moderator View Only Text that is displayed on the add/edit record page for the field. This value is required. Check this option to require at least one item to be selected when a record is added or updated. Items to display in the list. Enter each item on its own line in the entry box. At least one item is required. Use a value greater than zero to display a list that allows more than one item to be selected. Typically, a list would display 5-10 items. This does not limit the number of items that can be selected. Zero displays a dropdown list which allows only one item to be selected at a time. Item displayed as selected when a record is added. If entered, this value should be the same as one of the items in the option list. GroveSite administrators can add more advanced default values if needed. The following message is displayed if advanced values have been set up: This option has been customized and can only be edited by GroveSite. Contact GroveSite Technical Support if the default values need to be modified. Check this option to display the field to participants but only allow updates for Site Administrators and Moderators. Check this option to only display this field and allow updates for Site Administrators and Moderators.
Page 12 of 38 E-mail Address: Label Required Note Default Value Moderator Edit Only Moderator View Only Text that is displayed on the add/edit record page for the field. This value is required. Check this option to require a value in this field when a record is added or updated. Text to display with the field on the add/edit record page Text displayed as initial value when a record is added. GroveSite administrators can add more advanced default values if needed. The following message is displayed if advanced values have been set up: This option has been customized and can only be edited by GroveSite. Contact GroveSite Technical Support if the default values need to be modified. Check this option to display the field to participants but only allow updates for Site Administrators and Moderators. Check this option to only display this field and allow updates for Site Administrators and Moderators.
Page 13 of 38 File Attachment: Label Required Text that is displayed on the add/edit record page for the field. This value is required. Check this option to require a value in this field when a record is added or updated. Instruction: Instruction Text Instruction Type Text to display in form break or instruction. This value is required. This field type can be used to display either a form break, an instruction or the submit buttons. For example, to break up the add/edit page into sections, use instruction form breaks to display headers in between sections of data. If the table has many fields, use instruction submit buttons to put more than one submit button on the form (default is one set of submit buttons on the bottom of the form). This value is required.
Page 14 of 38 Lookup Relation: NOTE: FOR A FULL DESCRIPTION OF LOOKUP RELATIONSHIPS, PLEASE SEE SECTION X. Label Required Load Items From Moderator Edit Only Moderator View Only The name and format that will be displayed for your field. Check this option to require at least one item to be selected when a record is added or updated. Lookup fields need a link to where their drop down list values are going to come from. Check this option to display the field to participants but only allow updates for Site Administrators and Moderators. Check this option to only display this field and allow updates for Site Administrators and Moderators.
Page 15 of 38 Radio Button List: Label Required Option List Default Value Moderator Edit Only Moderator View Only Text that is displayed on the add/edit record page for the field. This value is required. Check this option to require at least one item to be selected when a record is added or updated. Items to display in the list. Enter each item on its own line in the entry box. At least one item is required. Item displayed as selected when a record is added. If entered, this value should be the same as one of the items in the option list. GroveSite administrators can add more advanced default values if needed. The following message is displayed if advanced values have been set up: This option has been customized and can only be edited by GroveSite. Contact GroveSite Technical Support if the default values need to be modified. Check this option to display the field to participants but only allow updates for Site Administrators and Moderators. Check this option to only display this field and allow updates for Site Administrators and Moderators.
Page 16 of 38 Text: Alphanumeric, Numeric, Currency, or Date Label Text that is displayed on the add/edit record page for the field. This value is required. Required Check this option to require a value in this field when a record is added or updated. Note Text to display with the field on the add/edit record page Data Type Select the type of data that should be allowed in this field: alphanumeric, numeric, currency, or date. Size Width of text box displayed for this field on the add/edit record page must be between 1 and 50. Maximum Length Number of characters allowed in data entered in this field Default Value Text displayed as initial value when a record is added. * Validation For simple text validation, select one of the items in this validation dropdown list including Date, Email, and Time. * Force Upper Case Check this option to save the data as upper case characters. Moderator Edit Only Check this option to display the field to participants but only allow updates for Site Administrators and Moderators. Moderator View Only Check this option to only display this field and allow updates for Site Administrators and Moderators. * GroveSite administrators can add more advanced options if needed. A message is displayed if advanced options have been set up - This option has been customized and can only be edited by GroveSite. Contact GroveSite Technical Support if the values need to be modified.
Page 17 of 38 Text Multi-Line: Label Required Rows Columns Default Value Moderator Edit Only Moderator View Only Text that is displayed on the add/edit record page for the field. This value is required. Check this option to require a value in this field when a record is added or updated. Height of text box displayed for this field on the add/edit record page typically 5-10 rows Width of text box displayed for this field on the add/edit record page must be between 1 and 50. Text displayed as initial value when a record is added. Check this option to display the field to participants but only allow updates for Site Administrators and Moderators. Check this option to only display this field and allow updates for Site Administrators and Moderators.
Page 18 of 38 URL: A URL field is made up of two sections a link and text. The link contains the web site URL and the text contains the value that displays to the users on the summary and expanded views. For example, to add a link to GroveSite, use the link http:// and the text GroveSite Home Page. Required Link Label Link Size Link Note Text Label Text Size Text Note Moderator Edit Only Moderator View Only Check this option to require a value in this field when a record is added or updated. Text that is displayed on the add/edit record page for the link portion of this field. This value is required. Width of text box displayed for the link portion of this field on the add/edit record page must be between 1 and 50. Text to display with the link portion of this field on the add/edit record page. Text that is displayed on the add/edit record page for the text portion of this field. This value is required. Width of text box displayed for the text portion of this field on the add/edit record page must be between 1 and 50. Text to display with the text portion of this field on the add/edit record page. Check this option to display the field to participants but only allow updates for Site Administrators and Moderators. Check this option to only display this field and allow updates for Site Administrators and Moderators.
Page 19 of 38 VII. BUILD SUMMARY AND EXPANDED VIEWS Once the table fields are defined, the summary and expanded views can be customized to display the table records to users as appropriate for the database schema. The field list includes the fields that were defined above as part of this custom database table schema as well as the database fields that are common to any table record added to the database. These database (DB) fields can be displayed in the summary and expanded views with custom labels but cannot be modified on the Add/Edit pages. The most common database fields to display are Owner and Last Updated.
Page 20 of 38 The following options are set for each view: # Columns to Indent: Enter the number of columns to indent when displaying the second row of data for a record. # Rows to Print before Page Break: Enter the number of rows to print before a page break. This does not affect the view of the table on the web pages. Thumbnail Image Options: If the table schema includes a file attachment and the files are typically image files, thumbnails on the views may be appropriate. Choose Show Thumbnail or Show Big Thumbnail to display images on the summary or expanded table views. Sort Column: Choose the column to use as the default sort order when viewing a table page. Sort Order: Choose Ascending or Descending sort order
Page 21 of 38 View Fields: Any of the table fields plus some database fields can be selected to display in the summary and/or expanded table views. To add a new field to a view, select the field name from the dropdown and click on the Add Field button. To remove a field from a view, click on the field name and then click on the Delete From View button.
Page 22 of 38 To edit a field, click on the field name. The following options define how fields display in each view: Label Indent Edit Link Column Width Format Text that is displayed to identify this field in the view. This value is required. Check this option to display this option in the second row of data. The fields that display in the first row of data are labeled on the top of the table and can be used for sorting. Check this option to use this field for a link to the edit record page. At least one field in each view must be selected for an Edit Link. Enter a percent in this option to force a width for this field in the view. Used for Discussion field type only. Choose to show the most recent posting only or to show all postings in the indented view of the field. Note that if the field is displayed on the first row of data, the view shows a posting count only. REMEMBER YOU NEED TO SAVE THE FIELD OPTIONS AND THEN SAVE THE VIEW. Note: You will need to define, label and set the properties for each field at both the Summary and Expanded View levels.
Page 23 of 38 VIII. CREATE CUSTOM VIEWS INCLUDING FILTERS A View can contain any Table fields you want. Choose between Expanded view, Summary view or create your own Custom view(s). You can format, sort, and add filters to these fields in your custom view to see the data that is most important to you. 1. Choose which database you wish to edit, then click on the [edit] button. 2. Under Views select [new view].
Page 24 of 38 3. Enter your desired view name. This is the name that will appear in the drop down list under views. Then specify the other characteristics of your view. When you re finished, hit Next. In the next field section, select all the fields you would like to include in this custom view. 4. Under Fields, select the field name you wish to add to the filter. Then hit the Add Field button.
Page 25 of 38 5. Under Filters, select the field name you wish to filter, select the operator of your desired filter and then insert text into the value area of the filter. When finished, hit the Add Filter button. 6. Once your first filter is added, you can either save the current filter by selecting Save View or continue to add another conditional filter. 7. Once finished, hit Save View. On the following screen select Save Table. You will be brought to the main Manage Database Tables screen. Select the site in which contains the database you edited. Select the view in which you added the filter.
Page 26 of 38 IX. ADD GROUPING AND TOTALING TO YOUR VIEWS Adding Grouping to your online database views allows you to organize records into groups. Each group of records displays on your screen with a Group Header Title and may also include Subtotals such as Sum, Average and so forth. The views become instant "reports" online for quick decision making. If you need a hardcopy report, you can use GroveSite's Open In Excel capability for easy printing. ADDING GROUPING 1. Create a Custom View. Click Org Admin > Manage Database and then select [edit] next to the database you want to edit. In the views section, select [new view]. Directions can be found in previous section. 2. Define a Group. Within the Edit Database Table View screen, you will see a Grouping and Sorting section. Under Group By, select the field(s) you wish to group by and whether to list the groups in ascending or descending order. You can choose up to three fields to group by. Once you have chosen these fields, be sure to select Save View and then Save Table.
Page 27 of 38 3. View the Groupings in your Database. Now that you have defined the groupings in your custom view, go to your database page in your site. Select the new Custom View you defined. In our example below, the Custom View is named "Category". You will see your records displayed in the groups. Each group has a light yellow header that displays the Group name and number of records. DEFINING TOTALS 1. Select [edit] next to the same custom view you created your group(s) in. At the bottom of the screen you should see the Aggregate Functions area. Select from the Field Name drop down list the field you want to create an aggregate for. Only numeric fields from within your database will be shown here.
Page 28 of 38 2. Now that your field is chosen, select which function you want the database to perform. You can choose between sum (total), min (minimum value), max (maximum value), and average. 3. Choose where to display values: Subtotals, Grand Totals or Both. Determine whether or not you want the aggregate values to be displayed in a group's subtotal or a table's grand total -- or both. Be sure to click the Add Aggregate button way to the right of your screen and then click Save View. When you return to your site and select the Custom View, you will see your groups plus the aggregate values. 4. View your Subtotals and Grand Totals on the database page.
Page 29 of 38 X. CREATE A PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP Tables can have parent-child relationships with other Tables. A relationship is a link between two tables. This link tells GroveSite to connect a single record in one table to many records in another table. For example, one Order may have many Order Items associated with it. Creating a relationship enables you to create parent/child relationships between tables. Note: You must be an Organization Administrator. A database table can have many child tables related to it. A database table can have only one parent table related to it. Only parent tables can be hosted on GroveSite Web Pages. 1. Select Manage Database from your Org Admin menu. Next you will click [new table] in the database editor. Next you will click [edit] next to the table name that will be th parent. Scroll down past the field definitions and click [new relationship]. Select the two tables you wish to relate.
Page 30 of 38 2. Determine the relationship between the tables. Answer the question: for this relationship, which of the following statements is true? 3. Confirm and save relationship.
Page 31 of 38 4. Once confirming and saving your relationship, you will be able to view it on the manage database screen.
Page 32 of 38 XI. CREATE A DATABASE LOOKUP RELATIONSHIP Tables can be linked to other tables through a lookup relationship. This link tells GroveSite to look up the data for a field in a Lookup Table. For example, each different part in a Parts Database table may have a different manufacturer, but you will choose from the same list of manufacturers each time, which are stored in a Lookup Table. Creating a lookup relationship enables you to select an entry from a standardized set of data you have stored in a Lookup Table. A database table can have multiple lookup fields. (Note: You must be an Organization Administrator and have the database editor feature.) 1. Define a Lookup Table. Select Manage Database from your Org Admin menu. Next you will click [new table] in the database editor. This new table, called a Lookup Table, will include the data you will be looking up from other tables. Create as many Lookup Tables as needed to store your lookup information. For example, if you want to be able to lookup a location from a table, you will create a new table called Equipment Location. Within this database you will add fields that you want for each location (location, description, etc.). Be sure to select Save Table when finished. Repeat this process for any table you want to use as a lookup table.
Page 33 of 38 2. Define a New, Main Database Table. Select Manage Database from your Org Admin menu. Next you will click [new table] in the database editor. Give your table a name and then begin adding fields. To add a Lookup field, type in the name for the field and then select the Lookup Relation type from the drop down list. It will first show up as incomplete. Click the field name to access Field Options. From the dropdown, select the Lookup
Page 34 of 38 Table you defined in Step 1. Don t forget to click Save Field Options. Repeat this step for every lookup field you want included in the database you just created. Don t forget to click Save Table when you are done adding your fields. Then click Exit Org Admin to return to your workspace. 3. Add the Database Definitions to Pages in Your Site.
Page 35 of 38 Turn on Edit from the top commands on your site and then select [new page] in the left navigation. Select My Database Tables and use the pull down to identify your table that you created in Step 1. In this example it would be the Equipment Location Lookup Table. Continue through the Add Page Wizard. Repeat this until each Lookup table is listed as a page in your site. Once they are added you can add the main database table(s) you created in Step 2. In this example it would be the Parts Database Table that contains Lookup Fields. You will notice that when you click Next, you are asked to assign the site and page to
Page 36 of 38 be used as the data source for each Lookup Relation Field. To do this, just select Edit next to each row, and update the Site and Page you stored your Lookup Table on. Remember to hit Save after updating each field s assignment. Once you have completed this for all Lookup Relation fields, click Next. Alternatively, you can create a separate site within your org to host the lookup tables. In this case, you would follow the same steps except you would add the lookup tables on one site and then use that other site name when assigning the site and page (as above) for your main table. 4. Add Data to Lookup Tables First add data to your Lookup Tables. This will be all of the items you wish to refer to/lookup in your tables. Let s say you add 3 records to the Location Lookup Table page, for Hong Kong, Long Beach, and Phoenix.
Page 37 of 38 5. Add Data to Your Main Database Table Now go to your primary database page. From your table, select [Add a New ] at the top. Here you will be able to see a drop down list populated with the values from the Lookup Table.
Page 38 of 38 XII. HELP NEED MORE HELP? If you need additional help please contact the support team at 1-866-952-9880, or submit a feedback to Tech Support by clicking on the Feedback link located at the lower left corner of each GroveSite page.