Use dynamic features

eTASK provides static attributes—that is, a catalog of attributes predefined for customers that cannot be customized. This catalog is ready for immediate use. Customers thus receive a system that is ready to use, along with process logic (workflow functions) and pre-designed reports.

In addition, administrators can create additional attributes and, for example, display and populate them in specific forms.

Dynamic attributes (also known as "User-Defined Fields") allow you to extend the standard forms of the eTASK FM portal with your own data fields without requiring changes to the database structure. Virtually every form in the portal can be supplemented with custom information.

Note: Dynamic fields are flexible field catalogs. These should always be viewed as an extension of the existing system.

Why use attributes?

Imagine an online bookstore. For the "Audiobook" product, displaying the "Playback Duration" attribute makes sense, whereas for the "Book" product, it does not. With a dynamic attribute, you can control which attributes appear in which form. Additionally, it may be useful to restrict the rights to modify certain attributes to a limited group of users.

Typical use cases

Personnel data: Last place of employment, previous company, cost center, driver’s license class
Rooms: Special features, fire safety class, cleaning frequency
Orders: Internal project numbers, approval status, priority flags
Buildings: Energy performance certificate data, insurance information, historical data
Assets: Warranty information, supplier data, internal codes

Key Principles

1. Features are reusable

Once defined, a feature can be used in multiple forms simultaneously. Example: A "Cost Center" feature can be included in both the Person form and the Order form.

2. System name must be unique

Each attribute is assigned a technical system name that must be unique across the entire portal. This name must not contain spaces and should not use special characters such as *, ? .

Examples of good system names:

Person_Cost_Center
Room_Fire_Rating
Order_InternalNumber
E1_E2_E3_TextField01

3. Data type is immutable

The data type of a characteristic can never be changed after it has been created! This ensures data security and integrity.

4. Permissions are required

For a characteristic to be visible, permissions must be assigned to the relevant user groups. This is one of the most common reasons why characteristics are not displayed.

Existing dynamic attributes

For demand rooms and the object catalog (room match codes), it has been possible to create custom attributes for some time now.

Recommendation: Keep track of all attributes using the Data Model table in the System Control Center. This answers the question: Which forms are available in my portal, and which attributes do they offer? A traffic light feature provides information about data quality.

Features of the Attribute Catalog

The catalog tree provides better clarity.
Numeric fields offer dimensions and units to choose from (measurements and associated values provided by eTASK). If you need new units, please contact our support team!
Permissions Management: Which user groups are granted permission to access a feature (read, write)?
Attributes can be made available in forms in both existing and new form sections.
Assignment to forms or lists with different effects:

Add to form (e.g., assignment to contract: All contract forms receive the feature for filling in/maintaining)
Add to list: The attribute appears as a column in the main list of all contracts. Searching and filtering by the attribute is possible in the list.

What else is important?

There is one field per form that can be classified.

Example: For instance, you can use the "Usage Type" field as a selector: If "Office Space" is selected as the usage type, three additional fields to be maintained appear in the form.

All elements are saved via the data record archive so that changes to the attribute system remain visible to the owners.

One of the responsibilities of a characteristic owner is to adequately prepare users. This is the only way to ensure that the data is used correctly in day-to-day operations.

All characteristics (static and dynamic) can also be decommissioned in the catalog.