Introduction to Steps

Stephen Evason — Tue, 31 May 2022 10:11:58 GMT

Current Revision posted to OpenGround Wiki by Stephen Evason on 5/31/2022 10:11:58 AM

It is important to understand what Steps are and how to configure them to generate the desired workflow before you start building Data Entry Profiles.

A step is a set of headers from an OpenGround Cloud data grid, displayed in a form in a vertical alignment (as shown below).

Samples "Step" with 7 "Headers" set up

You must list the steps required for your process when setting up a new Data Entry Profile. There are many ways to set up the system up. The following questions will help you decide how you are going to use each Step.

One or Multiple Steps per Grid?

Each Step must include all the Key Headers from an OpenGround Cloud Grid together with any number of additional headers from the Grid. A Step can only refer to one OpenGround Cloud Grid, but there can be many Steps that refer to the same Grid.

Splitting of the data entry process into many steps for each grid allows:

Different parameters and default values to be set up for different types of data.
Different workflows to be created once the data has saved.
- For example: With monitoring readings, it may be more efficient for the site staff to make a step for each type of reading that is going to be collected.

Does an Action Happen after the Step?

Each Step can have actions that will run once the Step is saved. These include:

Attaching a photograph
Print a sample label
Repeating the same step
Running a different step

Actions are run after the Step is saved. If an action is specific to a type of item then it is best set this up as a separate step.

For example: After an Environmental sample has been created, the environmental Container Information is required so this separate Step is run automatically. As this additional Step is not required for other sample types the Environmental Sample needs to be Step up as a separate step.

Will Dynamic Headers Speed up Data Entry?

Each Header within a step can be hidden based on the data entered into other Headers. This feature means that you do not have to set up multiple steps when different Headers are required. For example, a Bulk sample does not require Base Depth or Diameter so these Headers can be hidden when the Bulk sample is selected, rather than having to create a Bulk Sample Step.

Will Default Values Speed up Data Entry?

Each Step can have default values assigned to each field which can significantly decrease the number of taps required to enter data.

Some default values will be the same no matter what data you are entering into the Step (for example: Sample Number = previous Sample Number + 1). Other default values will depend on the type of data being entered (for example: monitoring reading type = water depth) – If the use of default values will reduce the amount of data entry taps and reduce the possible errors, then you should consider creating more than one Step for the Grid.

How Many Steps – Flowchart

Using the above information and the following checklist will help you list the steps required for your data entry profile.

Run this check for each Grid in OpenGround Cloud that you need to enter data for.