Note: This feature requires you to have Form Admin access at your district. If you do not have Form Admin access, please contact your District People or Form Admin for assistance.
In this article, we will review:
What is a Data Source
Types of Data Sources
How to Create a Data Source
What is a Data Source
A Data Source is a reusable table of information that can be referenced across multiple forms and workflows.
Instead of manually entering the same information (like employee IDs, student details, budget codes, or school sites) into every form, you can store that data once and reuse it wherever needed.
Using Data Sources can help you:
- Maintain consistent information across forms
- Reduce manual entry errors
- Automatically populate fields
Data Sources are commonly used for:
- Prefill – Automatically populate form fields with existing data
- Cascading Dropdowns – Dynamically filter dropdown options based on a previous selection
Types of Data Sources
There are two types of Data Sources
Public Data Sources: Available to all Form Admins and Form Owners without special permissions.
Use a Public Data Source when:
- The data is broadly applicable (e.g., school sites, department lists, budget codes)
- The information does not require restricted access
- Public Data Sources are required for Cascading Dropdown fields.
Restricted Data Sources: Limited to users who are granted specific access.
Use a Restricted Data Source when:
- The data contains sensitive or private information
Examples include employee tables containing:
- Employee ID
- Demographic information
- Pay rates
How to Create a Data Source
To create a new Data Source:
Navigate to Admin → Forms
Navigate to Data Sources and click Add Data Source
Enter a name
Choose the Data Source type (Public or Restricted)
Upload a CSV file containing your data
Select the column that contains a unique identifier (for example, Employee ID or Student ID)
Click Add Data Source
Once saved, your Data Source can be referenced in forms.