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- Upcoming development: Activity ‘Programme Title’ multi-select field to use a semi-colon to separate list values
In the Winter 2025 Update, we will be updating the Activity record ‘Programme Title’ multi-select list field to use a semi-colon as the list delimiter, which will replace the comma as the current method of separating list values within this field
In the upcoming Winter Update 2025, we are implementing a change which will see the delimiter separating list values within the ‘Programme Title’ multi-select field change from a comma to a semi-colon.
The semi-colon delimiter is already utilised in areas of the HEAT database, such as with the Student and Ambassador record ‘Disability’ field, however this change to the ‘Programme Title’ field is intended as a pilot for aligning our approach to multi-select lists across the whole of the HEAT database.
We are giving advance warning of this prior to the Winter release as it impacts the use of the ‘Programme Title’ multi-select field from any HEAT export into other software for reporting or monitoring purposes.
Which field will be impacted by this change?
This change will impact the Activity record ‘Programme Title’ which function as a multi-select and therefore returns multiple values in list format upon export. The key field impacted by this change from a HEAT reporting perspective will be the ‘Programme Title’ field on the Activity record.
Why are we making this change?
We are making this change to the ‘Programme Title’ field to pilot the update of all multi-select fields across the database, and to support members in using these fields more uniformly.
Additionally, this update will enable enhanced functionality in our HEAT Power BI Dashboards, as utilising a semi-colon delimiter for key fields such as the Activity ‘Programme Title’ will allow members to interrogate their data by individual ‘Programme Title’ values.
Which areas of the database will be impacted by this change?
This change will impact imports alongside any outputs generated from the database where the ‘Programme Title’ multi-select values are presented within list format – for example, Activity Exports, and the HESA Track Report.
This change will also impact Field Lists and Custom Data Entry, as members will no longer be able to use semi-colons when creating ‘Programme Title’ values on the database. This is to prevent functionality issues caused by using semi-colons both within HEAT member values and as a delimiter on the system.
In addition to those already mentioned, another key impact of this change is that where members already utilise a semi-colon character within their ‘Programme Title’ Field List, this will need to be updated in order to ensure no conflict with the update to the semi-colon delimiter.
We will contact the HEAT members impacted to support with any data updates needed as a result of this change. Following the outline above, if you have any feedback or queries regarding this change, please contact HEAT Support.
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