What are Droplet Datasets?

Location Dataset in a DropdownDroplet Datasets store information that can be used throughout your Droplet forms. This can be lists of locations, administrators, budget codes, or anything else your form needs to reference. You can manage this data through the Datasets tab in your navigation menu, to ensure the data used in your forms is accurate and stays current. This article will provide an overview of how this data may be used in Droplet forms.

Oftentimes, Droplet forms will reference data to populate field options or route through their workflows. This may look like a dropdown with a list of departments or job titles or the approver names and email addresses for each location a form could route to. Because Datasets can hold a lot of information, they can be built using many different data types.

Some of this data will stay the same for as long as you use the Droplet form. Other data may frequently change, such as a list of administrators or available job titles. If you need to update your Dataset, you can use this article to walk through how to make changes. 

How are Datasets used in Droplet Forms?

Here are a few examples of a Dataset and how it is used in a form:

• Locations - The image at the beginning of this article shows a dropdown field that allows a user to select from a list of locations. This list comes from the Locations Dataset.
• Approvers by Location - A form goes through a workflow where the approver at the selected location needs to sign. The form will search through the Dataset using the location selected to make the approver assignment. 
• Salary Schedules - A contract form has dropdown fields to select the lane, step, and corresponding job category. The form can use the Dataset to find the matching lane, step, and job category to return the annual salary. 

Step and lane dropdown fields are used with a Dataset to return the annual salary rate.

Other Dataset Features

• Datasets can be used in multiple forms. The Locations Dataset above could be referenced by all forms in that organization. 
• Datasets can be referenced throughout all steps of a form submission. The Salary Schedules Dataset can be referenced to find the annual salary and, later on, route to the correct HR representative.
• Multiple Datasets can be used in one form. A form could reference all three Locations, Approvers by Location, and Salary Schedules Datasets. 

All of the above examples have a Dataset that is tied to one or more forms in some way, either through options in a field, the workflow, or a computed field that returns the matching data. When a new Dataset is created, it needs to be correctly linked to the forms. 

• If you are building your own Droplet forms, you can learn more about linking your Dataset to your Forms here. 
• If our Professional Services team is building your forms, you can let us know that your Datasets are ready to use by sending us an email. 

You can use a variety of data types to create a Dataset. Please review the data types here. You can also create or update a new Dataset.