Data Dictionaries and Master Code Lists

Accessing Data Dictionaries

Understanding the Anatomy of a Data Dictionary

The data dictionaries have many components; review the breakdown below.

1. Field Category and Field Name: these columns direct you to where you can find these fields in the Export Manager, List Manager, Scoring, and Email Templates.
   • If you build custom templates in WebAdMIT (e.g., Local Statuses, Assignments, Interviews, Local GPAs, etc.), those templates will appear in the data dictionary. For example, if you build an Assignment and name it "First Round Review," your Assignment fields will be listed under the Assignment field category with "First Round Review" as the prefix for the field names (e.g., First Round Review reviewer, First Round Review score, etc.). If you build a new template, you must generate and download a new data dictionary for the file to contain your new template's fields.
   • If you build questions or prerequisites or activate the SlideRoom or Kira Talent integrations in the CAS Configuration Portal, these fields will be included in the data dictionary. If you add new programs during a cycle, you must generate and download a new data dictionary for the file to contain your new program's fields. The naming pattern for these fields includes:
     • Program-level questions (i.e., questions specific to one of your programs): the field category is [Program Name] Program Questions and the identifier is custom_questions_[question ID]_[description] (note that [description] includes the first ~225 characters of the question text).
     • Organization-level questions (i.e., questions specific to your organization and shared with all your programs): the field category is [Organization Name] Organization Questions and the identifier is custom_questions_[question ID]_[description] (note that [description] includes the first ~225 characters of the question text).
     • Program prerequisites, SlideRoom integration, and Kira Talent integration: these fields are located under the applicable field category (e.g., SlideRoom fields are under the SlideRoom field category, etc.).
   • If your CAS has custom questions, these fields will be included in the data dictionary. These fields have a field category starting with the CAS name and the identifier is custom_questions_[question ID]_[description] (note that [description] includes the first ~225 characters of the question text).
   • Race and ethnicity data is stored as one field per race/ethnicity, as per the Department of Education. When an applicant selects their race/ethnicity, they must first choose the Department of Education's broader grouping, and then they can specify an additional race/ethnicity. For example, an applicant can self-identify as both Asian (the Department of Education's broader grouping) and Chinese (a more specific race/ethnicity). In this scenario, the applicant has Yes in both the Asian and Chinese fields when their data is exported.
      
2. Identifier, Data Type, and Has Many Relationship: these columns describe how the fields will appear in Export Manager files.
   • Identifier: you can use the default field header or enter a custom field header for your files in the Export Manager. Note that if you enter a custom field header in your exports, the data dictionary will only display the default field header, not your custom headers.
   • Data Type: review the Field Type Descriptions below for more information on how data is formatted.
   • Has Many Relationship: this is a Yes/No value that identifies whether a field can have more than one entry. If a field has more than one entry, then the field will display as many results as needed. For example, if an applicant attended 10 colleges, the college field will expand to 10 columns (e.g., college_0, college_1, college_2, etc.).
      
3. Lookup: this column identifies if the fields have associated lookup tables. Many fields in the CAS Applicant Portal contain predefined answer values that applicants can select; for example, the Country and County fields both have predefined answer values. These values are housed in shared "lookup tables." Lookup tables may be contained in separate worksheets within the data dictionary or in the Master Code Lists below.
   • For CAS and program custom question lookups, all values for a field are contained within one cell. To make the lookup values easier to read, you can select the cell and expand the formula bar, double-click the cell, or press the Tab or Enter key.
      
4. Exportable, Scoreable, Listable, and Mergeable: these columns identify if these fields can be used in the Export Manager (i.e., exportable), Scoring (i.e., scoreable), List Manager (i.e., listable), and Email Templates (i.e., mergeable). Note that if one of these options changes for a field (e.g., a field is now exportable or is no longer listable), the Added On and Status columns will not update to reflect that change.
    
5. Added On and Status: these columns describe when the fields were first added to the data dictionary and if there are any changes to the data dictionary from cycle to cycle. Statuses include:
   • Added: this field is new for a CAS's cycle. Note that CAS and program custom questions will always be listed as "added" because the question IDs update each cycle.
   • No change: this field existed in a CAS's previous cycle.
   • Removed: this field was removed from the CAS's new cycle. You can no longer use this field.

Master Code Lists

These master code lists include all the possible values for select data, but due to the number of possible values, they are stored separately from the standard data dictionary. They are useful when extracting data through the Export Manager and Report Manager.