When to use Tag vs People Attributes

Owned by Space Sync for Confluence
Last updated: Sept 03, 2024
2 min read

Sometimes data can be loaded into TeamForm as either a Tag or as an attribute linked to a person. This page lays out some considerations to help decide which to use.

Note for advanced users: Tags can have attributes too.

 

Use Tags when 

Use Attributes when 

You are loading data that is additional to the one built in TeamForm fields.

You are loading it into the “in built” display fields in TeamForm (e.g. for people: name, band, reporting manager...; for teams: Team Name, members, associations, details, OKRs…).

You want the data to be visible in either the Directory or the TeamForm App and to allow users to navigate people or teams using the data.

Also better when multiple people need to view/ change the information.

You want to load data into TeamForm purely so it can be available via reporting/export data (i.e.: visibility not needed in App or Directory).

The data is somewhat grouped between multiple people or teams having the same value. This allows the app to group them together (e.g. grouping all the people with the tag value ABC).

The data is largely composed of unique values (e.g. username, email) where there is no need to group people or teams together by these data as no or few people or teams will have the same data value.

You want users to be able to edit the data from either the Directory or the TeamForm App (this option is configurable).

 

It is not possible to manually edit Attributes from the Directory or the TeamForm App.

Tags do not allow storage of hierarchal values.

The data is hierarchal in nature (e.g. cost centre hierarchy), as attributes allows storage of hierarchal values (tags does not).

 

The data is a foreign/external ID for the person or team (e.g. username, email address, Workday Org Unit ID).

 

Recommended for:

  • Most HR IS information (for visible fields)

  • Any information to be stored with a person or team, but which should not be displayed or edited via TeamForm

Examples:

  • Job Architecture / Role type

  • Specialist Roles

  • Cost centre

  • Funding source 

Examples:

  • Band (visible)

  • e.g. A source system team ID or person ID (not visible).

  • Username

  • Cost centre hierarchy

Note:

Tags can be bulk uploaded or manually added in app or directory.

Note:

Personal attributes can only be bulk uploaded.

A separate upload may be required if the data is sourced outside the HR IS used to upload the supply structure.