Commonly Added Tables

Add a Table covers the basics of adding a table to a form. In this article, considerations and examples are provided for several of the most commonly added tables.

Demographics

When adding a demographics table, often the goal is to report on this data across requests. When that is the case, it is recommended to define the row and column headers. In the example table below, each row has a demographic group header defined. 

If applicants are allowed to define their own rows and columns, consistency cannot be ensured in the data, which makes it hard to report across requests. In the example below, applicants can select a demographic group from a drop-down menu for each row. Since different applicants will select different groups in any given row, there are limitations for reporting on the data in this table across requests.

There is an option to use Candid's Demographic tables to pull information directly from Candid for applicants. Follow the Add a Candid Demographic Table section in Add a Table for more information.

Project Budget

There are two types of budgets commonly collected on a form: an organization budget and a project budget.

• With an organization budget, the goal is usually to collect the information for reference rather than to compare it in a report across requests. The recommendation in this scenario is to allow applicants to upload their budget in the format they have readily available.
  • If there are a few key items from the organization budget on which to report, consider building a small table for just those items or build separate questions on the form. For example, a question asking for the annual operating budget.
• With a project budget, sometimes the goal is to compare the information in a report across requests. In this scenario, perhaps choose to build a table to collect the information.

If building a table to collect project budget information and the plan is to report on the data across requests, it is recommended to define the row and column headers in the table as in the example below.

If there is no plan to report on the information, consider allowing applicants to select their own headers as in the example below.

If a budget table will be shared from the application to a follow up form, add a new column for actual expenses. In this case, it is important to set the cells in the rest of the table with the read only required type so that applicants can only edit data in the actual expenses column.

Extracurricular Activities

The intended use of extracurricular activities data varies, so consider the needs when structuring a table to collect this information. If the data will mainly be used to evaluate each request, consider building the table with more flexibility for the applicant. For example, they could record their involvement in all types of activities such as community activities, school club activities, and church activities within one table. In the example below, the Activity Type column provides a drop-down menu with those options for each row. 

If comparing extracurricular involvement by activity type across requests is important, it is recommended to provide less flexibility to the applicant. Building separate tables for each activity type would give more options in reporting on this data. For example, a table for school club activities is below.