Configuring metadata in your user file lets you maximize Awardco's automations and optimizations for recognition programs and engagement surveys. This article explains metadata, its types, and how to use it to improve recognition, surveys, reporting, and more. Proper metadata ensures accurate employee data and unlocks powerful platform features.
- What is Metadata?
- What are the Different Types of Metadata?
- How Can Metadata Be Used in the Platform?
- When to Use the Metadata Generator
What is Metadata?
Metadata is a set of data that provides information about other data. In the context of Awardco, this means it's a way to add extra information about your employees to your user file. For example, if you want to know which department an employee belongs to, you can create a metadata field for "#Department" in your user file. This allows the platform to link employee data with specific company details, which is crucial for various platform functions like targeting specific user groups for a survey or segmenting recognition reports.
Let's look at the example Microsoft Excel file shown below. In this file, you will see the required and optional fields in columns A-M. Columns N, O, and P all have headers with the prefix of a pound or hash symbol (#). Here we see #Cost Center, #Department, and #City. These are metadata fields. On row 20, we have the account information for Cui Lei. You can see their standard account information like email, hire date, and country code. The administrators for this account have decided that cost center, department, and city are significant data points they need to have present in the platform. These data points will be listed next to Cui's data in platform reports and can also be used to assign access to recognition programs and budgets, or to filter survey results for deeper insights.
What are the Different Types of Metadata?
When uploading user data, you can include custom metadata fields to add more information about your employees. These fields can be used for various purposes, such as reporting, approvals, or display within the platform. Awardco supports three different types of metadata, each designated by a specific prefix in your CSV file header:
- Default Metadata (#): Any custom field with a header that begins with a # will be imported as default metadata. This data is visible to admins within the platform and is primarily used for filtering and reporting. For example, you could use a #Location field to filter users by their office location, a #Department field to run reports on recognition activity by department, or a #Tenure field to segment survey responses. Values in these fields are limited to 200 characters.
- Associated Metadata (@): Fields with an @ prefix are used for associated metadata. This data links an employee to other users in the system, aside from their direct supervisor. This is especially useful for setting up advanced approval workflows for recognition programs, allowing you to route approvals to specific individuals like a @Department VP or a regional manager. Each value in an associated metadata field must correspond to a valid Employee ID in your user file.
- Hidden Metadata (^): If a header begins with a ^, the data will be imported as hidden metadata. This information is uploaded to the platform but is not visible to either admins or users. This is typically used for sensitive or behind-the-scenes data, such as shipping addresses for corporate gifting programs. The system uses this data for logistical purposes, but it remains hidden from view to protect privacy.
How Can Metadata Be Used in the Platform?
Once your metadata is configured and imported, it enables a variety of features and automations within the Awardco platform. You can use metadata to:
- Configure Program Eligibility: Ensure that only employees within a specific department or location can access certain recognition programs.
- Assign Budgets: Allocate specific recognition budgets to different departments or teams based on a metadata field.
- Target Survey Distribution: Send engagement surveys only to specific groups of employees, such as those in a particular #Region or #Job Title.
- Run Detailed Reports: Use metadata to filter reports and gain insights into recognition activity across different segments of your organization, such as by city, department, or cost center. In Engage, use metadata to drill down into survey results, analyzing sentiment by factors like #Tenure or #Department.
- Streamline Approvals: Use associated metadata to route recognition and spending approvals to specific individuals or groups beyond the standard reporting structure.
When to Use the Metadata Generator
Your user file is the single source of truth for all employee data in Awardco. Ideally, your HRIS is able to provide all the necessary information, including any custom metadata fields you need. However, there are times when this isn't possible, and your HRIS might be missing some of the employee metadata required to manage your platform effectively.
The Metadata Generator simplifies creating new metadata fields from existing data. Instead of manually updating user files or using custom HRIS reports, you can combine fields like #Country and #Job Group to create "#Program Eligibility," or merge #Location and #Business Unit for a #Survey Group. This lets you build precise rules and automations without changing your original user file.
If you have any questions, please contact Awardco Admin Support.