Sharing a Data Collection

If you have more than one workspace in your MIS, it is possible to share data collections across the workspaces. This is particularly useful for structural and institutional data (such as districts and schools).

Note the following:

• A shared data collection is always available in all the workspaces within your MIS.

• Each workspace can add submissions to the shared data collections and the new submissions are visible in all workspaces.

• A data collection that has incoming references can only be shared if the referenced data collections are shared as well. This process is partly automated.

How to share a data collection

On the Data Collection Settings page, click on the Advanced Settings button in the top right corner and choose Share.

Open

A dialog window will open asking you to confirm the action by clicking on Apply.

Open

If the data collection that you want to share has incoming references, they need to be shared as well. The referenced data collections will be listed in the dialog window and shared by the system automatically once you confirm the action by clicking on Apply. If a referenced data collection has already been shared separately, this will be indicated on the list.

In some cases sharing the referenced data collections automatically won’t work due to conflicts that may arise, for example, from duplicate data collection codes or permission schemes. Those conflicts will be displayed for you in the dialog window, but you have to manually resolve them in the respective data collections and workspaces. Only then will the Apply button be enabled and you can share the data collection.

How to know a data collection is shared

A Shared label appears next to the data collection name on the Settings page.

Additionally, the shared data collection is marked on the overview page under System -> Data Settings:

When you now navigate to another workspace, under System -> Data Settings you will see a new tab called Shared and the data collection that you just shared is listed on that screen.

How to edit a shared data collection

Changing the settings or template of a shared data collection can be done only in the workspace where it was shared from. If you are in another workspace, the shared data collection is in read-only mode, but you will see an Open icon on the settings page that seamlessly takes you to the ‘parent’ workspace where you can edit the data collection.

How to add submissions to a shared data collection

New submissions to a shared data collection can be added from any workspace. For you as the end user, in the UI, there is no difference between adding submissions to a shared data collection and a workspace specific data collection.