It’s useful to differentiate between application sources—that is, whether they are Slate-hosted or from an external source—for reporting. In Slate, you can create rules that automate this process.

As an example, your institution might plan to receive three sources of external applications, plus the default Slate-hosted application.

To do this, we’ll create an Application Source exclusivity group of rules that check, in order, whether the incoming application matches any of these import types:

• The Common Application

• Questbridge

• Universal College Application

• If the application doesn’t satisfy any of the above, the application is determined to have been a Slate-hosted application.

Your institution may receive applications from different sources; these rules can be configured for any external application source.

Before you begin

These three imported applications each have a unique field, and are listed as prompt options within the application source field alongside the Slate-hosted application.

To configure the rules described in this article, for each application source, your database must have:

• Unique fields: There must be one unique ID for each application type (excluding the Slate-hosted application).

• Application source field: This custom, application-scoped, prompt-based field includes a prompt for each application type.

Assigning external application sources

These rules set the application source for external application sources. As an English sentence, the rule for Common Applications would read: If the application-scoped external application ID field exists for an application, then set the Application Source to Common Application.

Creating the rule

To create this rule:

1. Go to Database → Rules.

2. Select New Rule.

3. Configure the following settings:

   • Name: Enter a name for the external application source rule, like Set <Application name> source.

   • Type: Configurable Joins

   • Category: Records

   • Base: Application

   • Rule Type: Field

   • Trigger: Upon Application Submission Only
     💡 Because the application source will never change, we configure these rules to use the Upon Application Submission Only trigger. The rule only runs at the time of application submission.

   • Folder: Keep rules organized by placing them in an existing folder, or select Other and enter Application Source to create a new one.

   • Exclusivity Group: Select Other and enter Application Source to create an exclusivity group for the rules created in this article.

   • Non-deterministic: Rule is deterministic and has an exclusive priority

   • Priority: This establishes the order in which the rules in the exclusivity group are evaluated. Enter a low number for the first rule, like 5. Increase the number by five for each application source rule.

4. Select Save.

Configuring rule filters

To select only records from the external application:

1. Select Subquery Filter.

2. Configure the following settings:

   • Name: Enter a name for the subquery filter, like <Application name> ID Exists

   • Type: Dependent subquery

   • Aggregate: Exists

   • Filters: Select Filter. Configure the following settings:

     1. Select the external application ID field you created earlier.

     2. Select Continue.

     3. Leave the filter selection as IN LIST.

     4. Select Save.

        

3. Select Save.

Configuring the rule action

1. In the Action section, configure the following settings:

   • Field: Select the Application Source field you created earlier.

   • Action: Replace Values

   • Prompt: Enter Common Application

     

2. Select Save.

Repeat

For as many external application sources as you want to evaluate for assignment, add a new rule following the preceding steps.

📝 Increment the rule priority number by five with each external application source.

Assigning Slate Application sources (default rule)

This rule sets the application source for Slate-hosted applications. As an English sentence, this rule would read: If an application record does not meet the filter criteria for the previous rules, then set the Application Source to Slate Application.

1. Go to Database → Rules.

2. Select New Rule.

3. Configure the following settings:

   • Name: Set Slate-hosted application source

   • Base: Applications

   • Type: Field

   • Trigger: Upon Submission Only
     💡 Because the application source will never change, we configure these rules to use the Upon Application Submission Only trigger. The rule only runs at the time of application submission.

   • Folder: Application Source

   • Exclusivity Group: Application Source

   • Non-deterministic: Rule is deterministic and has an exclusive priority.

   • Priority: Enter a priority number larger than all of those of the preceding rules. If, for example, you made four external source assignment rules incrementing by 5, enter 25 for this rule’s priority.

4. Select Save.

Configuring rule filters

Because this source will serve as a catch-all and be given to any applications that do not meet the prior rules, there is no need to include a filter.

Configure the rule action

1. In the Action section, configure the following settings:

   • Field: Application Source

   • Action: Replace Values

   • Prompt: Slate Application

2. Select Save.