A custom dataset can support a tour guide, ambassador, or student worker program when you need to manage worker profiles, availability, event assignments, communications, and worker-facing portal content in one place.
This article outlines one possible build pattern. Adapt the fields, forms, entities, and portal content to match your staffing model and institutional processes.
📝 Note
Custom datasets are long-term configuration projects. Before you build, confirm that the process warrants a custom dataset and that your team can maintain the dataset, fields, forms, queries, communications, and portal content over time.
⭐ Get Inspired
This article was adapted from a post by Technolutions staff in the Slate Community Forums' Get Inspired space. Have a great idea for a Get Inspired post? Let us know!
Decide whether a custom dataset fits the process
A custom dataset is a good fit when tour guides or student workers should be managed separately from person records, organizations, or users. This separation can be useful when you want to:
Keep current student worker data separate from prospective student data.
Track worker-specific profile fields, availability, and program status.
Associate workers with events or tours as related records.
Send worker communications through Deliver and keep communication history on the dataset record timeline.
Give workers access to selected information through a portal without making each worker a user.
Create the baseline dataset
Start with the standard custom dataset setup process. At minimum, plan for the following components:
Create the custom dataset.
Create fields, prompts, and optional matching criteria fields.
Add the query base.
Create the lookup.
Create the partial match.
Create the New Record form.
Create a display name rule, if needed.
Plan worker profile fields
Use fields and prompts that support your program operations. Common starting fields include:
First name
Last name
Email
Cell phone number
Date of birth
Student ID number or another stable unique key
Graduation year
Major
Campus involvement
Active status
Position or program status, such as prospect, in training, tour guide, coordinator, or alum
You may also want fields for emergency contact information, housing information, specialization or certification information, or departmental tour eligibility.
Build the New Record form
Create a custom dataset New Record form so staff can create and update worker records. The form should collect the fields needed to identify the worker, update contact information, and support matching.
A worker profile form might include:
First name
Last name
A hidden Record > Name field that concatenates first and last name
Email
Cell phone
Student ID number as the custom dataset row key or another unique-for-merging value
Hometown, using an address widget with a location type if street-level address details are not needed
Date of birth
Campus involvement
Major
Graduation year
Position or program status for internal use
📖 Custom Dataset New Record Form
Add a custom tab for staff reference
After the baseline dataset is in place, create a dataset-scoped custom tab for staff-facing reference information. Use instruction blocks and merge fields when staff need to review key details without editing the underlying data on that tab.
Track availability with an entity
Use an entity when the data has a one-to-many relationship with the worker. Availability is a common fit because one worker may have different availability for different semesters, terms, or schedules.
A student availability entity might include:
Semester
Monday availability
Tuesday availability
Wednesday availability
Thursday availability
Friday availability
Saturday availability
Sunday availability
Each day can use the same prompt list of available time slots. Configure the day fields as multiple-value fields if a worker can select more than one time slot per day.
Add a clock-in and clock-out entity
You can also use an entity to create a supplemental clock-in and clock-out log. This should not replace an official payroll or timekeeping system, but it can help program staff compare scheduled work with reported hours.
A time log entity might include:
Shift type, such as welcome desk, tour, group tour, or other
Event name
Checking in or out
Time
On the entity-scoped form, use a read-only calculated field to capture the current date and time. For example:
var today = new Date(); (today.getMonth() + 1) + '/' + today.getDate() + '/' + today.getFullYear() + ' ' + today.getHours() + ':' + today.getMinutes()
Create a dashboard for worker activity
Create a dashboard on the custom dataset record to summarize worker activity. For example, a dashboard query can include subquery exports that count completed and upcoming tours for the selected semester or year.
Common dashboard metrics include:
Completed tours or shifts
Upcoming tours or shifts
Assigned event count
Availability status
Training or certification status
Relate workers to events or tours
Use related records on events to associate tour guides or student workers with campus tours, group visits, or other event records. Related records can include custom dataset records, users, organizations, and organization contacts.
Open the event.
Select Edit.
On the Details tab, go to Related Records.
Add the relevant worker record.
Send worker communications
After workers are related to events, create a recipient list query from the custom dataset base. Use filters and subqueries to find workers with upcoming assignments, then send the communication through Deliver.
A recipient list query might include:
A subquery filter with an aggregate of Exists.
A join to forms or events by related record.
Filters for status, template, folder, start date, event type, or other assignment criteria.
A dictionary subquery export that includes assignment details such as start date, time, location, and assigned user.
Add a worker-facing portal
If most workers should not be users, a portal can give them access to selected worker-facing data and tasks. The standard Tour Guide Portal can be used as a starting point, or you can build a custom portal around your dataset and program requirements.
📝 Note
If you use the standard Tour Guide Portal, review the current guidance before extending it. Some older custom SQL and POST patterns associated with standard portal customization are legacy patterns and are not actively maintained.
Common portal additions include:
A profile update form that uses the dataset key to update the existing worker record.
An availability tab.
A clock-in and clock-out tab.
A contact form for questions about payroll, schedule changes, professional development, or program issues.
A meet-the-team tab that uses a dictionary subquery export and Liquid looping to display other workers.
📖 Slate Standard Tour Guide Portal
📖 Using Liquid Markup in Portals
Extend the model over time
After the core dataset is stable, consider additional sections only when they support real program workflows. Possible extensions include:
Student worker contracts
Feedback forms
Annual reviews
Emergency contact details
Housing information
Training or certification tracking