Creating a private data type

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Use the data type wizard to create private data types in IBM® Envizi ESG Suite.

Before you begin

To access the data configuration section, the system administrator role must be assigned to your login.

Note: Private data types require the use of custom factors. Even non-emissions data types require custom factors to record unit conversions for mass, volume, distance, area, and other measures where relevant.

Procedure

  1. From the administrator menu, click Admin > Data Configuration.
  2. From the Data Types page, click Actions > New data type.
    The Details tab of the Create data type wizard displays.
  3. Enter a caption for the data type.
    The caption that you enter is also used for the data type name, with a prefix of the organization ID. The limit of the caption and name fields is 100 characters.
  4. Select a Scope.
  5. Select a Category.
  6. Optional: Enter a description of the data type.
  7. Choose whether to include a Total Cost Field in your data type.
    If you click Yes, a cost measure is automatically added to the Measures tab. The measure has a predetermined column position that cannot be changed. You can modify the name and help text of the measure but not its order or column.
  8. Open the Measures tab of the data type wizard to modify the measures that are available in the data type.
    For each measure in the data type you can edit the following properties:
    Column
    Refers to the database column (C_1–C_40) to which the measure is assigned.
    Measure name
    The name of the measure. Measure names are limited to 100 characters.
    Help text
    The help text is used as the default help text when creating an account style for this data type.
    Unit of measure
    Select the unit, if relevant, for the measure. If a unit is not present in the list, such as for tracking nonconvertible data such as persons or widgets, you can select Other (free text) to enter a custom unit in a separate field. The custom unit is not convertible into any of the standard metric categories. To have a custom unit added to the standard list, contact IBM Support.
    Measure type
    If the data tracked in the measure should be summed over time such as utility data, number of products that are produced, or spend, select Accumulative. If the data tracked in the measure represents a point in time value such as floor space, a percentage value, or an intensity rate, select Instantaneous.
    Note: All data types must have a primary measure. The order of the primary measure cannot be changed and the measure cannot be removed, but you can change the column, the name, the help text, the unit, and the measure type.