This article outlines methods for collecting staff data in Arbor, emphasizing that staff cannot directly edit their profiles. It discusses manual checking of details, using external forms for data collection, and creating custom reports for communication. Important considerations regarding permissions for viewing staff data are also highlighted.
There are a few methods for collecting data for staff in Arbor. Please note that for all of these methods, staff cannot fill in the fields on their staff profile directly, so there will be some manual work.
Checking their details manually
You can ask them directly for their details and update the data from their Staff Profile.
You can also download a staff profile to give to a staff member to check their details. Just click the green Download/Print... button on the right-hand side of their Staff Profile.
Using a form
We don't offer data collection forms in Arbor, but you could create a form (such as in Google) and send staff the link to the form through a Mail Merge email. for them to fill in the form.
You would then need to take the form responses and use these to manually update the data from their Staff Profile.
Using mail merge (not recommended)
Important information before creating comms
Please note that using this method means that anyone with the School Communications: View School Communications: View permission can view the staff data sent from within the Communications Log.
You can check which users have this permission using the Permissions page.
If you do not wish these users to see the data sent, please use an alternative method.
Please note: If you do not want staff with the above permission to see the data collection information regarding other staff members, you will need to save the communication draft and not send the communication. For more information on managing communication drafts in Arbor, see this article. If you are wanting to send this out to staff, see our article here on combining messages in mail merges.
You can create a report pre-filled with the data you already have to generate letters or emails you can give to staff to check their details.
Step 1 - Create your custom report
Go to School > Custom Report Writer and click the green button to Create new report.
Add a name and select that your report is about Staff.
Select your date range to look at staff between. Top tip: set the date as Today to exclude any staff who have left or not yet started.
In step 3, search for any columns you want to add to your report, then drag and drop it onto the right-hand side. You can also click and drag to reorder the columns.
Click Skip setup wizard and Save and View report to see your current staff details report.
Step 2 - Create your letter or email template
Go to School > Communications > Templates > Letters/Email and click +Add to set up a new letter or email template. Choose the Custom Report option.
Choose your staff data collection report you just set up.
You'll be taken to the email or letter creation page.
Create your message and insert merge fields of the fields you used in your report. This will enable staff to check the information you hold or flag it to you if it's blank.
Then click the green button to save your template.
Step 3 - Set up your mail merge using your custom report data
Go to School > Communications > Email/Letter > New Mail Merge. Click the Load Email template button to select your template.
In the To field, select the people who were included in your custom report, then click to Proceed.
You can then check a few emails and generate the message. Remember, you must print out and manually give out or send letters.
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