{"id":1329,"date":"2025-07-10T14:37:55","date_gmt":"2025-07-10T14:37:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/help.fieldax.com\/?post_type=docs&p=1329"},"modified":"2025-07-10T14:37:55","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T14:37:55","password":"","slug":"set-up-dispatch-board-columns","status":"publish","type":"docs","link":"https:\/\/document.fieldax.com\/?docs=set-up-dispatch-board-columns","title":{"rendered":"Set Up Dispatch Board Columns"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Understanding Column Configuration<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dispatch Board columns determine what information dispatchers see for each job, enabling quick assessment and efficient scheduling decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Column Planning<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Before configuration, identify essential information:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Critical Job Information<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • Job number\/identifier<\/li>
  • Date and time<\/li>
  • Service type\/category<\/li>
  • Current status<\/li>
  • Customer name<\/li>
  • Location details<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Optional Information<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    • Priority level<\/li>
    • Assigned engineer<\/li>
    • Duration estimate<\/li>
    • Special instructions<\/li>
    • Contract coverage<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      Configuring Dispatch Board Columns<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Step 1: Access Custom Metadata Types<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Navigate to the configuration area:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      1. Go to Setup<\/strong> (gear icon)<\/li>
      2. In Quick Find, search for “Custom Metadata Types”<\/li>
      3. Click Custom Metadata Types<\/strong><\/li>
      4. Locate and click Settings<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        Step 2: Access DB Settings<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        Find the dispatch board configuration:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        1. In the Settings metadata type<\/li>
        2. Click Manage Records<\/strong><\/li>
        3. Look for DB Settings<\/strong><\/li>
        4. Click Edit<\/strong> on the DB Settings record<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

          Step 3: Understanding the JSON Structure<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

          The column configuration uses JSON format:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          json<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          [<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            {<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              “Field”: “Display Label”,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              “Value”: “API_Field_Name”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            }<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          ]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Structure Explanation<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          • Field: What users see as column header<\/li>
          • Value: Actual Salesforce field API name<\/li>
          • Array format allows multiple columns<\/li>
          • Order matters for display sequence<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

            Step 4: Configure Standard Columns<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

            Enter the standard column configuration:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            DB Table Columns<\/strong> field:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            json<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            [<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              {<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                “Field”: “JOB NO”,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                “Value”: “Name”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              },<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              {<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                “Field”: “DATE AND TIME”,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                “Value”: “fax__Planned_Visit_Date_Time__c”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              },<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              {<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                “Field”: “CATEGORY”,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                “Value”: “fax__Visit_Type__c”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              },<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              {<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                “Field”: “STATUS”,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                “Value”: “fax__Status__c”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              }<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            ]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            This configuration displays:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            • JOB NO<\/strong>: The job number\/identifier<\/li>
            • DATE AND TIME<\/strong>: Scheduled visit time<\/li>
            • CATEGORY<\/strong>: Type of service<\/li>
            • STATUS<\/strong>: Current job status<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

              Step 5: Adding Additional Columns<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

              To add more columns, extend the JSON:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              json<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              [<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                {<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  “Field”: “JOB NO”,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  “Value”: “Name”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                },<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                {<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  “Field”: “DATE AND TIME”,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  “Value”: “fax__Planned_Visit_Date_Time__c”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                },<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                {<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  “Field”: “CATEGORY”,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  “Value”: “fax__Visit_Type__c”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                },<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                {<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  “Field”: “STATUS”,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  “Value”: “fax__Status__c”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                },<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                {<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  “Field”: “CUSTOMER”,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  “Value”: “fax__Customer__r.Name”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                },<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                {<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  “Field”: “PRIORITY”,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  “Value”: “fax__Priority__c”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                },<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                {<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  “Field”: “DURATION”,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  “Value”: “fax__Estimated_Duration__c”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                }<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              ]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Step 6: Save Configuration<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

              After entering the JSON:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              1. Click Save<\/strong><\/li>
              2. Configuration takes effect immediately<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                Advanced Column Configuration<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                Related Object Fields<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

                Display data from related records:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                json<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                {<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  “Field”: “CUSTOMER CITY”,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  “Value”: “fax__Customer__r.ShippingCity”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                }<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Relationship Syntax<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                • Use __r for relationships<\/li>
                • Add .FieldName for specific field<\/li>
                • Supports multiple levels<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                  Formula Fields<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

                  Include calculated values:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  json<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  {<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    “Field”: “TIME UNTIL DUE”,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    “Value”: “fax__Hours_Until_Due__c”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  }<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  Custom Fields<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

                  Add organization-specific fields:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  json<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  {<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    “Field”: “REGION”,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    “Value”: “Region__c”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  }<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  Column Best Practices<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                  Essential Columns<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

                  Always include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  • Job identifier<\/li>
                  • Date\/time<\/li>
                  • Status<\/li>
                  • Customer reference<\/li>
                  • Service type<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                    Performance Considerations<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                    • Limit to 7-10 columns<\/li>
                    • Avoid complex formulas<\/li>
                    • Minimize related object queries<\/li>
                    • Use indexed fields when possible<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                      User Experience<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                      • Order by importance<\/li>
                      • Use clear labels<\/li>
                      • Consistent naming<\/li>
                      • Appropriate column width<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                        Understanding Column Configuration Dispatch Board columns determine what information dispatchers see for each job, enabling quick assessment and efficient scheduling decisions. Column Planning Before configuration, identify essential information: Critical Job Information Job number\/identifier Date and time Service type\/category Current status Customer name Location details Optional Information Priority level Assigned engineer Duration estimate Special instructions Contract…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"doc_category":[9],"doc_tag":[],"class_list":["post-1329","docs","type-docs","status-publish","hentry","doc_category-essential-setup"],"year_month":"2026-05","word_count":537,"total_views":0,"reactions":{"happy":0,"normal":0,"sad":0},"author_info":{"name":"admin","author_nicename":"admin","author_url":"https:\/\/document.fieldax.com\/?author=1"},"doc_category_info":[{"term_name":"Essential Setup","term_url":"https:\/\/document.fieldax.com\/?doc_category=essential-setup"}],"doc_tag_info":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/document.fieldax.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/docs\/1329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/document.fieldax.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/docs"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/document.fieldax.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/docs"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/document.fieldax.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/document.fieldax.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1329"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/document.fieldax.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/docs\/1329\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1330,"href":"https:\/\/document.fieldax.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/docs\/1329\/revisions\/1330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/document.fieldax.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"doc_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/document.fieldax.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fdoc_category&post=1329"},{"taxonomy":"doc_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/document.fieldax.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fdoc_tag&post=1329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}