Fields and inheritance

Labels and Custom Fields were once treated separately but are now merged into one category called Fields, designed for simplicity. Now you can easily manage fields for any object, such as campaigns or tasks, from a single consolidated tab.

Hierarchy of data across objects

Metadata is shared among campaigns, tasks, work requests and assets to unify a taxonomy. However, there is a hierarchy of how data flows among objects. 

• Work requests can spin off campaigns, tasks and events.
  • Campaigns can be containers for tasks and events.
    • Campaigns and tasks can contain assets.

The following image shows how the field properties of a work request are shared with the campaign. The fields of the campaign are shared with the task that is associated with the campaign, and so on. (Dashed arrows show creation, colored arrows show hierarchical sharing of metadata.) 

• A work request can start the flow of metadata by sending traits Department and Journey Stage to the campaign.
• The campaign has traits Region and Quarter and inherits Department and Journey Stage.
• The task adds traits Media Type and Team, and inherits the traits from the campaign and work request.
• The asset in the task includes the Asset type trait, and inherits the traits from the campaign and work request and task.

  Assets only inherit label field types today and will soon include all fields soon. 

Work request brief to campaign 

From the Requests tab, select a work request, and then select Start > Campaign.

If the campaign DOES NOT have a parent campaign:

• The Create New Campaign form displays the work request fields and their values, and you can change them.
• Elements of a campaign (such as events, tasks and assets) can inherit the work request brief’s fields and their values.
• The Fields tab on a task (see image below) represents the final state of the campaign’s taxonomy and the point in which any children of the campaign inherit fields and values downstream. Edits you make in the Fields section of the Create New Campaign form can be updated (if permissions allow). 
  

If the campaign DOES have a parent campaign:

• All of the previous behaviors apply.
• Values are combined on multiple selections that are on the parent campaign and the work request. For example, if the work request (Source 1) has a multi-select field Animal with a value of cat and dog, and the parent campaign (Source 2) also has a multi-select field Animal with a value of elephant and dog, then the new campaign (Object A) has three values assigned to it (cat, dog, elephant) on the Create New Campaign page. (You can change the values before saving the campaign.)

  

• Single selections may create a conflict between the parent campaign and the work request. To prevent this conflict, you choose which has precedence. For example, if one campaign (Source 1) has Pillar=walking and the work request (Source 2) has Pillar=running, you can choose to inherit Pillar=running from one of the campaigns.

  

If the campaign has a campaign template:

• All of the previous behaviors apply. Fields are carried over from the campaign template and single-select, multi-select behavior applies. 

Work request brief to task

From the Requests tab, select a work request, and then select Start > Task.

If the task DOES NOT have a workflow with assigned fields:

• The Create New Task form displays the work request fields and their values, and you can change them.
• The task brief inherits the work request fields and their values.
• The Fields tab on a task represents the final state of the task's taxonomy and the point in which any task assets inherit fields and values downstream. Edits you make in the Fields section of the Create New Task form can be updated (if permissions allow). 

If the task DOES have a workflow with assigned fields:

Workflows provide governance in a task and its downstream activities; it takes precedence over other inheritance. For that reason, when a workflow is assigned to a task, fields and values from that workflow are applied to the task, overwriting fields and values that came from the work request.  

• In the task brief, the work request fields and their values are inherited by the task brief.
• Only those fields and values defined on the workflow are available on the Create New Task page, where you can change them (if permissions allow). 
• Values are combined on multiple selections that are on the workflow and the work request.
• The Fields tab on a task represents the final state of the task's taxonomy and the point in which any task assets inherit fields and values downstream. Edits you make in the Fields section of the Create New Task form can be updated (if permissions allow). 
  

  Assets only inherit labels.

A task has a special scenario compared to the other objects (event, campaign). If a task has a workflow with fields, then the workflow fields determine the field types that a task can inherit.

Campaign fields to task

When you assign a campaign to a task the following inheritance occurs:

If the task does not have a workflow with assigned fields:

• On the Create New Task form, the campaign fields and their values are displayed and available for changes.
• Edit you make in the Fields section of the Create New Task form are available for updates (if permissions allow). The Fields tab represents the final state of the task’s taxonomy and the point in which any task assets inherit fields and values downstream.

  Assets only inherit labels.

• Fields that you add from the task brief are available in the Fields section for updates (if permissions allow). Updates made to the brief are reflected in the Fields tab on a task, but updates on the Fields section do NOT change the original state of the brief.

If the task does have a workflow with assigned fields:

Workflows provide governance in a task and its downstream activities; it takes precedence over other inheritance. For that reason, when a workflow is assigned to a task, fields and values from that workflow are applied to the task, overwriting fields and values that came from the work request.  

• Only those fields and values defined on the workflow are available on the Create New Task form, where you can change them (if permissions allow). 
• Values are combined on multiple selections that are on the workflow and the campaign.
• Single select fields on both the workflow and the campaign cause conflict modal to appear.
• Edits you make in the Fields section of the Create New Task form are available for updates (if permissions allow). The Fields tab on a task represents the final state of the task’s taxonomy and the point in which any task assets inherit fields and values downstream.

  Assets only inherit labels.