Best approach for selectively transferring custom fields from request to project level....

[ab_cdef]

This is more of a strategic question rather than a technical issue.

I have a custom form at the request level that contains hundreds of fields. When a request is converted into a project, I need to retain about 95% of those fields but exclude a few that would only cause confusion at the project level.

If I needed to transfer all fields, the solution would be straightforward - I’d simply make the custom form at both the request and project levels and attach it to the project when doing conversion in Fusion.

However, since I need to exclude a handful of fields from the custom form, what’s the best approach? My plan was to create a separate project-level custom form containing only the required 95% of fields and use Fusion to map the data accordingly, but considering the number of fields, this could become a time consuming/tedious task.

Is there a more efficient way to handle this? Any insights or past experiences would be appreciated!

[Sven-iX · Accepted solution]

create a separate project-level custom form containing only the required 95% of fields

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This is the way. When you convert an issue, and use a template that has the 95% project form, only the project fields get populated. This even works when you manually convert an issue and add the 95% form.

[ab_cdef]

First of all, thank you @Sven-iX  & @Doug_Den_Hoed__AtAppStore for your input!!

And @Doug_Den_Hoed__AtAppStore, moving the 5% to an admin-only view and edit section is a fantastic idea!

@Sven-iX , I just realized that in my case, the project is not created by converting the request but is instead a completely new object. Given that the request and project are not directly connected, is there a way to copy 95% of the custom fields from the request to the project?

As I understand it, the "copy custom forms"" feature in Fusion wouldn't work in this case.

So.... is there an alternative way to achieve this?

[Sven-iX]

Rats - then you need to use Fusion and map the fields from object the the other

How come the request is not being converted? 

[ab_cdef]

It’s more of a design choice - I don’t want the converted project to be seen as the parent of the request. But that said, is there any downside to not converting a request to a project and instead using Fusion to link the two together?

[Sven-iX]

Well - if a request is the basis for a project, then in my mind it makes sense to keep them connected. Where do you see the project as "parent of the request"? If anything, the request would be the "parent" since it came first, no? 

I'm asking because you're creating more work to get around the built-in workings and I don't understand the rationale for the design choice. 

[Doug_Den_Hoed__AtAppStore]

Hi @ab_cdef,

Aiming to strategize the Least Amount Of Work from where you are now...

Assuming this is a repeated process, if you are at liberty to change the process so the project IS (instead) created by converting the request, AND you chose the Form 95 Percent at the time (leveraging Workfront's native functionality to automatically copy that custom form data from request to project), you could also then (manually or via Fusion) CLEAR the related object reference to "disassociate" the two objects.

If, however, this is a one-off situation, or relatively infrequent...

You could also use our Excel Updater Generator solution to create a text mode view of the (project) Form 95 Percent columns, copy/paste those columns' text mode to a view on an Issue (request) report that is filtered to the request(s) of interest, export the report to Excel, rename the second tab in the Excel file to PROJECTS, replace the ID column's (original) request ID(s) with their corresponding (new, already existing) project ID(s), ensure the Form 95 Precent is attached to the target project(s), then use our Excel Updater solution to update the source (issue) request custom data on the target (project) custom data.

The latter technique does not require Fusion, and is also an efficient way to periodically update Workfront with data from external systems (eg Sales Targets, HR numbers, Actuals, etc.), which I'd be happy to discuss further via doug.denhoed@atappstore.com.

Regards,

Doug

[ab_cdef]

Hi @Sven-iX , @Doug_Den_Hoed__AtAppStore ,

Really appreciate all your input - our convo has been super helpful! I’ve actually changed my design approach to always convert a request into a project. The insights you shared made a big difference.

As i said, the "copy custom date" feature turned out to be a game-changer for me - no more manual mapping in Fusion!

And you were spot on @Sven-iX , as long as the custom field is at the project level, Fusion handles it perfectly, even if it's in a different form.

So, all sorted now. Thanks again.

I really appreciate it!

[Doug_Den_Hoed__AtAppStore]

Hi @ab_cdef,

I concur with you and @Sven-iX, and if you're looking for the easiest path, suggest you manually copy Form Full as Form 95 Percent, then delete the 5% you intend to exclude...or (noting such an exclusion does indeed lose data) move them to a special Save Just In Case section within the form, viewable and editable by Only SysAdmins, if this half of the sentence resonates.

Regards,

Doug