What are fields? 

Think of all your content as data in a table. In your table, the cells are filled with information and organized into columns. Each column can populate a field in the EventPilot database. Most fields display in the platform for the end users to see or search on. Some fields are internal only, such as ID fields or speaker's emails. 

What is field mapping? 

Your source data table has its own column headers. For example, it may have a column "Session Labels" containing the names of your sessions. 

That column, or field, in EventPilot is called "Session Title."

When you import from your source, you must link (or "map") the label of your data to the field you'd like it to populate in EventPilot. This is field mapping. 

Where do which fields appear in the platform? 

Refer to the data specification document which displays all tables and available fields. It includes screenshots to display where which field appears in the platform.

How do I map fields?

The Conference App Builder will try to map fields automatically, but if something is not appearing where it should be, you may need to update the field mapping manually. 

1. Visit the page in the Conference App Builder with the import you want to update.
2. Click the pencil/edit icon.
3. Click to step 3, Mapping.
   The dialog displays samples from your first row of data, the headers of all your data columns, and drop downs that indicate where they are mapped to in EventPilot. 
4. Use the sample data and column headers to identify the field you'd like to bring in or move.
5. Click the drop-down and select the EventPilot field -- or choose Do Not Import if you do not want the data to appear on the platform.
6. Click Next to finish the import

As a reminder, you'll need to publish to the platform to see your changes there.

Example of a field map for agenda data. Many of the table column headers are the same as in EventPilot but some are different - for example "Stop Time" is mapped to "End Time": 

Trouble Shooting

A column header has changed in my source data and now doesn't import anymore? 

If a column header has changed, you need to update the field mapping to create the link to the new column label. 

1. Open the page where you are importing the data in the Conference App Builder (e.g. if in your session source data the header changed from 'session name' to 'title', open the Conference App Builder page Agenda > Sessions)
2. Click the pencil icon next to the import source where you want to update the field mapping
3. Click step 3 Mapping
4. Scroll through the list and find your new column header
5. In the Map to Where select the correct field - in our example above, we'd map the new header title to the field  Session Title
6. Click Next and re-import your data

A previously mapped column is no longer in my source data - how do I un-map that field? 

Let's explain this with an example: Imagine, your Sessions source data had an extra field like 'Approval Status' that you originally mapped to Filter 1. You then realize that you don't want to show Approval Status in the app. But instead of setting this up via the mapping by setting this field to Do Not Import, you removed it completely from the source data.

In this case, the system will still have your mapping stored. Meaning, on each import, the Filter 1 field expects data to come in from a column header called Approval Status. That column doesn't exist anymore. In order to reset Filter 1, ensure that you have another column in your data that you can map to Filter 1. This can even be just temporarily. Let's say you have a column called Test that you have not mapped to any field. Complete the following steps to clear a mapped field: 

1. Open the page where you are importing the data in the Conference App Builder (e.g. if in your session source data the header changed from 'session name' to 'title', open the Conference App Builder page Agenda > Sessions)
2. Click the pencil icon next to the import source where you want to update the field mapping
3. Click step 3 Mapping
4. Scroll through the list and find a column you are not currently importing
5. In the Map to Where select the field you want to clear
6. Once applied, change the Map to Where to  --Do Not Import--

The field mapping has now been cleared.

I am not seeing data in the app that I know is in my data source? 

1. Is the data in the Conference App Builder? Go to the respective page in the Conference App Builder > use the search above the table to double check the data is in the Conference App Builder. If it is in the Conference App Builder, publish your data and accept the data update in the app. If it's not in the Conference App Builder, continue with the next step:
2. Check your data source - has the data been entered in a field that EventPilot receives? 
3. Check your data export (the CSV file you are trying to import or are linking to) - does it contain the data? 
   1. For example: a client was using an Abstract Management System (AMS) that generated CSV files for the client. The client had entered data in the AMS but the data didn't show in the app. Checking the CSV generated by the AMS revealed that this data column was never added to the CSV in the first place or it was empty. Contact your provider or IT who generates your content that is imported into EventPilot. 
4. Check your field mapping Conference App Builder > page > click on the import source > Field Mapping > is that field you want to bring in not being imported? Map it to the field you want to imported it. 
5. Check if the data is excluded during imports. If there are errors in the source data, the data rows will be excluded by the system automatically and won't be imported. 

Which Filter do I map my keywords to? 

Each table has up to 4 filters labeled in the data mapping as Filter 1, Filter 2, Filter 3, and Filter 4. You can map your keywords to either one and import the data. The Filter card below each import source card allows you to label each filter and change the display order or completely hide a filter (click the x next to the filter). 

Important: If you are using the Credit API Add-On, the Session Filter 3 is reserved for the credit keywords. If you are using the Virtual Sessions Add-On with the Zoom integration, Filter 4 is reserved for keywords that trigger the automatic creation of Webinars or Meetings in Zoom. 

Learn more about Filters.

How do I add additional data that is not my source? 

You can use an associative import, where you set up a separate datasource that simply contains two columns: one for the item ID (e.g. your session ID) and one for the item you want to associate (e.g. a filter keyword). (Video tutorial)