Create Combined Column

IN THIS ARTICLE

A custom combined column allows you to create a new field using information from other fields as input. This feature is beneficial ingenerating a detailed Privilege Description field for your privilege logs or any other customized field using available Relativity fields. Combined columns enable you to create logic conditions, concatenate field values, and format multiple inputs from the Relativity fields. Once you create a combined column, it can be added to any privilege log and used across logs.

WHO CAN PERFORM

There are two permission levels of access to privilege logs: Access to Privilege Logs and Create and manage Privilege Logs. Users with the ability to create and manage privilege logs can use the combined column functionality.

Steps to Create a Combined Column

  1. Open the Privilege Log:

    Navigate to the Privilege Logs tab and select an open privilege log by clicking on its name. From the open log, click the COLUMNS button on the top right and select Create Combined Column from the dropdown menu.

  2. Enter a Column Name:

    At the top of the Create Combined Column for Privilege Log page, enter the name of your new combined column. In this example, we are creating a column named Privilege Description.

  3. Set Global Formatting:

    Choose how the output should be formatted, such as:

    • Capitalizing the first letter of the first word.
    • Adding a period at the end of each clause.
  4. Configure Document Selection:
    • You need to define which documents the combined column rules will apply to.
    • Choose one of the following:

      1. All documents: Applies the rule to every document in the log.

      2. Create Condition: Allows you to define a specific condition for this rule.
        1. When you select Create Condition, a modal window appears where you can set the condition by selecting a Field Name, Field Type, and an Operator (e.g., "Date Created", "Is"). After setting this, click Add to save the condition.

  5. Add Concatenated Values:

    The Concatenated Values field is where you build the logic for your combined column by specifying a combination of existing fields and free text. You can type the "@" symbol to select a field from a list of available options or use quotation marks to add free text. This feature allows for a dynamic combination of values from multiple fields along with static text.

    For example, you can create a privilege description field by combining the Privilege Draft field, Privilege Document Type, and the Privilege Reason, adding descriptive free text between them for a complete, clear output.

    • To add fields, type @ and select the desired field, such as Privilege Reason.
      1. You can type part of the field name to filter the available options. The search is a contains search, meaning it will display fields that contain the text anywhere in the field name, not just at the beginning. This makes it easier to find the desired field without knowing its exact name.
    • To add free text, use quotation marks around the text you want to include, like " and ".

  6. Test Your Logic:

    After setting your rules and concatenated values, use the Test button to see how the combined column will behave. It will show a preview of the field for up to five documents that match your rule criteria.

  7. Add Additional Rules (Optional):
    • Click Add Rule under the ELSE section to apply additional conditions. Repeat steps 4-7 for each new rule.
    • You can drag rules up and down to adjust the trumping order, ensuring that the correct rule takes precedence.

  8. Create and Add to Log:

    Once satisfied with your logic and field configuration, click Create and Add to Log to apply the new combined column to the privilege log. Alternatively, you can click Create to generate the column without adding it directly to the log. To add this later, click COLUMNS then SELECT and add this column to the grid.

Managing Combined Columns

Once you have created a combined column, there are additional management actions available:

  1. Editing Combined Columns:
    • In an open privilege log, click the gear icon next to your combined column to access the following options:
      • Edit: Modify the column’s name or underlying logic.
      • Recalculate: Refresh the combined column values based on any new or updated data in the privilege log.
      • Delete: Permanently remove the combined column from the privilege log.
  2. Finalized Logs:
    • In finalized logs, the only available action is View Column Settings, allowing you to see the column configuration without making any changes.

Submitting a Combined Column to Relativity

Combined columns created within LHA privilege logs can now be submitted directly to Relativity to create a corresponding custom field for use throughout the workspace. This allows the combined column to sync automatically between LHA and Relativity.

  1. Submit Custom Field:

    • After creating a combined column, click the gear icon next to it and select Submit Custom Field to Relativity.

    • Confirm the action in the popup window.

    • Once submitted, the field will appear in Relativity as MA_PrivCustomValue::[Field Name].

  2. Field Synchronization:
    • Any updates to the combined column in LHA will automatically sync with the field in Relativity, ensuring data consistency.

Updating the Custom Field from Coding Layout

Once a combined column has been submitted to Relativity, it can be added to any coding layout in Relativity, where it updates automatically when any fields in the combined field formula are edited.

  1. Add Field to Coding Layout:
    • Navigate to the desired Coding Layout in Relativity.

    • Add the combined column field (now visible as a Relativity field).

    • Optionally, set the field to Read-Only to prevent manual edits.

    • Rename the field to provide a more user-friendly label (optional).

  2. Edit Input Fields:

    • When editing a document, if any of the input fields used in the combined field's logic are modified, the custom field will automatically updated in real-time when the user clicks “Save”.

Best Practices & Troubleshooting

  • Use Global Formatting to ensure consistent formatting across all documents. This is particularly useful when combining text and field values.
  • Test regularly: Always use the Test function to preview your combined column before applying it to the full log.
  • Recalculate columns if any input fields have been updated, especially after making large-scale changes to the data.
  • Be mindful of finalized logs: Once a log is finalized, editing combined columns is no longer possible. However, viewing column settings can still provide useful insight for future adjustments.

Related Articles