Attributes allow you to find, filter, and assign content to users.
How Attributes Work
Attributes are categories of data used to group and filter users and user data. Every attribute has a name that describes the category and a data type. Individual users are assigned different values to each attribute.
There are three data types for attributes: text, date, and select.
- Text attributes store a unique string of text that will be different for each user. Examples of text attributes you might store in Ethos include middle name, hometown, etc.
- Date attributes store a specific date. Examples might include start date, birthday, etc.
- Select attributes store a value from a predetermined list. Select attributes are best for categories or a set list of values. Examples of Select attributes include manager, region, state, seniority level, etc. Select attributes are the most common type of attribute used by our customers, and are usually preferable to text attributes. The Select feature ensures that data is consistent between users, preventing duplicated attribute values (ex. north, N, NORTH, and North all entered as text for Region vs. selecting North from a dropdown list).
Once users are assigned attributes, those attributes can be used individually or together to group and sort your users.
Creating a New Attribute
To create a new Attribute, start in the Users tab and click the black "+ Create" button in the top right. From the dropdown, select New Org Attribute. A drawer will open to the right with the fields for your new Attribute. Select an attribute type (Text, Date, or Select) and name your Attribute (remember, this describes the category, not the value of the attribute itself!). If you've chosen a Select attribute, you can also add the dropdown options your users will select from. You can always add and edit options in the future, so don't worry if you don't know all of the possible values here!
When you've finished entering the information for your attribute, click "Create" in the bottom right. To view your new attribute, navigate to Org Attributes in the lefthand list. If you click on an attribute in this list, you can make changes to the name or select options.
Assigning An Attribute to A User
To assign an attribute to a single user, navigate to the User list by clicking "All Users" in the lefthand menu. Search or filter for your user if necessary, and click on their name. This will open up their user detail page. Select "Attributes" from the lefthand menu, and then click the black "Assign Attribute" button in the top right. A drawer will open to the right, where you can search for the name of your attribute and assign a value for the user. When finished, click Assign.
Attributes can also be updated for users in bulk via CSV. See our separate article on CSV Upload {Add Link}.
Deactivating an Attribute
If an attribute is no longer relevant to your organization, you can deactivate it. From the list of Org Attributes (Users > Org Attributes), click on the Attribute you wish to deactivate. A drawer will open to the right, at the bottom, you will see a white button labeled "Deactivate". Click this, and then click "Yes" in the pop-up. Your org will move to Inactive status and no longer appear in your default Org Attribute list. To view Deactivated attributes, click the "Status" button in the top right and enable Inactive attributes.
Change your mind? Inactivated attributes can be easily restored. Click on the attribute, and choose "Activate" > "Yes" from the bottom righthand corner.
Filtering your User List by an Attribute
Once you have a list of attributes, you can use those values to filter your list of users and create groups.
To filter your user list, navigate to "Users" > "All Users". Select the grey button at the top "+ Add Filter Attribute" and search for or select the attribute you wish to filter by. Depending on the data type, you will either be able to enter a text string, select a date or date range, or choose from the drop down list. Users will be filtered based on their match to the attributes you select.
Exporting Filtered Lists
Once you have a filtered list of users, you can export this list to a CSV for external use. Click the Export List button in the bottom lefthand corner. The CSV will be immediately downloaded. Exported lists include the following User data:
- First Name
- Last Name
- Role
- Status
- All attributes and assigned values
Creating Groups From Attributes
Once you have attributes assigned to your users, you can use those attributes to create Saved Groups and assign content.