Recording Multiple Records for a Case
This nascent article will be expanded over time. Possibly with pretty screenshots. Always with beautiful prose.
There are a variety of ways to record multiple records for a case (subrecords, many-to-one records, pick your name). You've almost certainly used one of the existing methods: case notes, timeslips on cases, litigation records, etc.
Say you need to record how many ponies a client has. Could be 1, could be 12. For each pony, you want to record the name, breed, color, stable number, and stall number.
The potential solutions can be grouped as:
- Case Notes
- Custom Fields (simple flat data)
- Existing Features/Blocks
- Build Your Own Records (Dynamic Services Module)
Case Notes
Could people add a case note for each pony and the related information? Sure. Very unstructured, nearly impossible to report on, and difficult to summarize on a case profile (although you could create a "Pony" note type and have a tab with the Case Notes List block filtered to only display notes with that type). Data entry errors are almost guaranteed.
Custom Fields
You could create a series of custom fields, like Pony1Name, Pony1Color, Pony2Name, Pony2Color, and so on. Nothing wrong with that. The data collection and edit form wouldn't be horrible for two ponies and a few fields for each pony. But at some point you know a client is going to show up with 3 ponies, so you'll be adding another set of custom fields and your data form just got that much longer. Or you later need to add Shoe Size, so then you'll be adding Pony1ShoeSize, Pony2ShoeSize, etc. custom fields.
Existing Features/Blocks
Several blocks allow creating multiple records per case. They are mostly hardcoded in terms of the fields you can collect for each record. Lookup fields give you some flexibility. One of them may fit your data, or be adaptable to your data.
Arrests, Case Credits, Charges, Custodial Status, and Sentences [citation needed], as you might guess, focus on collecting information related to criminal charges. Discovery can be useful in criminal and civil contexts. Immigration Entries and Exits is just what it sounds like. Often used in immigration cases, but not limited to them, are Marital History and Detentions. Other blocks are: Benefits Hearings (think public benefits), Educational History, Disability/Medical History, Issues, LSC Other Services, and Trust and Expense Transactions.
Outcomes V2 provides some flexibility with different types, groupings, etc.
Activity records have several "cascading" fields, where each selection can limit the following selections; they also have the ability via Activity Presets to prompt you during data entry (entering that you filed a Motion to Dismiss could prompt you to create task to schedule a hearing).
Litigation Records use dynamic forms and processes, and can use custom fields. The module was built to track court involvement, but you can bend the dynamic forms to your will. Could you record home visit information using this module? Sure (but don't do that before looking at the Build Your Own Records section below). Be warned that the "Litigation" moniker will be there on the back end, and in some places on the front end, so it might be confusing to tell people to create a litigation record for each home visit. Not really a good fit for your pony information.
Build Your Own Records (Dynamic Services Module)
Service records and processes are the Swiss Army Knife of collecting multiple records per case.
There are "static" service records that are worth looking at, but you will likely end up with the much more flexible Dynamic Service Records.
Perfect for collecting pony data.
Unnecessary but Joyful Image
