Code Categorisation
There are two methods of categorising codes, both of which are intended to render the process of managing and assigning codes easier for users. The simpler method utilises the Category field on the Code object and is suitable if only a single tier of categorisation is required; if a multi-tier hierarchy of categorisation is required, this can be achieved using the Parent Code field.
There is a packaged permission set Codes Manager which grants all of the necessary object/field permissions required for the management of Codes
Category
Using the simple, single-tier categorisation approach, codes are grouped together based on the value populated in their Category field. For example, codes that are used for candidates might be categorised under 'Skills' or 'Industry'. Each category can then be assigned colours to differentiate their codes in various UI components, as detailed under Category Configuration.
Parent Code
More complex, multi-tier hierarchies are also supported: for example, within a three-tier hierarchy the top tier might contain categories such as 'Sector' and 'Job Function'; 'Sector' might then contain general job areas, such as 'Construction' or 'Media'; the bottom tier is then used for specific skills, such as 'Civil Engineering' or 'Pharmaceuticals'. Only codes from the bottom tier can actually be assigned as Record Codes, while the tiers above serve to aid both the management of the hierarchy itself and the way in which users can search for and assign codes from the bottom tier.
Any code which is assigned as the Parent Code of another code cannot be assigned as a Record Code.
To construct such hierarchies, every item in each tier must be created as individual codes, with the parent/child relationships established using the Parent Code field, which is a self-referential lookup to the Code object. Using the example above, the bottom-tier skill code 'Civil Engineering' would have its Parent Code field populated with the 'Construction' code; in turn, Parent Code for 'Construction' would be populated with the 'Sector' code. The hierarchy works on a 'one-to-many' basis, i.e. each Parent Code may have multiple child Codes, but each child Code can only have a single Parent Code.
It is recommended to use no more than four tiers of Parent Code in order to keep the various UI components manageable for users.
Colourisation of codes for the UI is still configured using the Category field when using multi-tier hierarchies - see Category Configuration for more detail. Categories can be specified and configured for each individual Code, if required, but this also works on a hereditary basis, i.e. if a bottom-tier skill code does not have its own Category, it will inherit whatever colourisation may be configured for the Category of its Parent Code.
It is possible to combine the two categorisation approaches if desired, with single layers of Category-grouped codes co-existing alongside a multi-tier hierarchy using Parent Codes.
Inactive Parent Codes
If a Parent Code is flagged as inactive, all of its children will also be considered as inactive. Any such codes will not be visible when assigning codes unless they have already been assigned to the current record.