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Option to require empty Outbox before Refreshing Inbox

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07-18-2022 07:28 AM
Status: Open
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New Contributor III

My Inbox is configured to list auto-generated work tasks for a field crew. It is (a)confusing and (b)leads to unintended data loss when a field worker's Inbox and Outbox can contain the same record with different data.

The scenario is actually quite easy to imagine:

  1. a field worker opens Inbox, selects a row and completes the task and fills out necessary form fields. Then they save it in the Outbox because they are disconnected from network.
  2. Following that, maybe after they drove to the next work task's location, they refresh the Inbox. Maybe they're checking if a new work task was assigned to them while they were driving between tasks.
  3. Now they have a copy of the Survey123 record associated with task 1 in the Inbox AND in the Outbox. Both copies contain different data.
  4. The only way to prevent data loss of what was entered in step 1 is now to FIRST send the copy that is in the Outbox, THEN refresh the Inbox (in my case once a work task record is marked complete it is filtered out and not listed in the inbox anymore.)

It's not viable to expect all crew members to always remember the sequence in step #5...an option to have the app enforce this sequence would (1)make the app more intuitive for users, and (2)make managers more confident that no data is lost and work won't have to be re-done/re-entered as a result.  

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2 Comments
MichelleWilliamsERM
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‎07-18-2022 07:49 AM

Let me ask if the field crew is within cell range when they come in for the night?

Our field crews are trained to sync their data as soon as they get to the hotel and refresh the inbox in the morning to ensure everything is current.

The way Survey123 works is that AGOL holds all the live data, BUT the data in the outbox hasn't been sent to AGOL, so when the team refreshes the inbox, they only see what's in AGOL.

You mentioned: The only way to prevent data loss of what was entered in step 1 is now to FIRST send the copy that is in the Outbox, THEN refresh the Inbox (in my case once a work task record is marked complete it is filtered out and not listed in the inbox anymore.)

Your fix is to train the field team to sync their outbox once they get into cell service.

I hope this is helpful and I understood your question correctly.

~ Survey123 Jedi

 

 

 

 

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‎07-18-2022 07:59 AM

Thanks for the reply Survey123 Jedi!! 

Let me ask if the field crew is within cell range when they come in for the night? They are in-and-out of connectivity throughout the day. They may get new work tasks that come up over the course of the day so they have to refresh their Inbox quite often.

 

The way Survey123 works is that AGOL holds all the live data, BUT the data in the outbox hasn't been sent to AGOL, so when the team refreshes the inbox, they only see what's in AGOL.  Correct. In geodatabase speak I would like an option to require a "Post" of locally stored edits before a "Reconcile" is allowed. 

 

Your fix is to train the field team to sync their outbox once they get into cell service. Correct. That's my current fix but it isn't a very good one. It's be much better if the app enforces a certain workflow.