Project Metadata

In construction, good data is a critical competitive advantage; it’s often the difference between winning or losing a job. But data is only valuable if it’s captured accurately and consistently. Without a structured way to collect it, even the best insights can be lost or become unreliable.

Ediphi already solves many common data challenges out of the box, helping teams standardize and centralize project information. To build on that foundation, we’re excited to introduce Project Metadata; a flexible way to capture additional project-specific details that matter most to your business.

Project Metadata allows you to define and collect custom data points that aren’t captured by default in the Ediphi platform. Global Admins can create and manage custom metadata fields tailored to their workflows, ensuring that the right information is collected from the start. These fields are available to all users when creating or updating projects and can be used for filtering, reporting, and benchmarking across the platform.

In this article

• Types of Metadata Fields and Filtering
  • Date
  • Dropdown
  • Number
  • Text Long
  • Text Short
  • User
• FAQs

Types of Metadata Fields and Filtering

Project Metadata gives Global Admins the flexibility to create and manage as many fields as they need, grouped into six (6) main types. Each type supports different customization and filtering options on the Projects page and in Cost Modeling when searching for estimate benchmarks. Below are the six (6) available metadata field types:

Date

With a Date field, users are be able to select a date from a calendar modal.

You can filter by this field type by using a date range:

Dropdown

A Dropdown field will provide users with Options created within the field. This field can configured to be be single or multi-select.

You can filter by type field type by selecting one (single-select) or multiple (multi-select) options from the dropdown:

Number

In a Number field, users will only be able to input numerical values (i.e. 123.456)

You can filter by this field type by entering a numeric value in the appropriate section:

Text Long

This Text field allows users to input text with no character limit.

You can filter by this field type by entering the specific text that applies to the project:

Text Short

This Text field allows users to input text, with a limit of 255 characters.

You can filter by this field type by entering the specific text that applies to the project:

User

A User field will provide a dropdown that is populated with all active users within the company’s environment in Ediphi. This field can configured to be be single or multi select.

You can filter by this field type by selecting one (single-select) or multiple (multi-select) users from the dropdown:

FAQs

• Can we make metadata fields required?

At this time, Global Admins can’t make Project Metadata fields required. If this is something you’d like to see in the future, please let us know!

• I no longer see a metadata field I used to fill out when creating a project. Where did it go?

Global Admins can hide or delete metadata fields. If a specific field is missing, we recommend checking with your Global Admins.

• Who can create or edit Project Metadata fields?

Only Global Admins can create, edit, hide, or delete Project Metadata fields. All users will see these fields when creating or editing projects, based on the Global Admins’ configuration.

• Do metadata fields apply to existing projects or only new ones?

Metadata fields apply to both new and existing projects. Once a field is created, it can be filled out or updated on any project.

• What happens to existing data if a metadata field is hidden or deleted?

If a field is hidden, the existing data is preserved but no longer visible to users. If a field is deleted, the associated data is permanently removed and cannot be recovered.

• Can metadata fields be used for filtering projects?

Yes. Project Metadata fields can be used to filter projects on the Projects page, allowing you to quickly find projects based on specific metadata values.

• Can metadata fields be used in Cost Modeling?

Yes. Metadata fields are available in Cost Modeling and can be used when searching for estimate benchmarks.

• Is there a limit to how many metadata fields we can create?

There is no limit to the number of Project Metadata fields Global Admins can create.

• Can we change a metadata field’s type after it’s created?

Currently, metadata field types can’t be changed once the field has been created. If you need a different field type, we recommend creating a new field and updating your projects accordingly.

• Can metadata fields be configured as single-select or multi-select?

Dropdown and User fields can be configured as either single-select or multi-select. Other field types follow their respective input rules.

• Why doesn’t my text filter return exact matches only?

Text fields use fuzzy search, which means results don’t need to be an exact match. This helps surface relevant projects even when the search text is partial.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact our support team, and we'll be happy to help!