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How do I report on multi-value fields in Impact Hub reports?

  • February 12, 2026
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Some Apricot field types—such as checkboxes and multi-select dropdowns—allow more than one value to be selected for a single response. In Impact Hub, these values are stored together in a single field, which means they require additional handling when you want to report on individual selections.

 

This article explains how multi-value fields appear in Impact Hub datasets and how to report on specific values using calculated fields in Builder.

 

Important things to know

  • You cannot directly count or group individual selections from a multi-value field without creating a calculated field.

  • Reporting on multi-value fields typically requires a custom calculated field.

  • Only Impact Hub Authors and Author Pro users can create calculated fields.

 

How multi-value fields appear in Impact Hub

When a multi-value field is included in a dataset, all selected options are returned together.

 

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For example, if a participant selects Golf and Tennis on a checkbox field, the value stored in Impact Hub looks like:

 

Golf|Tennis

 

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This format works for viewing responses, but it does not support answering questions like:

  • “How many participants selected Golf?”

  • “How often was Tennis selected across all records?”

To answer those questions, you need to create a calculated field that checks whether a specific value is present.

 

Create a flag calculation for a multi-value field

A common approach is to create a flag—a calculated field that returns a value when a specific selection exists.

 

Typical use cases include:

  • Counting participation - Use a distinct count of records where the numeric flag equals 1.

  • Comparing groups - Group by the string flag to compare records with and without the selection.

  • Filtering visuals - Apply the flag as a filter to limit visuals to specific selections.

 

Step 1: Open the report in Builder

  1. Navigate to Builder.

  2. Open the report you want to update.

 

Step 2: Create a calculated field

  1. In the Fields list, select Add calculated field.

  2. Enter a clear name for the calculation, such as Flag Golf.

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Step 3: Build the calculation

Use a formula that:

  • Converts the field value to lowercase

  • Wraps the value with pipe delimiters

  • Checks whether the selected option exists

You can create either a numeric or string-based flag, depending on how you want to use it in reporting.

 

Numeric flag (for counting):

String flag (for grouping or labeling):

Examples using Sports Activities and Golf

ifelse(

contains(

toLower(concat('|', trim({Sports Activities}), '|')),

'|golf|'

),

1,

0

)

ifelse(

contains(

toLower(concat('|', trim({Sports Activities}), '|')),

'|golf|'

),

'Golf',

'No Golf'

)

Replace placeholders:

Before using the formula, update:

  • {Field name} → the multi-value field from your dataset

  • value → the selection you want to evaluate (lowercase)

ifelse(
contains(
toLower(concat('|', trim({Field name}), '|')),
'|value|'
),
1,
0
)

ifelse(
contains(
toLower(concat('|', trim({Field name}), '|')),
'|value|'
),
'Value selected',
'Value not selected'
)

How you choose to approach multi-value reporting depends on your data and how you want to report on it. Another option is included below!

 

 

Example:

Points to Note:

Return the Record IDs that have the desired value

ifelse(
contains(
concat('|', trim({Muti-value field name}), ‘|'),
'|value|',
CASE_INSENSITIVE
),
{Your form’s DOCUMENT_ID},
NULL
)

This option:

  • uses CASE_INSENSITIVE to avoid upper/lower case mis-matches

  • returns the DOCUMENT_ID for records that include the value specified

 

Best practices for multi-value reporting

  • Always wrap the field with concat('|', … , '|') to avoid partial matches.

  • Prevent capitalization mismatches: convert text to lowercase using toLower or CASE_INSENSITIVE.

  • Use numeric flags for aggregation and string flags for segmentation.

  • Name calculations clearly (for example, Flag - Golf Participation).

 

Troubleshooting tips

If results don’t look right, check the following:

  • Is the field you’re reporting on a checkbox or multi-select dropdown in Apricot?

  • Does the dataset include the correct field?

  • Are you matching the value text exactly (including spelling)?

  • Are pipe ( | ) delimiters used correctly in the formula?

  • Does the calculated field return expected results for known records?

 

What else do you need help with?

 

How do I report on multi-value fields in Impact Hub reports? | Where do multi-value fields appear in Impact Hub reporting? | Why can’t I include multi-value fields in my Impact Hub report? | How do I group multi-value field data in Impact Hub? | How do I filter reports using multi-value fields in Impact Hub? | What are examples of multi-value fields I can report on? | How do multi-value fields affect report results in Impact Hub?

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