If you haven’t read through our 30-second introduction to managing RideAmigos yet, start there.
Done? Great! Let’s dive deeper …

Primary Data Objects

RideAmigos organizes data into several main types of objects:

• Users
• Networks
• Trip Logs
• Trip Plans
• Trip Searches
• Programs (Incentives, Point Programs, Challenges)
• Tools (Vanpools, Events, Surveys, Digital Inventory, etc.)

Each of these objects has top-level, system-wide reporting options for administrators or management and reporting tools dedicated to their object type. Many of these objects also have related objects, such as teams, items, purchases, and so on.

Object Fields

Each type of data object has a variety of fields. Some objects have many fields (e.g. users) while other more specialized objects have fewer (e.g. point program purchases.)

Certain object fields are editable, such as user account details, trip mode, program settings, etc. Some fields are editable only by users, others are editable only by network managers or administrators, and some are not editable at all.

Depending on your needs and your platform’s configuration, some of your objects may have custom fields that are tailored to your particular programs.

By default, most object fields can be enabled in the system or program reports. If there’s an object data field that you know (or suspect) exists, but does not appear in a report you need, contact our support to see if it can be added.

Associations

The true power of RideAmigos comes from the complex relationships the platform creates between these different objects. Typically these associations are made via special object fields that create connections and pull in data from other objects.

Some examples:

• Users can be members or managers of Networks
• Trip Logs can be associated with both Users and Networks
• Reward programs can be restricted by Network
• Users can be participants in Reward programs
• Users can make purchases in Reward programs
• Challenges can be associated with Users, Networks and/or Teams
• Users can be members of Vanpools

Given all of the different types of data within RideAmigos, a comprehensive version of this list would be extremely long with many possible permutations.

What’s most important to note is that when associations are made between objects, certain features and reports will pull in data from those other objects. Because of this, when the data from an associated object changes it can impact your reports and programs.

For example, if a user is participating in one of your programs and chooses to change their name and email address on their user account, their information will be updated in your program reports.

Reference IDs

Every distinct object that exists within RideAmigos has a 24-digit ID. These IDs serve as the master reference to each object, and as the mechanism for creating associations and links between objects in the back-end of the RideAmigos database.

The ID of an object is not editable and will always remain the same, which is why it is used as the definitive reference to an object.

System reports allow you to add the ID column, and many other reports include ID references.

For example, looking at a Point Program purchases report you will find columns for userId, itemId, and purchaseId. Each of these things – users, point program items, and point program purchases – is a distinct object within the database that can be referenced by ID as needed.

Once you know what to look for, you’ll start to notice IDs everywhere, especially in URLs! For example:

• https://yoursite.com/#/admin/users/59b6a60718be27c03830d4c8
• https://yoursite.com/#/tools/challenges/5cb0e6d9c2b65d05e5ae4453
• https://yoursite.com/#/rewards?id=5b7c23409858ba32b5e1bd75

Permissions

All data within RideAmigos is governed by permissions for who can view the data and who can edit it. Permissions are determined according to object type and user-level: end-user, network manager, or site administrator.

End Users can only access or edit their personal data, such as their user account, trip plans, and trip logs. Certain permissions may be restricted, such as the dates during which trip logs can be created or edited.

Network Managers can access data that directly pertains to the network(s) they manage. Some reports for programs and tools related to a network may or may not be available to network managers depending on the settings an administrator has set for that specific object.

Site Administrators can access all data in their platform that has not been specifically excluded from view.

If you are a network manager and cannot see a data field or report that you expect to see it may due to permission structures. For a more detailed break-down of permissions and abilities see our network manager vs. site administrator document.

Reports

Numerous types of reports are available to system administrators and network managers, such as system-wide reports on each data type (users, networks, trip plans, trip logs, and trip searches.), and program-specific reports.

These explanations of RideAmigos data structure should give you a strong foundation to understand what you see in these reports and how this data can be used.

See our Reporting 101 document for more on how to make the most of our reporting options.