Configure cycle columns
This page controls what data appears in the planner worksheet, how it is displayed, who can see each column, and who can edit it. Columns are what planners interact with day-to-day during a comp cycle.
Understanding column types
When you add a column, you choose from a library of pre-configured columns or create a custom column. Pre-configured columns have fixed data sources. For example, Current Salary pulls from your HRIS integration, band columns pull from your bands, and raise columns are planner-editable inputs or recommendation-synced. Custom columns give you full control over data type, data source, and dropdown values.
Columns are grouped in the picker by category:
- Approval Chains: Status, Approval Chain, Current Planner
- Demographic Data: Gender, Ethnicity
- Job Data: Employee, Tenure, Performance, Employee ID, Manager Name, Department, Division, Family, Team, Metro, Location, Country, Job Code, Title, Level, Start Date, Paid Hourly?
- Current Pay: Current Salary, Variable Pay, Current Bonus, Current Total Annual Cash, Current Total Annual Compensation, Last Salary Change, Last Compensation Adjustment Date
- Pay Increase: Salary Raise, Variable Raise, Market Adjustment, On-target Earnings (OTE), New Annual Bonus, One Time Payment, Target One Time Payment
- Promotion Data: Promotion, Reward Letter Job Title, Promotion Cash Raise, Equity Promotion Grant
- New Pay: New Salary, New Variable, New Total Annual Cash, New Total Annual Compensation, New Total Annual Compensation With One Time Payment
- Equity Data: Current Equity, New Equity Impact, Vesting Summary, Vested Percentage, Equity Refresher Grant, Equity Performance Grant
- Band Data: Comp Band Min/Mid/Max Salary, Comp Band Min/Mid/Max Total Cash, Equity Band, New Hire Equity Band, Target Variable Pay Percent
- Compensation Metrics: Pay Mix, New Pay Mix, Salary Impact, Total Cash Impact, Current/New Compa Ratio, Current/New Total Cash Compa Ratio, Current/New Range Penetration (Salary and Total Cash)
- Reward Letter Data: Full Name, Current Hourly Pay Rate, Raise Base Percent, New Hourly Pay Rate, Total Equity Grant
- Smart Flags: Smart Flags, Key Talent
If a column type you need is not listed, contact your Implementation Manager.
Adding a column
Click New column to open the column configuration drawer. Adding a column is a two-step process: General (properties) and Permissions.
General tab fields:
Column: Select the column type from the grouped picker. At the bottom of the picker you can choose "Create a Custom Column" if no pre-configured option fits.
Name: The label shown to planners in the worksheet header.
Description (optional): Appears as a tooltip when a planner hovers over the column name.
Default column display: Controls how this column appears by default in planner worksheets before planners customize their own view. This is separate from permissions (which control who can see the column at all). Options:
- Visible: shown in the worksheet by default
- Pinned: frozen to the left side of the worksheet. A maximum of four columns can be pinned across a cycle. The Employee column is always pinned and cannot be changed.
- Hidden: not shown by default, but planners with permission can unhide it
For certain column types, additional fields appear:
Data Display Type: How values are formatted. Options vary by column type. For custom columns, choose from: Checkbox, Currency, Date, Number, Percentage, Text, Time from Cycle Start, Yes/No. This cannot be changed after the column is created if employee groups are using that column in filters. A tooltip and warning message will appear if this is blocked.
Sync column to recommendations: When set to Yes, this column is non-editable to planners and always reflects the latest recommendation value. If recommendations change after the cycle opens, this column updates automatically. Enabling this also automatically downgrades any "Can Edit" permissions to "Can View."
Are there a specific set of values users should choose from? (Text columns): If Yes, you can define a dropdown list of values (for example, performance ratings like "Exceeds Expectations"). You can also set the order of those values, which affects how performance displays in the worksheet and in charts.
Should performance values be selected from a dropdown or populated from integration data? For Performance columns, choose between a dropdown you define or values pulled from your performance integration.
Do you want to show equity in shares or currency? For equity grant columns. This setting is shared across all equity grant columns in the cycle. Changing it on one column changes it for all. If the cycle is active or finalized and other equity columns already exist, this field is locked.
What column should percentage raise be calculated off of? Optional. For raise columns, selects a base column for the percentage calculation. Defaults to current base pay if left blank.
Will budgets be calculated based on this column? For custom formula columns. Connects the column to cash or equity budget tracking.
Which columns do you want to use for promotions? (Promotion column): Job Title; Job Title and Job Level; Job Family and Job Level; or Job Code.
Would you like to display additional view-only columns? (Promotion column): Optional additional read-only columns pulled from your bands (Job Level, Job Title, Job Family, combinations). These populate only if the field exists in your bands.
Do you want to include Market Adjustment in your OTE calculations? / Do you want to include Promotion Cash Raise in your OTE calculations? OTE column configuration.
How do you want to specify new annual bonus? Specify increase based on current bonus; specify new annual bonus value; or specify increase as a percentage of base value.
Permissions tab
The Permissions tab defines who can see and interact with each column.
Default Permission: Applies to any user who does not have a matching role override. Options:
- Can Edit in Table: planners with this permission can enter or change values in this column (shown as "Can Override Recommendations" if the column is synced to recommendations)
- Can View in Table: planners can see the value but cannot change it
- Can Not View in Table: the column is hidden from these users
Even if a column is hidden from all users, it still contributes to any visible computed columns that reference its values. Planners may be able to deduce its value from those columns. A notice appears when you select "Can Not View."
For the Promotion? (isPromotion) column specifically: hiding or removing it also makes promotion-related columns (such as Promotion Cash Raise or Equity Promotion Grant) view-only for employees for whom promotion is hidden.
Role Overrides: Click Add Role Override to grant a specific role a different permission than the default. Select one or more roles and assign a permission level. This is how you make a column visible to senior leadership but hidden from front-line managers, for example.
If any employee groups or smart flags use this column in their filters, an info alert appears on the Permissions tab listing those dependencies. Changing permissions may cause those employee groups or smart flags to stop functioning as intended for certain users.
Columns driven by HRIS integration data, a formula template, band data, or a performance integration are automatically view-only. The "Can Edit" option does not appear for these columns.
[Screenshot: Permissions tab showing Default Permission selector and Add Role Override option]
Column order
The order of columns in the table is the left-to-right order planners see in the worksheet.
To reorder columns, click Edit Column Order in the page header. Drag-handle icons appear in the action column. The Employee column cannot be reordered. It is always pinned. Drag rows to your desired order, then click Save to apply. If you navigate away with unsaved order changes, a confirmation modal warns you that unsaved changes will be lost.
Editing and deleting columns
Click the pencil icon next to any column to open its configuration drawer and make changes. If the cycle is finalized, the drawer opens in read-only view (eye icon instead of pencil).
Click the trash icon to delete a column. A confirmation modal appears with the message: "This action is irreversible." You will need to recreate the column from scratch to re-add it.
Some columns cannot be deleted if they are currently in use. A blocking modal explains what must be resolved first. A column cannot be deleted if it is:
- Used as a filter in one or more smart flags (remove the filter from those smart flags first)
- Used to calculate a budget (remove it from the budget configuration first)
- Used in cycle dashboard configurations (remove the relevant configurations first)
- Used as a priority sort factor (remove it from priority sort first)
- Referenced by active recommendation logic (deactivate the recommendation logic first)
- Referenced in the definition of another column (remove it from that column's definition first)
For compound column types (Promotion, OTE, New Annual Bonus), deleting one deletes all associated columns in that group.
The Employee column cannot be deleted.
Equity data type confirmation
If you change the equity display type (shares vs. currency) on an equity column and other equity grant columns already exist in the cycle, a confirmation modal appears: "Are you sure you want to update your equity data type?" Confirming will update all equity grant columns in the cycle at once. This cannot be selectively applied to one equity column.
View Columns by Role
Click View Columns by Role in the page header to preview what planners will see for specific roles. Select one or more roles. If multiple roles are selected, each column shows the permission with the highest authority among those roles. All data shown is sample data based on the data display type, not real employee values. Click Exit to return to the standard column list.
Audit log
Click View Audit Log (available in the page header when not in role-view mode) to see a history of all column configuration changes for this cycle, including what was changed and by whom.
Cycle status and editing restrictions
A banner appears at the top of the page when the cycle is not in draft:
- Active cycle: A warning banner notes that planners may have their workflows disrupted by changes to columns. Editing is still permitted.
- Finalized cycle: Columns are locked. The banner explains that all columns with "Can Edit" permission are now view-only for planners. The original permissions remain visible and will take effect if the cycle is unfinalized. The column drawer opens in read-only view.