System Codes

Use system codes to tag fields and response options for standardized reporting in the PEARS Module Builder.

System codes are standardized tags that you can assign to fields and response options in a custom module. They classify what a field or option represents, enabling PEARS to aggregate and summarize response data consistently across modules.

Why Use System Codes

When multiple modules collect similar data — such as demographic information or contact details — system codes provide a common classification. Tagging a field with a system code allows PEARS to:

• Aggregate response counts for that data type on the module detail page.

• Identify fields across different modules that collect the same kind of information.

• Provide a standardized summary of how many responses include data for each tagged category.

Available System Codes

System codes are organized into categories. The following codes are available:

Contact

Use contact codes to tag fields that collect address information.

Code	Description
Address	Primary street address line
Address 2	Secondary address line (apartment, suite, unit)
City	City or municipality
State	State or territory
Zip Code	Postal / ZIP code

Sex

Use sex codes to tag response options on a field that collects sex data.

Code	Description
Male	Respondent identifies their sex as male
Female	Respondent identifies their sex as female
Prefer Not to Respond	Respondent chose not to disclose their sex
Unknown	Respondent's sex is not known

Race and Ethnicity

Use race and ethnicity codes to tag response options on a field that collects race or ethnicity data.

Code	Description
American Indian or Alaska Native
Asian
Black or African American
Hispanic or Latino
Middle Eastern or North African
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
White
Prefer Not to Respond	Respondent chose not to disclose
Unknown	Respondent's race/ethnicity is not known

How to Assign System Codes

System codes can be assigned at two levels:

Assigning a System Code to a Field

Use field-level codes when the entire field represents a single concept (e.g., a text field for a zip code).

1. In the form builder, select the field.

2. In the right panel, find the System Code dropdown.

3. Select the appropriate system code.

Assigning a System Code to a Response Option

Use option-level codes when individual choices within a field each represent a different concept (e.g., each option in a sex or race/ethnicity field).

1. In the form builder, select a choice field (Checkbox Group, Radio Group, Dropdown or Multiselect Dropdown).

2. In the right panel, locate the response option you want to tag.

3. Click the tag icon next to the option to expand the system code selector.

4. Select the appropriate system code. A tag with the code name appears next to the option.

Examples

Example: Collecting Contact Information

A module for tracking site visit reports includes address fields. To tag them with contact codes:

Field	Type	System Code
Street Address	Text	Address
Apt/Suite	Text	Address 2
City	Text	City
State	Select	State
ZIP Code	Text	Zip Code

Each field is assigned a system code at the field level because the entire field represents one contact concept.

Example: Collecting Demographic Data

A module for participant intake includes a demographics section. To tag demographic options:

Sex field (Radio Group with 4 options):

Option	System Code
Male	Male (sex)
Female	Female (sex)
Prefer Not to Respond	Prefer Not to Respond (sex)
Unknown	Unknown (sex)

Race/Ethnicity field (Checkbox Group with 9 options):

Option	System Code
American Indian or Alaska Native	American Indian or Alaska Native (race and ethnicity)
Asian	Asian (race and ethnicity)
Black or African American	Black or African American (race and ethnicity)
Hispanic or Latino	Hispanic or Latino (race and ethnicity)
Middle Eastern or North African	Middle Eastern or North African (race and ethnicity)
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander	Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (race and ethnicity)
White	White (race and ethnicity)
Prefer Not to Respond	Prefer Not to Respond (race and ethnicity)
Unknown	Unknown (race and ethnicity)

Each response option is assigned its own system code because the individual choices — not the field as a whole — represent distinct demographic categories.

Viewing System Code Summaries

After a module has collected responses, the module detail page displays a System Code Summary section. This section groups tagged fields and options by category and shows the number of responses that contain data for each code.

TIP: The system code summary counts the number of responses where a tagged field has a non-empty value or where a tagged option was selected. Use it to quickly assess data coverage across demographic and contact categories.