Add a custom field

Every organisation tracks something the standard entity record does not: an internal risk rating, a cost centre, the partner responsible for a client. A custom field gives it a place on the record, in the section people already open, so it is filled in once and can be searched and reported on rather than kept in a spreadsheet beside the register.

Add the field

1. In Administration, open Custom Fields and choose the record the field belongs on: People or Entities.

   

2. Choose Add field.

   

3. Fill in the field:

   • Label: the name people see on the record.
   • Section: where on the record it appears. It also appears in the wizard for a new record when the wizard asks about that section.
   • Field type: Select for a fixed list, with the choices under Options separated by commas; Yes / No, Date, Number, Money, Text or Multi-select otherwise.
   • Jurisdictions and Entity type (entities only): leave Applies to all jurisdictions and Applies to all entity types ticked, or narrow the field to the companies it makes sense for.
   • Dated: tick it when the value changes over time and you need its history. A fact is kept with the date it holds from, and a number or amount is kept per financial year.
   • Required: tick it when every record must have a value.

   Choose Add field.

   

4. The field is listed with its section, type and jurisdictions, and appears on that section of every record it applies to.

   

Fields marked Provided by IQ Entities are part of the product: you fill them in on each entity, but cannot change or delete them.

Tips from practice

• Decide on Dated before you add the field. It cannot be changed once the field exists.
• Prefer Select to Text for anything you will filter or report on. A free-text field collects five spellings of the same answer.
• Before adding a field, check the list for one Provided by IQ Entities that already holds the fact.
• To make a completeness score count the new field, add a check for it: see Decide what complete data means.