A custom field is a column you add to a datastore without modifying the platform's source code. It's the primary way you adapt the platform to your business — your customers, products, orders, projects all have fields specific to you that aren't in any vanilla install.
Why They Matter
- Every business is slightly different. The platform's “out of the box” schema covers ~70% of needs; custom fields cover the rest.
- Field changes are configuration, not code — non-developers can add them.
- Custom fields are first-class — they appear in forms, browse views, search, exports.
- Performance is on par with built-in fields (custom fields are real columns, not key-value blobs).
Available Field Types
Over 50 field types are available — see the field types reference for the full list. Common ones:
- Text (single line), Text area (multi-line), Rich text (HTML).
- Number, Currency, Percentage.
- Date, Date+time, Date range.
- Dropdown (single or multi-select), Tags.
- Checkbox / Boolean.
- Linked record (foreign key to another datastore).
- File attachment, Image.
- Calculated (formula based on other fields).
- JSON (for structured nested data).
Worked Examples
- SaaS customer: Built-in name/email/phone plus custom fields for Industry, Company Size, Account Manager, NPS Score, Renewal Date.
- Marketplace product: Built-in name/price/description plus custom Brand, Material, Country of Origin, Eco Score.
- Healthcare patient: Built-in name/DOB plus custom Insurance Provider, Allergies (multi), Preferred Pharmacy (linked), Emergency Contact (group).
- Educational student: Built-in profile fields plus Year Group, Subjects (multi), Parent Contacts (linked), Free School Meal Eligible.