Dropdown (Single) (Manual)
A dropdown whose options are defined on the field itself rather than drawn from another datastore. One choice, stored as a whole number.
Where to find it
Architect Panel → Data:
- Datastores — the datastore, then Table Designer to add or edit a field
It joins, so it reports well
Single-select types are joinable — the stored value points at one thing, so a report can join through it and group by the source record. That is what makes "count by category" a query rather than an exercise.
Manual or database-backed?
This is the decision the whole family turns on.
Manual suits a short, stable list that is genuinely part of the field's definition: yes/no/unknown, low/medium/high, a handful of fixed statuses. Changing it means editing the field.
Database-backed suits options that are themselves records — departments, categories, products, locations. Anything somebody might want to add without an architect, or that carries other information, belongs in a datastore.
The test
Ask whether an option could ever need a second attribute. If a category might one day need a colour, an owner or an active flag, it is a record — and putting it in a manual list now means migrating it later.
Also ask who maintains it. If the answer is "the business", it should not require an architect to edit a field definition.
The stored value is an index
The field stores a number identifying the chosen option, not the option's text. That has a consequence worth understanding: reordering or removing options can change what existing records mean.
Add new options at the end. Do not delete an option that has been used — if it is obsolete, leave it in place so historical records still resolve, and stop offering it if the interface allows.
Keep it short
Beyond a dozen or so, a plain dropdown becomes a scrolling exercise. The searchable variant handles long lists far better.
Write the options as the user reads them
They appear verbatim on the form. "Awaiting customer response" is a status somebody understands; "AWAIT_CUST" is an internal code that will need explaining forever.
Include the awkward option
Most lists need an "other" or "not known". Without one, people pick the nearest wrong answer, which is worse than an honest unknown because it looks like data.
Worked example
A case datastore uses a manual dropdown for urgency — three fixed options that are part of the process definition. Case category is database-backed instead, because the business adds categories twice a year and each one carries a default owner. When urgency later needs a fourth option, it is added at the end so existing records are unaffected.
Recommendations
- Manual for short fixed lists, a datastore for anything the business maintains.
- Add options at the end; never delete a used one.
- Write options in the user’s language.
- Include "other" or "not known" where honest.