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Business, Management, and System

Creating Fields Effectively: A Quick-Start Guide with Best Practices

Updating entity form and views

The user wants to update the Create Field Quick-Start Summary by adding steps for updating the entity form and views after creating the field. I should probably add these steps around step 2 or 3, making step 11 something like “update forms and views.” After creating a new column, the user needs to place it on the form and update views, so I’ll revise the summary to reflect this. I’ll add the necessary steps accordingly and update the final response with the changes.

Thought for a few seconds

Here’s the Create Field Quick‑Start Summary with two new steps—updating your entity’s forms and views—plus the extra touch‑points added to the checklist:

Create Field Quick‑Start Summary

  1. Model & Confirm Need
    • Understand the business scenario and how this field relates to existing tables or lookups.
  2. Pick the Right Data Type
    • Single Line Text: short codes or names (set length to your maximum expected).
    • Multiple Lines Text: long descriptions or notes.
    • Choice / Optionset: small fixed lists; use Global Choice if reused across tables.
    • Lookup: reference another table record (enforces referential integrity).
    • Date & Time: see details below.
    • Whole / Decimal / Floating‑Point: numeric values—choose scale/precision carefully.
    • Two Options: Yes/No toggles.
    • Currency: monetary values with built‑in precision.
    • Image / File: only for truly binary content.
  3. Date & Time Field Behaviors Behavior Stored & Displayed As Use When… Date Only Calendar date (YYYY‑MM‑DD) You only care about the day (birthdates, deadlines by date). User Local UTC‑stored timestamp → converts to each user’s timezone You need users to see local clock times (meetings, reminders). Time Zone–Independent UTC‑stored timestamp → displays same clock time everywhere You need a uniform wall‑clock time for all users (global deadline at 09:00).
  4. Define Length, Precision & Format
    • Text: don’t oversize.
    • Decimal/Currency: set decimal places to match business (e.g. 2 for money).
    • Date/Time: pick your behavior up front—changing later can shift stored values!
  5. Reuse with Global Choices & Lookups
    • Global Choice for shared picklists (status, categories).
    • Lookup for true relations, cascades, rollups.
  6. Configure Field Settings
    • Required vs Optional: only required if absolutely mandatory.
    • Searchable/Indexed: on fields users will filter or search often.
    • Auditing: enable where traceability is needed (watch audit log growth).
    • Business Rules: add validation or real‑time formatting.
  7. Security & Compliance
    • Field‑Level Security for sensitive data (SSN, salary).
    • Bring‑Your‑Own‑Key (BYOK) if you need extra encryption controls.
  8. Performance & Storage
    • Avoid large text and files unless necessary.
    • Use Calculated/Rollup sparingly.
    • Avoid redundant data—use views or rollups instead.
  9. ALM & Deployment
    • Always create within a Solution for transport.
    • Use Environment Variables if default values or metadata differ by env.
    • Document the field’s purpose in its metadata description.
  10. Localization & Translations
    • Enable multilingual labels on display name and help text.
    • Global Choices simplify label translations.
  11. Update Entity Forms & Views
    • Forms: add the new field to all relevant main, quick‑create and mobile forms; position it logically within sections.
    • Views: include the field in any system or personal views (e.g., Active, My Records) so users can see it in lists.
    • Dashboards/Charts: update or create visuals that use the new field if needed.

✅ Touch‑Points Before You Click “Save”

  • ☐ Data model alignment & lookup vs. standalone choice
  • ☐ Correct data type & (for text) right length
  • ☐ Date & Time behavior chosen deliberately
  • ☐ Global Choice or Lookup considered for reuse
  • ☐ Required/Optional, Searchable, Auditing set
  • ☐ Field‑Level Security & encryption needs assessed
  • ☐ Added to Solution + documented for ALM
  • ☐ Translation/localization plan in place
  • ☐ New field added to all appropriate forms
  • ☐ Relevant views updated to include the new field

This ensures your new column is fully integrated—visible, secure, performant, and maintainable across environments.