Which field type should I use?

Before you start

• Add a field

Choose a field type by what people will enter, and by what you want to do with it later: group by it, filter on it, add it up or link to it. Beezr has 22 types. This page helps you pick one. Each type also has its own page with the details.

How do I choose?

Start with what people enter.

People enter	Choose
A short phrase, such as an item name or a contract number	Text
A paragraph, such as the reason for a request	Text area
Notes with headings and lists	Rich text
A whole number, such as a quantity	Integer
A very large whole number	Long
A number with decimal places	Decimal
An amount of money	Currency
A day on the calendar	Date
A day and a time	Date time
Yes or no	Boolean
One value from a list	Lookup
Several values from a list	Multi select lookup
A star score	Rating
A record from another module	Relation
A person in your workspace	User
A web address	Link
One file or image	Content
Several files or images	Multi content
A signature drawn on screen	Signature
A scannable code	Barcode
A value that Beezr works out	Smart field
A progress bar, an age or a due date drawn from fields you already have	Insight

Insight is the 22nd type. Create it with the Insight field button. Insight fields shows how.

Which of the types that look alike should I use?

Text, Text area or Rich text?

Use Text for one line. Use Text area when people write a few sentences. You set its length with Max characters. Use Rich text when people need headings and lists in the value.

Integer, Long, Decimal or Currency?

Integer covers counts such as a quantity. Long is the same idea for very large whole numbers. Decimal keeps decimal places, and you choose how many under Decimal places. Currency is for money and asks for a code such as USD, EUR or EGP.

Lookup or Relation?

A Lookup picks a label from a list you maintain, such as Contract statuses. A Relation points at a whole record in another module, such as the vendor on a contract, and shows one of that record’s fields.

If the choices are only labels, use a Lookup. If each choice has its own details, make it a module and use a Relation. Relations explains how a relation works.

Lookup or Multi select lookup?

Use Lookup when a record has exactly one value. Use Multi select lookup when it can have several, such as the departments that must review a contract.

The Kanban board groups cards by a Lookup field, and each value becomes a column. Choose Lookup for the field you want to group by.

Tip from a Beezr Consultant

Anything you may want to group, colour or filter by later should be a Lookup, not Text. People then pick from the same spelling every time.

Content or Multi content?

Content holds one file or image. Multi content holds several.

Smart field or Insight?

A Smart field runs a Smart Script that you write. An Insight is a ready-made visual: progress through stages, age, a due date or a comparison of numbers. You choose the fields and Beezr builds the script.

Beezr saves an insight as a virtual smart field, so nothing is stored. See Virtual fields and encrypted fields.

Can I change the type later?

Open the field and choose another type in the editor. The key field and Relation fields keep the type they were created with.

When you change a field to Lookup, Relation, Integer, Long or Decimal, Beezr checks the values already stored. If some don’t fit, Beezr tells you how many values to fix first.

Edit or delete a field covers the steps. Pick the type before people start entering records, and the question rarely comes up.

Review the stored values before you change the type of a field that already holds records. The new type has to suit the values people entered.