Define Advanced Properties for a Field

Use the Advanced page in the Field Properties window to define database options, attributes, and more.

To define advanced properties for a field:

Open the Field Properties window.
Select the Advanced page.
Define database options for the Field.
Define attributes for the Field.
Define presentation options for the Field.
Define localization options for the Field.
Set value splitting options.
View advanced Field information.
Enable encryption for the Field.
Set Activity Pane mappings.
Select OK.
Publish the Blueprint (File > Publish Blueprint) to commit the changes, or save the Blueprint (File > Save Blueprint) to continue making other changes.

Define Database Options

Use database options to store the field in the database, allows nulls, and recalculate field values when a Business Object is loaded.

To set database options for a field:

Select the Stored in database check box to store the field's value in the database table that represents the Business Object. Clear this check box only if this is a calculated field that gets its value from other fields stored in the database.
Select the Allow nulls check box to allow the field to be stored in the database even if it does not contain a value.
Note: The Allow Nulls option is not selected by default when a user creates a new logical field.
Select the Recalculate after load check box to recalculate the field’s value each time the Business Object is loaded.
Provide a Custom storage name to use for the database column that represents the field. If the custom storage name is populated by default, it is recommended that you do not change it.

Define Attributes

General attributes are additional pieces of information (or meta-data) that can be associated with a field. Some attributes are automatically set, but others must be provided manually. For example, a Knowledge Category general attribute indicates that a field contains a category that should be submitted for Knowledge review.

Database attributes are used to indicate special attributes used for a field’s database table. Most of these are set by the system. Only advanced users should define database attributes.

For more information about attributes, please contact Support.

To define attributes for a field:

Click the down arrow to expand the General Attributes section or the Database Attributes section.
Click an empty row and provide the attribute name and associated value (if applicable).

Define Localization Options

Use these options to enable localization support for fields and to view current and specific culture information for the field.

Supports Localization
For a Current Culture field, you can select or clear this check box to enable localization for the field.
Current Culture Field
For a Specific Culture Field, you can see the Current Culture Field.
Culture
For a Specific Culture field, you can see the culture for the field you are editing.

Note: For more information about Localization settings for Lookup objects, see About Globalization and Lookup Tables.

Define Presentation Options

Presentation options enable you to define how and where the field is exposed to users.

You can:

Exclude from Form
Select this check box to exclude the field from being displayed in all forms (including summary forms and mini-summary forms). In addition, the field will not be available in the Form Editor.
Exclude from Grid
Select this check box to exclude the field from being displayed in all grids. In addition, the field will not be available in the Grid Editor.
Category
Select this check box to separate the field into a folder based on category. Then, select a category in the drop-down, or provide a new category in the field. When the field is displayed (example: In the Form Editor, anywhere you can select a field as a token, etc.), it is categorized by folder (example: Common, System, etc.).

Set Value Splitting Options

Use value splitting to split a name field into various components. For example, you can split a Full Name field into last name, first name, middle initial, and suffix into separate fields in the Business Object.

You can also view and add values for the title and suffix name components.

View Advanced Information

View additional advanced information for the field:

Field ID
Click this button to see the field's internal ID. This ID can be used instead of the field name in many places in the system. For example, the ID is used internally so that fields can be renamed without breaking any Relationships.
Find Dependencies
Click this button to scan the field for a list of other definitions in the system that use this field. When the scan is finished, the Definition Dependencies window opens, listing the dependent definitions.

Enable Encryption for the Field

You can enable encryption for fields in Major Business Objects. Minor objects cannot be promoted to major objects to enable encryption.

Field encryption requires:

Encryption keys
The Business Object's history properties and the Field's General Properties must be set to track field changes.

Before encrypting fields, review the best practices.

To enable encryption for the field:

Select the Enable Field Encryption check box.
In the drop-down, select an encryption key (encryption keys are managed using the Server Manager).

Note: Once a field is encrypted (encryption is enabled and the Blueprint published), it cannot be reverted to an unencrypted field. To revert it an unencrypted field, it must be deleted and re-created, resulting in the loss of any data stored in the field.

Set Activity Mapping

You can map certain Business Object fields to appear in the Activity Pane. First enable Activity Pane for a major Business Object, then map individual fields to display in the Activity Pane. For more information, see How to Map Activity Pane Fields.