Create or edit entity fields

Applies To: Dynamics 365 (online), Dynamics 365 (on-premises), Dynamics CRM 2013, Dynamics CRM 2015, Dynamics CRM Online, Dynamics CRM 2016

Create new fields to capture data when existing system entities don’t have fields that meet your requirements.

After you create new fields, be sure to include them on the forms and views for the entity so that they are available from the Microsoft Dynamics 365 user interface. You can also add the new fields to relevant reports with the following restrictions:

• Some system entities or custom entities that are included in a managed solution may not allow you to add new fields.

• Some system fields or custom fields that are included in a managed solution may not allow you to edit them.

• The default solution is a special unmanaged solution that shows you all solution components from any managed or unmanaged solutions. You can’t edit anything in the context of a managed solution. But all the things you find there are in your default solution anyway, so you don’t need to.

For more information, see Create and edit fields.

1. Make sure you have the System Administrator security role or equivalent permissions in Microsoft Dynamics 365. 

   Check your security role

   • Follow the steps in View your user profile.

   • Don’t have the correct permissions? Contact your system administrator.

2. Go to Settings > Customizations.

3. Click Customize the System.

4. Under Components, expand Entities, and then expand the entity you want.

5. Click Fields.

   • To add a new field, on the Actions toolbar, click New, and then enter a Display Name to generate the Name.

     - OR -

   • To edit a field, select it in the list, and then on the Actions toolbar, click Edit. You can make changes to the following fields:

     1. For Field Requirement, select whether it’s optional, recommended, or required.

     2. In Searchable, select whether to include this field in the list of fields shown in Advanced Find for this entity and also in the field available for customizing the find columns in the Quick Find view and the Lookup view.

     3. For Field Security, enable or disable the feature for this field. More information:   Enable or disable security for a field

     4. For Auditing, enable or disable the feature for this field.

6. For new fields, select the Type, and then enter required information for that type. For existing fields, you cannot modify the type, but you can modify the settings for the type. For more information, see Types of fields.

   Possible data types for a field

   Data Type	Notes
   Single Line of Text	The following formats are available: Email. This opens a new email message in the default email software and also validates the email address. Text. This creates a text box. Text area. This creates a scrolling text box. URL. This opens the URL in the user's default browser and validates (or adds) a valid protocol (HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, FTPS, OneNote, and TEL). Ticker Symbol. This creates a stock ticker symbol in all capital letters. Click the symbol to open information about the stock in the default browser. By default, the MSN website opens. Phone. This creates a link that lets Skype or Skype for Business users initiate a call by using the linked number.
   Option Set	Select an existing option set, or define a new one.
   Two Options	After creating this field, configure it in the form to which it was added. In the form, select whether the field is displayed as option buttons (also known as radio buttons), a check box, or a list.
   Image	Each entity can have one image field. When an entity has an image field it can be configured to display the image for the record in the application.
   Whole Number	The following formats are available for this field: None. The defaults are integer values between -2,147,483,648 and 2,147,483,648, although you can set different minimum and maximum values. Duration. This creates a drop-down list box with values in minutes, hours, and days. Time Zone. This creates a drop-down list box with options for every available time zone. Language. This creates a drop-down list box with options for every language that your organization has made available for users.
   Floating Point Number	Select up to 5 precision points. You can set the minimum and maximum values.
   Decimal Number	Select up to 10 decimal points. You can set the minimum and maximum values.
   Currency	When you add a currency field to an entity, a corresponding (Base) field is also created. The (Base) field also has a currency data type. If the entity does not already have a field with a currency data type, two additional fields are created: Currency. A lookup data type whose value must be set before you can set the value of a field with a currency data type. Exchange Rate. This has a decimal number data type.
   Multiple Lines of Text	This is a scrolling text box. You can set the maximum number of characters for this field.
   Date and Time	There are two formats: date only or date and time. More information:   Behavior of Date and Time data type
   Lookup	You can create a lookup field using an entity relationship that has already been created, but not yet used with another lookup field. If you create a lookup field in an entity form, the relationship is automatically generated. A lookup field is created as a relationship field.
   Customer	A lookup field that you can use to specify a customer, which can be an account or contact. Note This feature was introduced in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016 Service Pack 1 and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online 2016 Update 1. Previously, several out-of-the-box entities in Dynamics 365, such as the Case, Lead, and Opportunity, entities contained a special kind of lookup field that represented a customer. Using this lookup field you could choose between two entities: Account or Contact. With the new capability, you'll be able to use the Customer field with many other entities to track the customer information you need. For example, using the Customer field, you can indicate if the customer is a company or an individual. Note While a number of entities come with the Customer field included out of the box, many other entities will require an administrator to add the Customer field to an entity. If you don't see the Customer field on the entity you want to track, ask your admin to add the Customer field to this entity.

7. Select the Field type, Format, and Maximum length of the field.

8. Select the IME mode for this attribute.

   Note

   This specifies whether the active state of an Input Method Editor (IME) is enabled. An IME lets you enter and edit Chinese, Japanese, and Korean characters. IMEs can be in an active or inactive state. The active state accepts Chinese, Japanese, or Korean characters. The inactive state behaves like a regular keyboard and uses a limited set of characters.

9. Click Save and Close to close the form editor.

10. Publish your customization.

    • To publish customizations for just one entity, under Components, click Entities. Then, on the Actions toolbar, click Publish.

    • To publish all customizations you have made to any entities or components, on the Actions toolbar, click Publish All Customizations .

See Also

Types of fields
Create and edit business rules
Create and edit fields