Custom Entities

Mastering Custom Entities: A Guide to Logical Customization

In any business system, flexibility is key. Custom entities allow you to create specific logical items tailored to your unique business needs. Unlike standard fixed fields, these entities act as customizable building blocks that can be linked to existing documents, items, or even entirely new custom tables.

Whether you need to track delivery methods, project numbers, or machine, routing, they provide the structure necessary to organize your data effectively.

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1. Creating Your First Custom Entity

Every custom entity requires two fundamental components: a Key and a Description.

Steps to create:

1. Navigate to the Custom Entities module from the Automatization and Customization module
2. Enter a description (e.g., “Delivery Method”).
3. Define the key and the field size to determine how much information the entity will hold.

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2. Organizing and Grouping

As your system grows, you can organize these entities into groups. For instance, you might create a group called “Shipping” that contains various delivery methods like Direct Delivery, Pickup, DHL, or Amazon.

You can also use the “Copy to New” feature to quickly generate multiple similar entities, such as different transport companies or carrier services.

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3. Custom Entities vs. Custom Field Lists

You might wonder why you should use a custom entity instead of a standard “List” in a custom field. There are several critical advantages of entities:

• Scalability: Custom field lists are often limited (e.g., to 10 items) and require administrative access to update.
• Ease of Use: They allow users to easily enter new data without going deep into system settings.
• Rich Data: Unlike a simple list, an entity can link to a custom table to store additional info like suppliers, contract numbers, or pricing.

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4. Linking Entities to Documents

Once created, they can be integrated into your workflow, such as in a Sales Order.

Display Customization: You can choose how the entity appears in a dropdown menu:

• Description Only: Shows the friendly name of the item.
• Key Only: Shows the internal identifier.
• Description and Key: Shows both for maximum clarity.

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5. Advanced Automation and Scripting

For more technical setups, custom entities are not just for manual selection. They can be used in:

• Custom Document Design: Use the designer to place entity fields on custom-designed internal documents.
• On-Demand Scripts: Trigger specific logic or “Bot scripts” based on the selected entity.
• Automation: Link entities across different custom documents to ensure data consistency throughout an automated process.

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Conclusion

Custom entities transform a rigid system into one that understands the specific “language” of your business. By moving beyond simple lists and utilizing linked tables and keys, you can create a highly efficient, automated environment tailored to your operational needs.