Using Codes and Configured Fields

Use codes and configured fields in Primavera Cloud to categorize data based on your organization’s characteristics. This lets you classify data consistently across objects, filter and group data for analysis and reporting, and tailor data capture to your requirements. The following table highlights key similarities and differences between codes and configured fields. To learn where you can define and apply codes and configured fields, see Codes Overview and Configured Fields Overview.

Considerations

Codes

Configured Fields

What are they?

Codes can be created at the project or workspace level to help organize objects by shared attributes. For example, if you have many instances of an object, codes can help you sort a vast amount of information.

Configured fields are user-created fields created in the context of an object to assist in defining and maintaining your organization's data, typically using a formula calculation.

Configured fields are also commonly called User Defined Fields (UDFs) and custom fields.

How are they structured?

Codes are organized in a hierarchical, multi-level structure with parent–child relationships; children that share a parent are siblings.

Any code level within a hierarchy can be assigned a value.

Configured fields represent different types of data. They can be a flat list of values, boolean, cost, date, integer, list, number, or text.

 

What objects do they support?

Codes can be created in the Codes Dictionary at the workspace level or at the project level. Multiple object types in the same workspace can share the same code.

Configured fields are unique by object type. For example, if you use the same name for a configured field in the context of a project and a program, they are treated as two distinct fields for reporting purposes.

How is their workspace data shared?

Codes use the same shared-data rules for manual and automatic workspace inheritance as other dictionary data.

Configured fields are unique, global entities. They are created at a root workspace and automatically exist in all child workspaces.

Can they be grouped?

Yes, they can be grouped in most views.

Yes, with some exceptions. Check the page-specific Manage Views panel options.

How do I create them?

Codes are dictionary data.

  • Create codes in either the Workspace or Project Codes dictionary.
  • Create the code structure first, and then assign it to the target object.
  • Assign a value to the code.

To create or update codes by spreadsheet import, follow the instructions in the spreadsheet template.

Configured fields are default settings for workspace objects.

  • Create a configured field on the Summary & Settings page,using Defaults & Options for an area of the application.
  • After the configured field exists in the workspace, you can update its values on the user interface or by data import.

To create or update configured fields by spreadsheet import, follow the instructions in the import template.

What are the other key features?

  • Codes can be created in the context of a project.
  • You can associate colors with code values to display on certain pages, such as the Activities page or on the project scorecard.
  • You can specify how to display code identifiers on the User Preferences page. Options are: Code ID, ID - Name, and Code Path.
  • Configured fields must be created at the workspace level.
  • Configured fields are generally more complex and rely on a formula to calculate the contents of the field.
  • Configured fields provide summary information in Group By mode for certain objects, grids, and field types.
  • You can restrict configured fields to prevent data entry by specific user groups.
  • You can create relationships between configured field values in lists.


Last Published Monday, April 13, 2026