Create a Custom Object

When you create an object, you are creating a new table in the database. You can specify fields, indexes, and database relationships for each object you create.

Before you start

To access the object designer, you first must assign the Object Designer permission to your profile on the Administration tab of the Profile Permissions editor.

Here's what to do

Click Configuration on the navigation pane.
Expand Service, and then double-click Object Designer.
Do one of the following:
- Select a package to which you want to add the custom object.
- To create a new package for the object, click New > Package.
When naming new packages, names must be between two and eleven characters in length. Package names are used in the names of tables created in the database for custom objects. For example, if you create a Warranty object in the default CO package, the resulting table name will be CO$Warranty.
Click New > Object.
Enter a name for the object.
The name you define identifies the object in the database. Staff members generally see the custom object’s label, defined later in this procedure, when working with the object. Object names must start with a letter, cannot contain special characters other than the underscore character (only single underscores are allowed), and cannot contain more than twenty characters. In addition, certain words cannot be used as object or field names since they are reserved for use by other processes. If you attempt to save an object that uses a reserved word, a validation message informs you that the name must be changed.

Enter field information.

Summary Page

Field	Description
Object Options	Select options in this section to specify where the object is available and other options.
Object is Available in Workspaces, Scripting, and Workflow	Select this check box to make the fields available for use in scripts, workspaces, and workflows. Standard reports and workflow types are created automatically for objects that have this option enabled. Objects do not require this option to be used in custom reports. See Custom Objects on the Service Console. This option is enabled by default.
Object is Enabled for Transactions	Select this check box to enable tracking of all create and update actions taken on the object’s unique records. The transaction data is stored in the Custom Object Transactions (co_trans) table and can be viewed using the Audit Log workspace relationship item. This option is enabled by default.
Object Generates User Transactions	Select this check box to enable tracking of create, update, and cancel actions taken on the object’s unique records by staff members. The transaction data is stored in the Custom Object Transactions (co_trans) table and can be viewed using custom reports.
Object Generates Menu	Select this check box to have the object generate a menu used to populate values in menus added to other custom objects. The options in the menu are populated by the values in the lookup field specified for the object that generates the menu. For example, if custom object A generates a menu, you can select the menu to populate a menu field you add to custom object B. If object A’s lookup field is set to Labels, and the object has three records created for it with labels of “One,” “Two,” and “Three,” the menu in custom object B that is populated by object A will display values of “One,” “Two,” and “Three.” Because a menu item is added for each record created for objects that generate a menu, you will want to enable this option only for objects that will have few records created for it.
Object Has Display Order	Select this check box to make the options in the menu generated by the object sortable by sequence numbers that you specify when creating records for the object. Selecting this check box automatically adds a DisplayOrder field to the object’s table that can then be added to the object’s workspace. This option is available only when the Object Generates Menu check box is selected.

To specify a label for the custom object that is different from the name entered in a previous step, enter the label you want in the Label field.
Labels are language specific, so you can use different labels for interfaces with different languages. When an object is initially named, the object’s label is automatically populated with the object’s name. If the object’s name is later edited, the label is not automatically updated.
To add a description for the custom object, enter the description you want in the Description field.
Descriptions are language specific, so you can enter different descriptions for interfaces with different languages.
To add notes about the custom object that you or other staff members can read, such as why the object was created, click the Notes arrow.
1. Enter the note you want in the text field.
2. Click Add.
3. To add additional notes, repeat the two previous steps.
4. To delete notes, click Delete for the note you want to remove.
5. To save changes to the notes, click Save.
You can add or delete notes in custom objects even after they are deployed.
Click Fields to add predefined or customized fields to the object.
Click Indices.
The ID field is indexed by default, as are fields configured to be object lookups. Fields that have the Is In Single-Field Index option enabled also appear on this page.
Note: Indexing a field that is frequently queried can help speed up queries, and you can define up to thirty indexes per custom object. However, indexing a large number of fields can result in decreased performance.
To add an index to a field, click Add New Index.
Click Add Field to Index.
Select the field you want to index.
Note: All field types, except Yes/No and Long Text fields, can be indexed.

The selected field displays in the List of Indices in Object area. Each object can have up to eighteen indexes for each object. However, this limit also includes indexes that are added automatically for each child field used in relationships you create for the object. See Custom Object Relationships.
To add a multiple-field index, select the index you want to edit.
Click Add Field to Index.
Select the field you want to add to the index.
Up to four fields can be used in multiple-field indexes.
To remove a field from an index, select the index you want to edit and click Delete.
Click Relationships, to define and view table relationships for the object.
Click Extra Options.
Note: Changes made on the Object Extra Options page take place when you save the object. Deployment is not necessary.
To associate icons with the object to display in the interface, click Browse and select the image you want to use.
- 16x16—Icons of this size are used in record tabs on workspaces, the New Workspace window, and the Workspaces and Scripts explorers.
- 24x24—Icons of this size are used on navigation buttons.
- 32x32—Icons of this size are used on the Insert Fields tab of the workspace designer and in flow elements on the workflow designer.

Select the check boxes for the permissions you want to grant to staff members associated with each profile.

These permissions are available for each profile. They can also be defined on the Profiles editor.

Edit Objects Permissions

Field	Description
Select All	Select this check box to select all permission check boxes for all profiles.
Create / Delete / Read / Update	Select check boxes in these columns to allow staff members to create, delete, read, or update records for the custom object.
Personal Notes	Select check boxes in this column to allow staff members to create, edit, and delete notes in custom object records. This check box displays only for custom objects that have the Notes check box selected on the Summary page.
All Notes	Select check boxes in this column to allow staff members with this profile to edit and delete any notes added to custom object records, regardless of which staff member added the notes. This check box displays only for custom objects that have the Notes check box selected on the Summary page.

Click Save.

What to do next

Deploy the custom objects. See Deploy Custom Objects.