Modify Record Fields

After you create your record type, you may need to add, update, or delete record fields to fit your evolving business needs.

For example, you may need to add fields to capture new data in the record type, or change the data type of an existing field from type Text to type User to more easily query user information.

Record field configuration options

Depending on the source of your record type, you can make different adjustments to your record fields.

Data Model Changes	Database Source	Salesforce Source	Web Service Source
Add field display names and descriptions	Yes	Yes	Yes
Add new record fields	Yes	No	No
Add reusable validations and interfaces to record fields	Yes	No	No
Configure unique record fields	Yes*	Yes	Yes
Map new source fields to record fields	Yes	Yes	Yes
Remove record fields	Yes	Yes	Yes
Update record field names and data types	Yes	Yes	Yes
Use a database sequence for primary keys	Yes	No	No

^*Only available for database views. For database tables, Appian automatically identifies unique fields based on the uniqueness constraints in the source.

Add field display names and descriptions

As a best practice, you should add display names and descriptions for your record fields. This information displays to business users in Process HQ, and provides additional context to AI features so they can better understand your data.

To add field display names and descriptions:

1. In your record type, go to Data Model.
2. Click MAP RECORD FIELDS.
3. In Display Name, enter a user-friendly field name in title case format. The display name will appear to users throughout Process HQ.
4. In Description, enter a description of the field. The field description will only appear in the Process Insights page of Process HQ.
5. Click FINISH.
6. Click SAVE.

Add new record fields

You can use codeless data modeling to add new fields to both your database table and your record type simultaneously.

You can only add new fields when your data source meets the following requirements:

• Source: Database table.
• Primary key: Includes a single primary key field.

To add new record fields:

1. In your record type, go to Data Model.
2. Click MODIFY SOURCE FIELDS.
3. Add a field.

Add reusable validations and interfaces to record fields

You can add reusable interfaces and validations to record fields that are used across multiple interfaces in your application. This allows you to configure the field's display and validation logic once and reuse it consistently throughout your app.

For example, you can configure an email field with validation to require an @ symbol, then reference that validation across all forms that use the email field. Similarly, you could create an interface for a status field that displays a status with specific formatting and colors, then use it in summary views throughout your app.

Add reusable validations

To add validations to a record field:

1. In your record type, go to Data Model.
2. Click next to the record field.
3. In Validations, create expressions to validate the field. Use functions like:
   • a!isBetween()
   • a!isInText()
   • a!startsWith()
   • a!endsWith()
4. Click SAVE.
5. Click SAVE to save the record type.

Then, you can reference the field validations using the a!applyValidations() function.

Add reusable interfaces

You can add read-only and input interfaces to a record field to consistently display the field across your application.

You can add two types of interfaces to a record field:

• A read-only interface: Defines what the record field should look like when used in read-only interfaces, like summary views.
• An input interface: Defines what the record field should look like when used in input interfaces, like forms.

To add reusable interfaces to a record field:

1. In your record type, go to Data Model.
2. Click next to the record field.
3. In the User Interfaces section:
   • For Read Only Interface: Select an existing interface or click to create one.
   • For Input Interface: Select an existing interface or click to create one.
4. Click SAVE.
5. Click SAVE to save the record type.

Then, you can use record field references to display these interfaces throughout your applications.

Configure unique record fields

If your record type connects to a web service or a database view, you can specify unique fields in your data model. Once configured, Appian ensures the field contains no duplicate values.

You must configure a unique field if you want to use it as a common field on the "one" side of a one-to-many relationship.

To configure unique fields:

1. In your record type, go to Data Model.
2. Click MAP RECORD FIELDS.
3. For Unique Fields, select the fields that must have all unique values.
4. Click FINISH.
5. Click SAVE.

Map new source fields to record fields

If you add a new field in your data source, you'll also need to map that new field in your record type. Similarly, if you change the data type of the field in the source, you'll need to remap the field to the correct data type.

To map source fields to record fields:

1. In your record type, go to Data Model.
2. Click MAP RECORD FIELDS. The Map Record Fields dialog appears.
3. Select the checkbox next to the new source field.
4. (Optional) In Record Field Name, update the name for the record field. This is the name that will be used to reference the field in Appian.

5. (Optional) In Record Field Type, use the dropdown to select the data types for the record fields.

   We automatically suggest types based on the data type in the source. We recommend at least the following changes:

   • For fields containing usernames, change the type from Text to User.
   • For fields containing group identifiers, change the type from Number (Integer) to Group.
   • For fields containing more than 4,000 characters, change the type from Text to Extra Long Text. You can only have a maximum of three Extra Long Text fields on a record type for optimal performance.
6. Click FINISH.
7. Click SAVE.

Remove record fields

When you remove a record field, it will no longer be available in your record type and any objects that reference the field will break. Before removing a field, ensure you understand the impact on your applications.

To remove a record field:

1. In your record type, go to Data Model.
2. Click MAP RECORD FIELDS.
3. Clear the checkbox next to the source field.
4. Click NEXT.

5. Review the list of objects that depend on the field. Removing the field will cause these objects to break, so you will need to update them after deleting the field.

   Caution:  Make note of all dependent objects before proceeding. You'll need to update these objects to prevent errors in your applications.

6. Click FINISH.
7. Click SAVE.
8. Update any dependent objects identified in step 5 to remove references to the deleted field.

Update record field names and data types

If you need to change the name of a record field, or you want to change a field like username from type Text to User, you can easily change your record field configuration.

To change a record field name or data type:

1. In your record type, go to Data Model.
2. Click MAP RECORD FIELDS.

1. In Record Field Name, enter the name for the record field. This is the name that will be used to reference the field in Appian.

2. In Record Field Type, use the dropdown to select the data types for the record fields.

   We automatically suggest types based on the data type in the source. We recommend at least the following changes:

   • For fields containing usernames, change the type from Text to User.
   • For fields containing group identifiers, change the type from Number (Integer) to Group.
   • For fields containing more than 4,000 characters, change the type from Text to Extra Long Text. You can only have a maximum of three Extra Long Text fields on a record type for optimal performance.
3. Click FINISH.
4. Click SAVE.

If you change the record field type, you will need to update any existing references to the field. See the Health Dashboard to quickly find all invalid field references.

Use a database sequence for primary keys

You can select a sequence to generate primary key values for records created by Appian. A sequence is a value-generating object created in your database. Appian can reference a sequence when creating new records to set the primary key's value.

For instance, when one of your app's processes uses the Write Records smart service, the smart service uses the primary key configuration to add a new record.

You can only select a sequence when your data source meets the following requirements:

• Database: Connects to a MariaDB or Oracle database.
• Primary key: Includes a single primary key field.

To select the sequence:

1. In your record type, go to Data Model.
2. Click next to the primary key field.
3. On the Edit Record Field dialog, enable Use a sequence to generate values for the primary key.
4. For Sequence Name, select the sequence for Appian to use when writing new data to the source.
5. Click OK.
6. Click SAVE.

Feedback