Why add a new field?

All MinistryPlatform Users we train know that we explain our pages as nouns and our buttons as verbs. The phrase "nouns are down the left, and verbs are across the top" is said in every basic training and most demos.

If we extend this grammatical metaphor, new fields added to existing pages can be thought of as adjectives. They further describe the record. For example, to track "Maiden Name" for each contact record, you can add a text field called Contacts.Maiden_Name to the database.

In language, having too many or redundant adjectives is a bad idea. Often what you need is a period and a new sentence. Contact Support for expert advice on avoiding getting too wordy in your database!

Important Considerations

The following are some things that are important to consider when requesting a new field:

• Make sure put the field on the best possible page. If it is a field about a donor or participant, put it on those pages rather than on a contact record.
• Custom fields are not included in any standard reports.
• Custom fields are not included or available through our applications (widgets, check-in, and so on).
• We do not recommend renaming an existing field in the database. If we created the field, you can't rename the field.
• Fields names should always use proper case. Use underscores in place of spaces. Avoid any special characters in the field name, including hyphens and slashes.