How to Create and Edit Custom Objects

Created by Aye Myat, Modified on Mon, 9 Feb at 11:01 PM by Alsabana Sahubarali

Objective

The purpose of this article is to provide a step-by-step guide for admins on how to create and edit custom objects in Outreach.

Applies to

Outreach Admin

Before you begin

Custom objects allow admins to define and manage unique data structures tailored to their organization's needs. This feature provides flexibility in organizing and accessing data that does not fit into standard object categories. Admins can define custom objects in custom object management in Outreach.

Once defined, admins can add fields, create relationships with other objects, set user permissions, establish a sync with other CRM, and create automated workflows.

Procedure

Log in to Outreach as an Admin.
Click Administration > Records > Custom objects. This section is accessible only to organization admins.

Create a custom object

Click Create object.
In the create custom object dialogue, define both public and internal names of custom objects and their descriptions.
Additionally, it is possible to specify the display name, which Outreach will be primarily using to name object records in the UI.

Glossary

Object name (Singular)	Enter the singular title for a custom object (e.g. Campaign).
Object name (Plural)	Enter the plural title for a custom object (e.g. Campaigns).
Internal name (Object)	The internal name is used by integrations or APIs, and cannot be edited once the object is created. Must start with a letter (except for ‘o’ followed by a number) Only letters, numbers, and underscores are allowed The name must not duplicate the name of any existing standard/custom object Preferably, use the plural form of the name.
Object description	Optional description of a custom object.
Display name	This is the main identifying field for your object (e.g. Campaign name for Campaigns). By default, it appears as the first column in the object list view page, and in the first row in the side panel. It is also used when creating associations with other records. This field is optional. If no Display name is provided, a record ID will be used to represent the record in Outreach.
Internal name (Field)	The internal name is used by integrations or APIs, and cannot be edited once the object is created.

Once you’ve defined your custom object, you can do the following in your custom object settings:

Create and edit fields for your custom object
Create relationships with other objects
Define which fields appear in the records listview
Create and view custom object records

The total number of custom objects you can create within your organization depends on your subscription. For more information, see (limits article).

Edit or delete a custom object

After creating a custom object, admins can rename and modify its properties or delete the object from Outreach. Internal names of objects (and fields) cannot be edited

Click Administration > Records > Custom objects
Click More Options (three dots) icon next to the custom object you want to edit or delete to open the contextual menu.
Select Edit to rename or modify its settings, or choose Delete to remove the custom object from Outreach.

When deleting a custom object:

All its records will also be deleted
CRM mapping to the object will be deactivated
Lookup fields to this object will be removed
Triggers using the custom object data will be deactivated

The action of deleting a custom object cannot be undone.

Create fields

Once a custom object is created, it is possible to start defining its fields that will store the data. To add a new field:

Go to Administration > Records > Custom objects
Click on an object from the list of objects
Switch to the ‘Fields’ tab.
Use the ‘Add field’ button at the top right of the screen featuring the list of fields.

In the Add field dialogue define the label, internal name, type, and the additional parameters of the field.

Glossary

Field label	A column name as it appears in Outreach. (e.g. Date created)
Internal name	The internal name is used by integrations or APIs, and cannot be edited once the object is created. Must start with a letter (except for ‘f’ followed by a number) Only letters, numbers, and underscores are allowed The name must not duplicate the name of any existing field within the same object.
Field type	Select the field type that best matches its purpose (e.g. ‘Date’).
Required field	The "Required" checkbox ensures that the field must be completed before the record can be saved.

Available field types

Edit or delete a field

Internal names of fields (and objects) cannot be edited and the field type cannot be changed.

Go to Administration > Records > Custom objects
Click on an object from the list of objects
Switch to the ‘Fields’ tab.
Click the ellipsis (three dots) icon next to the field you want to edit or delete to open the contextual menu.
Select Edit to rename or modify the field, or choose Delete to remove the field from Outreach.

When deleting a field:

Field values from all records will also be deleted
CRM mapping to the field will be deactivated
Triggers using the field will be deactivated

The action of deleting a field cannot be undone.

Add or remove a display name

Display name is the main identifying field for your object (e.g. Campaign name for Campaigns). Any text field on a custom object can be turned into a display name. By default, it appears as the first column in the object list view page, and in the first row in the side panel. It is also used when creating associations with other records.

To add or remove a display name on an object:

Go to Administration > Records > Custom objects
Click on an object from the list of objects
Switch to the ‘Fields’ tab.
Click the ellipsis (three dots) icon next to the text field you want to edit
Select ‘Make display name’ or ‘Remove the display name’.

This field is optional. If no Display name is provided, a record ID will be used to represent the record in Outreach.

Define relationships with other objects

This process allows administrators to establish connections between various Outreach objects.

To create a relationship between custom objects and other objects, go to Custom object > Your Object > Fields > Add Field and in the list of field types select ‘Lookup relationship’.

Here, you can select the Parent object from the list of available objects.

When a relationship is established between a custom object and another object using the 'Lookup relationship' field type, a tab displaying the child records is automatically added to the parent object's interface. This tab allows users to easily view and manage related child records from within the parent object's page.

Supported relationships

From custom objects to:	Prospects Accounts Opportunities Users Other custom objects
From standard objects to:	Relationships from standard to custom objects are currently not supported.

The number of available lookup fields for each object is limited. For more information, see Custom objects limits.

Customize records

Outreach Adminis can customize the default list view for records of specific custom objects, determining which fields are displayed and in what order. This allows them to present users with the most relevant and user-friendly set of data.

To customize the default list view on an object:

Go to Administration > Records > Custom objects
Click on an object from the list of objects
Switch to the “Record customization” tab
Click the eye icon next to the field to show/hide the field in the list view
Drag & drop individual fields to change their order

Browse custom object records

Admins can browse custom object records in the ‘Records’ tab. Here admins can view, search, filter, and sort individual records. Admins can also create and edit individual records.

To browse, create, edit, and delete records from the Custom object settings:

Go to Administration > Records > Custom objects
Click on an object from the list of objects
Switch to the “Records” tab

Set permissions

In the first release, it is only possible to set permissions per individual user profile level. Org-wide settings are not yet supported.

To learn more about permissions on custom objects, please see Custom objects permissions.

Add a custom object to the main navigation

Admins can add a specific custom object to the main navigation in Outreach so it can be accessed quickly and easily by end users from anywhere within the application.

To add the custom object to the main navigation:

Go to Administration > Records > Custom objects
Open the object > General tab and tick the ‘Add to main navigation’ check box.

The Custom Object will be accessible from the main left-hand navigation within a dedicated menu drawer. From there, end users with permissions can access its records directly.