Fields
Overview
Ortto’s Fields feature displays all people and organization fields within the Ortto account, including those integrated from data sources. Users can create new custom data fields for individuals or organizations within the CDP. Access these records from the People and Organizations pages.
Accessing fields
To access the fields page, go to Settings > Customer data > Fields.
Managing fields
The fields page allows users to:
Using fields in API calls
If you need to include a field in an API call, you can find the field’s ID (e.g., str::first
for First Name) in the field list, located on the far right of the field’s name or by clicking on the field’s name.
![](https://ic.autopilotapp.com/kb/1226/bWFuaGF0dGFu/qj6X/AGZYBkDWWC0id-jn.jpg)
NOTE:
- Custom fields are only associated with person and organization records, and are independent of activities and their attribute fields.
- New custom fields can also be created from views of an individual person’s or organization’s record, through the People and Organizations pages, respectively.
Field limits
Field limits per plan level:
Custom person fields
- Professional: 100
- Business: 150
- Enterprise: 200
Custom organization fields
- Professional: 25
- Business: 25
- Enterprise: 25
NOTE: The limits on legacy plans may differ. Contact support for help.
Field activity tracking
Ortto allows field activity tracking for system, custom, and data source fields, except for organization fields and multi-select or aggregate type fields. Enabling activity tracking for fields creates a custom activity for changes to that field. For example, if a custom field called Plan tier has tracking enabled, a custom activity called Custom: Plan tier changed will be created.
Field updates
When a person updates a field with activity tracking enabled (such as changing their phone number), an activity for the change will appear in the contact's view under Activities. You can also filter people using that activity as a condition.
NOTE: The custom activities created from field activity tracking count towards your Ortto plan limits.
The custom activity created from field activity tracking can be used as journey entry criteria or in a report by capturing changes from the previous activity value to the new value. For example, you can track a customer’s subscription plan upgrade.
Activity retention limits
Custom field change activities have a default 90-day data retention limit. Customers on selected Ortto plans who wish to keep the data beyond 90 days need to configure the activity’s data retention limit.
Disabling activity tracking
If you disable field activity tracking after enabling it, the custom activity associated with the field will remain in your CDP but will not track changes until you re-enable it.
Create a new person or organization custom field
- Navigate to the Fields page.
- Click Add custom field and then select Create person field or Create organization field.
- In the Create field dialog, specify the Field name and choose an appropriate Field type.
NOTE:
- If you choose Single select, Multi select, or Aggregate, you will need to specify additional values.
- If your field type is Multi select or Aggregate, please be aware that you will not be able to track changes to the field.
4. Click OK to create the custom field.
CAUTION:
- Once a custom field is created, it cannot be modified to alter its name, field type or values.
- Only Single and Multi-Select values can be altered post creation.
Your new custom field will now be available in people/organization records, which can be viewed through the People page or the Organization page.
Supported data types
Learn more about the Supported data types for fields.
Edit an existing custom field
To modify the Field activity feature on a custom field, follow these steps:
- Navigate to the Fields page.
- Locate the relevant field and click on its name or the ... icon, then select Edit.
- Choose whether to enable or disable the Field activity feature.
- Click OK to confirm your changes.
NOTE:
- You can only modify custom fields to enable or disable the Field activity feature.
- After creating a custom field, it's not possible to edit its name, field type, or values.
- Only Single and Multi-Select values can be altered post creation.
- Field activity tracking is not supported for Organization fields, or for Multi-select and Aggregate field types.
Adding new selectable values to single or multi-select fields
If you need to add new selectable values to a single or multi-select field, follow these steps:
- Go to the Fields page.
- Find the relevant Single select or Multi select field and click on its name or the ... icon, then select Edit.
- In the Edit custom field dialog, specify any new selectable values:
- Click Add value or use the + icon to create a new value field.
- Re-order existing values as needed.
- Delete newly added values using the trash icon.
- Click OK to apply the changes. Your new values will now be available in the single or multi-select field.
NOTE:
- Previously added values cannot be edited or deleted from the field page.
- Previously added values can be edited or deleted directly from a contacts profile.
Add, edit or delete previously added values in single and multi-select fields:
Custom people fields
- Navigate to the People page
- Open any Contact profile
- In the Contact Info section, click on the Edit/pencil icon.
- Find the Field you wish to modify and select the Edit/pencil option.
- Here, you can add, edit, or delete values as necessary.
Custom organization fields
- Navigate to the Organization page
- Open any Organization profile
- In the About section, click on the Edit/pencil icon.
- Find the Field you wish to modify and select the Edit/pencil option.
- Here, you can add, edit, or delete values as necessary.
NOTE: When updating values in a field, like changing from 'pink' to 'blue', contacts or organizations that previously had 'pink' will continue to display 'pink' unless their profiles are manually updated to reflect the new value.
Edit a data source field
You cannot make direct modifications to the data source fields; your only option is to enable or disable the Field activity feature.
- Navigate to the Fields page.
- Locate the relevant field and click on its name or the ... icon, then select Edit.
- Choose whether to enable or disable the Field activity feature.
- Click OK to confirm your changes.
![](https://ic.autopilotapp.com/kb/541/bWFuaGF0dGFu/G7TF/AGZYGV-4RsP2oOjn.jpg)
Delete an existing custom field
Deleting a custom field removes it from the records of relevant individuals or organizations, accessible via the People and Organizations pages, respectively, along with all associated data.
NOTE: Upon deletion, a custom field and its associated data values within your CDP are not permanently removed and can be restored later.
To delete an existing custom field:
- Navigate to the Fields page.
- Locate the relevant custom field and click on its More icon > Permanently delete option.
- In the confirmation dialog box, type
PERMANENTLY DELETE
in capital letters, and click OK to proceed with the deletion.
Restore a deleted custom field
It is indeed possible to restore a deleted custom field along with its values.
- Navigate to the Fields page.
- Select Add custom field
- Choose a Person or Organization field, ensuring it matches the same type as the one previously deleted.
- Enter the field name and click OK.
- After selecting OK, a message will appear; choose Restore from the options provided.
![](https://ic.autopilotapp.com/kb/540/bWFuaGF0dGFu/stKa/AGZYHNq4RsP2oPLx.jpg)
NOTE:
- Upon restoration, the values will reappear for the contacts that had a value present previously.
- Once a field has been restored, it is not possible to alter the name, field type or values. Only Single and Multi-Select fields can be altered.
- If such a field is recreated without the Restore link, then no CDP data was associated with that custom field previously.
Filtering fields
On the Fields page, you have the ability to search via field type or through system fields, custom fields, or fields from your connected data sources, making it easier to find and modify them. Additionally, you can filter by people and organization fields to further streamline your search process.
![](https://ic.autopilotapp.com/kb/206/bWFuaGF0dGFu/dy-f/AGZf28GuBQ8qEcjH.jpg)