Custom Fields Business Rules

• Only custom fields shared between the Assets and PM Schedules modules will be copied to a PM schedule.

• Only custom fields shared between the Assets and Work Orders modules will be copied.

• Only custom fields shared between the PM Schedules and Work Orders modules will be copied.

• Only custom fields shared between the PE Schedules and Work Orders modules will be copied.

• Custom fields will not be copied if an asset group is used on a work order or PM schedule.

• Only the first asset’s custom fields will be copied to the work order or PM schedule when using multiple assets without an asset group.

• Custom field names are unique at the database level.

• Custom fields are to be created at the database level, and then associated with modules.

• Custom fields cannot be added to a module if that name already exists in the module view. For example, a drop-down menu called Problem cannot be created for the Work Orders module, because Code is appended to the field name when the field is added to the view. ProblemCode already exists in the vWorkOrders view.

• Custom fields should be managed like any other field within TMS, including adding fields to forms, and use within Reporting, Segmentation, Custom Help, Module Logging, Dispatch, Dashboard, and Web Request.

• The following rules are enforced for custom fields of type Dropdown:

  • Can be linked to a parent custom field, creating cascading hierarchy

  • Codes are added to these fields under the respective Setup > [Module] > Codes menu item

  • Codes are defined at the field and segment level only, not at the module level

• A child field might only be added to a module if the parent field is available in that module.

• If hidden from user and required, a default value must be applied.

• The followig rules are related to adding a custom field to the database:

  • Control Type of Textbox could be varchar, decimal, or integer.

  • Control Type of TextArea would be varchar.

  • Control Type of Dropdown List would be int.

  • Control Type of Checkbox would be boolean.

  • Control Type of DatePicker, DateTimePicker would be date.

  • Control Type of TimePicker would be time.

  • If varchar, max length is applicable.

• Control types, field names, and parent field are only available at the database level, not the segment level.

• Custom fields cannot be removed from a module if they are in use for that module, either on a record for that module or on forms for that module.

• Custom fields cannot be removed from Setup if they are in use for any module.

• Custom fields cannot be removed from Setup if they are drop-down menus and are the parent for any other custom drop-down menus.

• Custom fields available from these modules: Work Orders, Assets, Materials, Schedules, Resources, Procedures, Vendors, Departments, Purchasing, Requisitions, Safety, Utilities, Contracts, and Customers.

• Masking and validation should be available from the application defaults for textbox/string fields.

• For custom fields shared between the Assets, Work Orders, and Schedules modules, the following rules apply:

  • Custom fields shared by both the Assets and Work Orders module carry over to the work order when an asset is added.

  • Custom fields shared between the Schedules and Work Order modules also carry over to the work order when the schedules are generated.

  • Values from Asset module custom fields are also carried over to PM Schedules.

About Field and Data Storage

• Custom Fields are stored in the database in views prefixed with "vutbl".

• The views contain only the data entered into the custom fields, no field properties. For example, a field in vutblWorkOrders contains what you entered into that field on a work order. If the same field also exists in the Assets module, the field is listed in vutblAssets.

• The tblUserFieldCodes table contains the raw data for drop-down menu values.

• The tblTMSFields table contains the raw custom field data (look for IDField 5000 or higher).

• The tblTMSControlTypes table contains the field type (calendar, drop-down menu).

• The tblDataTypes table contains the field data type (time, string).