Photo by Jerry Kavan on Unsplash
Custom fields are where Salesforce starts to feel like your system.
I am constantly asked to “just add a field” for something new. That’s easy, right? Sort of. But there’s more to it:
Always decide the data type first (checkbox, text, date, picklist, etc.)
Think about reporting—will someone need to filter or group by this?
Will this field need to be required, or included in validation rules?
And here's the kicker: avoid creating duplicate fields with the same purpose. I learned that the hard way when I added five different fields for “Status” across three teams.
Naming conventions and documentation are your best friends. Call it Client_Status__c instead of just Status. Future you will thank you. And if the label or developer name aren’t descriptive enough, don’t be afraid to add a description to a new field.
