Adding a field is easy compared with agreeing what it means. A field called “Project reference” can become three incompatible values if sales, procurement and finance each use a different convention.
DNA supports custom fields across modules without custom code. The opportunity is to capture business context where it belongs. The responsibility is to keep that context consistent enough to search, report and print.
Give the field a contract
Before creating it, write down its purpose, owner, data type, allowed values, required behaviour and relevant screens. Specify whether it is needed on documents shared outside the company.
A dropdown makes sense for a small controlled list. Free text is appropriate when variation is intentional. A date should be stored as a date, not typed into a text field, if users need reliable sorting and filtering. These are data-design decisions, even when no programming is required.
Test the document journey
Use a realistic sequence: quotation, sales order, delivery, invoice and payment. Decide where the value is entered and where it must remain visible. Do not assume that every custom field automatically propagates through every document; demonstrate the configured behaviour for each step you need.
Repeat the test in printed forms and exports. A field that exists on screen but is absent from the customer’s document may not solve the original problem.
Plan for older records
Making a field mandatory creates a question about existing transactions. Decide whether old records remain blank, are populated through a controlled exercise or are excluded from a new workflow. Invented default values can make a report look complete while weakening its meaning.
Keep naming and ownership stable. If a field becomes obsolete, review its use in filters, forms and reports before changing it. The safest design minimizes duplicate fields with slightly different names.
A useful acceptance check
Create a sample field, enter a valid value, attempt an invalid or missing value where relevant, and trace it through the intended screens and output. Ask a second user to interpret it without explanation.
Explore System Setup, then follow the value through Sales & CRM or Purchase & Procurement. A well-designed custom field becomes shared business language.
