Custom Fields let you extend any contact or deal with typed, validated properties — KYC status, birth date, lifetime value, preferred language, JSON blob of feature flags. Fields populate from flows, imports, the API or by hand. They drive segments, gate flows, personalise templates, and never decay into free-text mush.
Watch what happens when a team without a proper data model needs to track something new — say, KYC status. First week: a rep starts typing "KYC done" into the notes field for each verified contact. Second week: another rep types "verified" instead. Third week: someone wants a list of all unverified customers and discovers they need to regex through 80,000 unstructured strings. By month two: a spreadsheet appears, lives in someone's laptop, drifts from CRM reality, gets emailed around as the source of truth for the compliance audit.
This is what happens when structured data has no home. The notes field is a graveyard — convenient to write to, impossible to query against, drifts with every new typist. Promoting a signal to a structured field is the fix, but only if the platform makes it cheap: easy to define, validated, exposed to every consumer, and tracked over time.
Custom Fields in SabNode CRM is built to make field creation cheap. Five clicks to define `kyc_status` as a single-select with three values. Five more clicks to backfill from a CSV. The new field shows up in segments, flow nodes, form bindings, broadcasts, the API and exports — all without engineering touch. Change history per field per contact gives compliance the trail they need. The notes field goes back to being notes.
A Custom Field is a typed property attached to a contact, deal, or company entity. Eight built-in types: short text (up to 255 chars), long text (up to 50,000 chars), number (int or decimal with precision), date (with or without time), boolean, single-select (controlled vocabulary), multi-select (multi-value controlled), and JSON (arbitrary structured blob). Each field has validation rules — required, regex pattern, min/max for numbers, allowed values for selects, JSON schema for JSON. Validation runs on every write path so bad data never enters the system.
Fields populate from every direction. Manually via the contact UI. From a flow node that sets a field after an event — `set kyc_status = "verified"` after the verification flow completes. From CSV imports with column-to-field mapping. From the REST API with bulk update endpoints. From web forms via a field-binding component that creates and updates contacts with the form's field map. Every write path validates, audits, and propagates to segments and downstream consumers in real time.
Fields are first-class everywhere they appear. Segments filter on field values with type-appropriate operators (string equals, number greater than, date within last N days, JSON path equals). Flow Branch nodes test field values to route execution. WhatsApp template variables interpolate field values — `{{contact.birth_date | date:dd MMMM}}` renders "15 August" inline. Broadcasts personalise from fields. AI Studio assistants access fields as part of the conversation context. The field is defined once and consumed everywhere by reference, not by copy.
Change history is preserved field-by-field, contact-by-contact, write-by-write. Every value change captures the timestamp, the source (flow node ID, API call, manual user edit, import job), the previous value and the new value. Queryable per contact ("show every change to `kyc_status` for contact X") and exportable for compliance. Retention is two years on standard plans, seven on enterprise — sufficient for most regulatory windows (DPDP, GDPR, RBI audit, HIPAA-aligned).
Short text, long text, integer, decimal, date, datetime, boolean, single-select, multi-select, JSON, file reference. Each carries type-specific validation. JSON fields accept a JSON Schema for structured validation. File references point to SabFiles entries with permissions inherited.
Required, unique, regex pattern, min/max length, min/max value, allowed values list, JSON schema. Validation runs on every write path — form, flow, API, import — so bad data is impossible to enter. Errors surface to the writer with field-level detail.
Manual edit, flow node action, CSV import with column mapping, REST API bulk update, web form binding. Every source validates and audits the same way. No "this came from the import so we did not validate" surprises.
Fields surface in segments (filter), flows (branch and set), broadcasts (personalise), templates (interpolate), AI assistants (context), the API (CRUD), exports (column), and forms (binding). One definition, every consumer.
Every field write captures timestamp, source, previous and new values. Queryable per contact for compliance and debugging. Retention is two years standard, seven on enterprise. Hard-purges on contact delete after the retention window.
Restrict who can read or write specific fields. Sales reps see `lifetime_value`, finance edits it. Support sees `account_tier`, only admins change it. Sensitive PII fields (Aadhaar, PAN) gated to ops with audit trail. RBAC enforced on every read and write path.
When you add a new field, the backfill tool runs a one-shot population from a CSV, a flow execution, or a rule evaluated against existing contacts. Schema migrations (rename, type change) handled atomically with downstream reference updates. No half-migrated state.
Fields: `kyc_status` (single-select: pending, verified, rejected), `pan_number` (text with regex validation, PII-restricted), `kyc_verified_at` (datetime). Segments filter on status. Flows gate transactions on verified. Audit log proves to RBI inspectors exactly when each customer was verified.
Fields: `loyalty_tier` (single-select: bronze, silver, gold), `lifetime_value` (decimal, auto-updated by flow on each order), `last_purchase_at` (datetime). Tier auto-derived from lifetime_value via rule. Segments per tier drive differentiated broadcasts and offers.
Fields: `target_exam` (multi-select: NEET, JEE, CAT, GMAT), `preferred_language` (single-select: Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu), `study_hours_per_week` (integer). Drives course recommendations from AI assistant and language selection for broadcast templates.
Fields: `dob` (date, validated > 1900), `allergies` (long text), `preferred_doctor` (single-select from doctor list), `last_consultation` (datetime). PII-restricted to clinical staff. Drives age-appropriate reminders and doctor-affinity in appointment scheduling.
Fields: `company_id` (text), `company_size` (integer), `mrr` (decimal), `feature_flags` (JSON with schema). Flow branches on feature_flags.advanced_reports to send relevant updates. AI assistant uses MRR for tier-appropriate response style. JSON schema prevents typos in flag names.
Custom Fields is included on every SabNode workspace. No separate billing, no extra setup — flip it on from your workspace settings.
Pick entity (contact, deal, company), name, type, validation rules. Set RBAC per field. Save and the field is immediately available everywhere.
Backfill from CSV, set from a flow node, expose in a web form, write via API. Every source validates the same way.
Build segments filtering on the field. Branch flows on field values. Interpolate into templates. Surface in AI assistant context. All by reference — change once, propagates everywhere.
Change history per contact per field. Field-level RBAC restricts access. Schema migrations atomic across all references. Sensitive fields tagged PII with extra audit.
Add validation rules as data quality issues surface. Rename and migrate fields atomically when terminology evolves. Archive unused fields. Field library page shows usage and stale candidates.
No credit card. No sales call required. Spin up a workspace, plug in a number, and your team is live in under an hour.