Adding and Editing Custom Fields
Custom Fields allow you to attach custom data to some entities in m3ter. You can use Custom Fields to define string or number values for these entities. When you set up your Organization, you can create them for your Organization and for the following entities:
Product
Meter
Plan
Plan Template
Account
Account Plan
Aggregation
Compound Aggregation
The key points to note about creating and using Custom Fields are:
You can define Custom Fields for these entities at two levels: at the Organization-wide level and at the level of individual entities:
Note that Organization is the obvious exception.
When you create Custom Fields at the Organization-wide level for any of the entities listed above, this allows you to set-up default Custom Field values for these entities.
A limit is imposed on the number of Custom Fields: you can create up to ten Custom Fields for each entity type at Organization-level.
Custom Fields can be referenced in your Meter Derived Field calculations and in your Compound Aggregation calculations. Using number or string values stored in Custom Fields in this way offers you great flexibility when using those calculations to fulfill complex usage-based pricing use cases.
If you want to use entity-level Custom Field values in your calculations - for example for a specific Account - you must first create a Custom Field for that entity type at Organization-level - in this example an Account Custom Field:
This ensures a default Custom Field value exists for the entity type at the Organization-level.
The entity-level Custom Field value will then be used for your calculation instead of the default value.
Tip: Custom Fields for Contracts and Plan Groups? Note that you can also create Custom Fields for these entities but only at the individual entity-level. This means you cannot set up default values for Custom Fields on these entities at the Organizational-level, and you therefore cannot reference them in your calculations.
This topic explains how to create Custom Fields at Organization-level for your Organization and other entities when setting up your Organization.
To add Custom Fields at Organizational level:
1. Select Settings. The Organization page opens with the Overview tab selected.
2. Select the Custom fields tab.
3. On the Custom fields details panel, select Edit. The Edit page opens.
4. Select Add under the entity for which you want to add Custom Fields - Organization, Product, Meter, Plan, Plan template, Account, Account plan, Aggregation, or Compound aggregation.
5. Enter a Name, select the Type, and enter the Value.
6. If you want to add multiple Custom Fields, select Add again - a new row is added and you can repeat steps 4 and 5. The maximum number for any entity type at Organization-level is ten.
7. At the bottom of the page, select Update Custom fields. You are returned to the Organization>Custom fields tab the new Name/Value pair is shown under the entity in the Custom field details panel.
Important! More on Custom Fields. Before you attempt to use Custom Fields, we strongly recommend that you first review the Working with Custom Fields topic.
Tip: See Also? If you intend to add Custom Fields and reference them in your Derived Field or Compound Aggregation calculations, we strongly recommend that you first review the Calculations Syntax and Supported Functions/Operators topic.
Next: Understanding, Creating, and Managing Permission Policies
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