Setting Up Object Types

An object type is a collection of fields that are grouped to capture similar but not identical data within a single object. For example, the Product object could include two types: Pharmaceutical and Medical Device. These object types share fields like Abbreviation and Internal Name, but each also has data specific to its business purpose like Dosage for Pharmaceutical and Model No for Medical Device.

Not all objects use object types. You must enable and set up object types for individual objects. When this setting is on, each record within the object belongs to a specific object type. For example, a user creating a new Product record must first determine if its a Medical Device or Pharmaceutical.

Setup Overview

To use object types for an object:

• Enable object types on the object configuration.
• Create custom object types within the object.
• Assign fields to specific object types.

How to Enable Object Types

To enable object types on a specific object:

1. Navigate to Admin > Configuration > Objects > [Object].
2. Click Edit from the Details tab.
3. Select the Enable Object Types checkbox.
4. Click Save.

When you enable object types, Vault automatically:

• Creates the “base” object type, for example, Base Product. Any object fields that exist before enablement are assigned to the base type.
• Adds the Object Types tab to the object configuration area. From this tab, you can see all types that exist within an object, create new types, and assign fields to each type.

How to Create Object Types

To create new object types:

1. From the Details tab, navigate to the Object Types tab.
2. Click Create.
3. Enter a Label and Plural Label.
4. Optional: Change the Name from the default value.
5. Optional: Change the Status to Inactive. This prevents users from creating records with this object type, so you may choose to keep the object type inactive until you’ve completed setup.
6. Click Save.

How to Assign Fields

One of the primary benefits of object types is the ability to reuse some fields across different kinds of data, but not reuse all fields.

To change which fields are assigned to which object types:

1. From the Object Types tab, choose Edit Object Type Fields from the actions menu.
2. Vault shows all object types and fields as a matrix grid. Select checkboxes to apply fields to specific object types. To remove a field from an object type, simply clear the applicable check box. You can apply all fields using the checkbox just below the object type label.
3. Click Save.

Non-Editable Fields

All fields automatically apply to the base object type. You cannot edit this. There are certain standard fields (including system-managed fields) that apply to all object types, for example, Created Date, Created By, and Status. Required fields always apply to all object types.

Creating New Fields

When you create a new field on the object, Vault automatically applies it to the base object type only. After creating new fields, you’ll need to assign the field to any additional object types it applies to.

Note that any fields you mark as required automatically apply to all object types.

How to Set Up Required Object Type Fields

When you assign a field to an object type, you can modify the field so it is required only for records of a particular type. This option is only available for custom and optional object type fields. Fields marked as required on the object level apply to object type fields and aren’t editable.

To set up required object type fields:

1. From the Object Types tab, open the details for the specified type field by clicking on its checkmark beneath the preferred object type. Object type fields also appear on the object type detail page.
2. Click Edit.
3. Select the User must always enter a value (required) checkbox.
4. Click Save.

When you return to the Object Types tab, an asterisk displays next to the checkbox indicating a property override. Additionally, when you hover over the checkmark, a hovercard will display Required under the Property Overrides label. Like required fields for objects, required object type fields are automatically added to the Page Layout editor.

How to Set Up Object Type Field Defaults

When you assign a field to an object type, you can also specify a default value for this field which only applies for records of a particular type. This option is only available where field defaults are supported. Fields with defaults at the type level override any defaults set at the object level.

For example, the Corrective Action object could include two types: Internal and Compliance Commitment. These object types share the Initial Response Due Date field. The Internal corrective action defaults this field to 30 days from today, while the Compliance Commitment type defaults this to only 15 days from today.

Note that you cannot override an object-level default to be blank or null. For example, if the Corrective Action Base type defaults the Initial Response Due Date to 30 days from today, you cannot default this field to blank on the Internal type (have no initial response due date).

To set up required object type fields:

1. From the Object Types tab, open the details for the specified type field by clicking on its checkmark beneath the preferred object type. Object type fields also appear on the object type detail page.
2. Click Edit.
3. In the Default Value section, enter a literal value or use items from the Fields, Functions, and Operators tabs to create an expression. Learn more about setting default field values.
4. Click Save.

When you return to the Object Types tab, an asterisk displays next to the checkbox indicating a property override. Additionally, when you hover over the checkmark, a hovercard will display Field Default under the Property Overrides label.

How to Set Up Object Type Picklists

You can use object type picklists to set up constraints on picklist fields shared across various object types. This allows you to select the values in a picklist that are relevant to a specific object type. For example, the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device object types share the Therapeutic Area field, which identifies whether the record belongs to a specific area of study such as oncology, neurology, pediatrics, etc. You can constrain the Therapeutic Area field to only display the Pediatrics for the Pharmaceutical object type, and Neurology for the Medical Device type.

To set up object type picklists:

1. From the Object Types tab, open the details for the specified type field by clicking on its checkmark beneath the preferred object type. You can also access object type fields on the object type detail page.
2. Click Edit.
3. Select the Override picklist values for this object type checkbox.
4. Select the applicable picklist value(s) from the Selected Values section and move them to the Available Values section. You can also remove values that don’t apply.
5. Click Save.

When you return to the Object Types tab, an asterisk displays next the checkbox indicating a property override. Additionally, when you hover over the checkmark, a hovercard displays Picklist values beneath the Property Overrides label.

How to Set Up Reference Constraints

You can set up constraints on referenced fields shared across various object types. This allows you to restrict the list of available records in a reference field to a list defined values that are relevant to a specific object type. For example, the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device object types reference the Application field. Since these require different types of application, you can set up a constraint on the Application field to only display records where application types are applicable to the specified object type. You can only set up object type reference constraints using a VQL query.

To set up a reference constraint:

1. From the Object Types tab, open the details for the specified type field by clicking on its checkmark beneath the preferred object type. You can also access object type fields on the object type detail page.
2. Click Edit.
3. Scroll down to the Constrain Records in Referenced Object section.
4. Enter a VQL query to define the conditions.
5. Click Preview to see how field selection will look once your filter rule is in place.
6. Click Validate to validate expression syntax.
7. Click Save.

When you return to the Object Types tab, an asterisk displays next to the checkbox indicating a property override. Additionally, when you hover over the checkmark, a hovercard displays Reference constraints beneath the Property Override label.

How to Assign User Actions

After assigning an object action to an object, you can refine the assignment for each object type. Once you configure an action and add it to an individual object type, Vault displays the action only on records of the specified type. Assigning actions to object types, rather than objects, allows your configuration to reflect your business needs. You can also use Action Level Security (ALS) to control actions at the Security Profile, lifecycle state, and lifecycle role levels.

To assign object actions:

1. From the Object Types tab, click Actions.
2. Choose Edit Object Type Actions from the Actions menu.
3. Vault shows all object types and available actions in a matrix grid. Select the checkboxes to assign actions to specific object types. To remove an action from an object type, simply deselect the action’s checkbox. To apply all actions to an object type, select the checkbox directly beneath the object type label.
4. Click Save.

How to Delete Object Types

To delete an object type:

1. From the Object Types tab, open the details for a specific type by clicking on its label.
2. Click Delete.
3. In the confirmation dialog, click Continue.

You cannot delete an object type if it’s in use. For example, you cannot delete an object type if there are records of that type.

Limits

You can configure up to 30 object types per object.