For each document, fields hold additional details and metadata that helps to classify and manage the document. Some fields apply to all documents (by applying to Base Document) while others apply to a specific document type, subtype, or classification.
About Inheritance & Shared Fields
When you apply a field to a document type, all child types inherit that field. You cannot remove inherited fields from the child document type without removing the field entirely.
Fields can also be shared fields, which means that you define the field outside the context of a specific document type and can then share the field with various document types. Shared fields can be useful when a document field applies to some, but not all, child types. Shared fields are different from inherited fields.
Field Types
Each document field has a field type, which determines the type of data it can hold.
- Text
- Stores any characters the user enters, up to your maximum length
- Text (Exact-Match)
- Stores any characters the user enters, up to your maximum length; unlike the normal text field, this is case-sensitive and requires an exact match when searching. By default, it is used for fields like Checksum. Admins cannot create new fields with this type.
- Number
- Stores any number the user enters, subject to your minimum value, maximum value, and decimal precision
- Date
- Stores a date value with no time element
- DateTime
- Stores a date value and UTC time value. Standard, auto-populated fields (for example, Created Date) and custom, user-defined fields (for example, “Due By” date and time the document is due) use this field type. When entering information into this field, the user’s current time is automatically input after selecting a date (adjusted for time zone). This can be changed by manually entering a different time into the field.
- Yes/No
- Stores a true or false value; this is also called a “boolean” field.
- Picklist
- Stores one or more values from a list of configured picklist values; picklist fields allow users to choose from a drop-down list.
- URL
- Stores a web address (for example, http://www.google.com). These fields cannot accept web addresses with local hostnames like “sva00463”.
- Object
- Stores one or more items from a referenced object (Product, etc.); object fields allow users to choose from a picklist.
- Formula
- Stores an Excel-like formula to calculate a result from other field values, built-in functions, and standard math operators.
- Lookup
- This field “looks up” an attribute on an object record already associated with a document and brings that value down to the document as a read-only field.
Document Field Location List
In the Document Fields page, this panel allows you to expand document types to see subtypes and classifications and also shows the number of locally-defined fields for each type. Clicking a document type displays the related fields in the main panel. The Shared Fields item displays shared fields in the Vault.
Document Field List
In the Document Fields page, this panel displays fields and their basic details. The Sort by picklist sorts these fields and the Show local fields only/Show local and inherited fields link shows or hides inherited fields. Icons appear alongside each field to indicate if it is required, disabled, custom, standard, shared, or includes security overrides.
 Required |
 Has security overrides |
 Disabled |
 Shared |
 Custom |
 Standard |