# About Document Field Administration

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 <a href="/en/lr/4884/">shared fields</a>, 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 {#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**
: <a href="/en/lr/3869/">Stores an Excel-like formula</a> to calculate a result from other field values, built-in functions, and standard math operators.

**Lookup**
: This <a href="/en/lr/34072/">field "looks up" an attribute on an object record</a> already associated with a document and brings that value down to the document as a read-only field.

## Document Field Location List {#page}

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 <a href="/en/lr/4884/">shared fields</a> 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.

|<img class="inline" src="https://platform.veevavault.help/assets/images/field-list-icon-required.png" alt="Required Icon" style="" /> Required|<img class="inline" src="https://platform.veevavault.help/assets/images/field-list-icon-securityoverrides.png" alt="Security Override Icon" style="" /> Has security overrides|
|<img class="inline" src="https://platform.veevavault.help/assets/images/field-list-icon-disabled.png" alt="Inactive Icon" style="" /> Disabled|<img class="inline" src="https://platform.veevavault.help/assets/images/field-list-icon-shared.png" alt="Shared Icon" style="" /> Shared|
|<img class="inline" src="https://platform.veevavault.help/assets/images/field-list-icon-custom.png" alt="Custom Icon" style="" /> Custom|<img class="inline" src="https://platform.veevavault.help/assets/images/field-list-icon-standard.png" alt="Standard Field Icon" style="" /> Standard|
