Custom fields: assign training from your HR data
Custom fields store your HR data on every user profile. Smart groups read them to decide who receives which training — and every HR movement updates it automatically.
Custom fields
What custom fields do
Custom fields let you store the information your organisation needs on the platform — beyond the standard profile. Once filled, they decide who joins which smart group and, through those groups, who receives which training.
Describe
Add your own information to a record. Each field is linked to one or more entities: User, Course, Group, Course registrations or Session.
Structure
Choose a type for each field: Short text, Drop-down list, List of values or Date. Created in Settings > General > Custom fields.
Use
Field values feed smart groups, e-mails, certificates and documents, list filters, exports, imports, SSO, SCIM and webhooks.
Use case 1 · HR mirror
Is this use case for you?
In this use case, user custom fields — country, legal entity, job family, status — are filled every night by your HR system through a connector, SSO or SCIM. Smart groups built on those fields assign the right training.
How it works
Smart groups are built on a handful of org-chart custom fields. When someone moves in HR, their groups — and the courses, learning paths and goals linked to those groups — follow automatically, with no admin work.
- Compliance by country: a Country field enrols every employee of a country in its mandatory courses.
- Manager paths: a Status field gathers every manager in one smart group.
- Movements: a change of job or entity in HR updates groups and training on the next synchronisation.
What you need
- An HR connector, SSO, SCIM or a regular import that sends user data.
- The exact list of values used in your HR system for each field.
- A contact in your HR team who owns these values.
- Administrator access to create custom fields and manage smart rules.
Example
Alvora Group: training driven by HR data
Alvora Group is an industrial group with 9,000 employees, 6 countries and 22 subsidiaries. Its HR system sends five fields to the platform every night. The group hierarchy (Country > Subsidiary) serves HR reporting; cross-cutting smart groups target training. An employee belongs to their subsidiary group and to several cross-cutting groups.
The fields
| Field (User) | Type | Example values | Drives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Drop-down list | France, Spain, Poland… | Country compliance groups |
| Legal entity | Short text | Alvora Iberia SA, Alvora Polska… | Subsidiary groups |
| Job family | Drop-down list | Sales, Inside sales, Production, Maintenance | Job training across countries |
| Status | Drop-down list | Executive, Manager, Employee | Management path |
| Hire date | Date | 03/02/2026 | Onboarding of new joiners |
The smart groups
| Smart group | Smart rule | Linked training |
|---|---|---|
| Compliance – France | Country Equals France | Anti-corruption, GDPR |
| All managers | Status Equals Manager | Leading a team path |
| Field sales – Spain | Country Equals Spain AND Job family Equals Sales | CRM essentials |
| Non-sales staff – Poland | Country Equals Poland AND Job family Is not equal Sales | Lean basics |
| New joiners | Hire date in the last 90 days | Welcome to Alvora path |
Alvora Group, its names and figures are a fictional example.
Set-up
From HR data to training in 5 steps
Choose
Pick the HR fields
Only fields that will drive a group, a message, a document or an export. Use Date for any date.
Create
Create the fields
In Settings > General > Custom fields, one field per HR attribute, linked to User.
Connect
Fill them from HR
Give the exact field names to whoever configures the HR connector, SSO, SCIM or import. HR is the single source of truth.
Build
Build the smart groups
Hierarchy groups for reporting, cross-cutting smart groups for targeting. Link the training to each group.
Monitor
Watch HR changes
After any rename or merge in HR, check affected groups with Show concerned users.
Expected result
Training follows every hire, transfer and promotion in HR, with no manual enrolment.
In the platform
Create the HR fields
Alvora Group creates its five HR fields, all linked to User. Here, the Status field with its three options.
- Go to Settings > General > Custom fields and click + Add custom field.
- Enter the Name and select a Type (required).
- For list types, enter each value under Dropdown options; click + Add an option to add another.
- Under Linked entities, tick User.
- Click Validate. The field appears in the list.
| Name | Type | Linked entities | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Drop-down list | User | |
| Legal entity | Short text | User | |
| Job family | Drop-down list | User | |
| Status | Drop-down list | User | |
| Hire date | Date | User |
+ Add custom field
Illustration · Alvora Group’s five HR fields once created.
Name
Type *
Dropdown options
+ Add an option
Linked entities
Illustration · the Status field, linked to User.
In the platform
Build a smart group on HR fields
Alvora Group builds the Field sales – Spain group: two conditions in one condition group, combined with AND.
- Open the group and click Manage smart rules.
- Under Group members, choose Automatically remove group members who don’t follow the smart rules so the group stays aligned with HR.
- Click + Add condition group.
- In the first list, choose the field — user fields carry the suffix (Custom field). In the second, choose the operator. Type the value, then confirm with the check button.
- Click + Add condition for the second condition and keep the Group rule on AND.
- Click Show concerned users to check who matches, then Save.
Main rule
ANDOR#1 - Condition group
Group rule
ANDORIllustration · the “Field sales – Spain” smart group with its two conditions.
Choosing the operator
Illustration · the four operators offered for a custom field.
| Operator | Matches users whose value… | Alvora Group example |
|---|---|---|
| Equals | is exactly the value typed | Job family Equals Sales — Sales only |
| Is not equal | is anything except the value typed | Job family Is not equal Sales — everyone outside Sales |
| Contains | includes the text typed | Job family Contains sales — Sales and Inside sales |
| Does not contain | does not include the text typed | Legal entity Does not contain Iberia |
Troubleshooting
Common pitfalls and fixes
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| A group is suddenly empty or shrinking | HR renamed a value, or SSO sent a value that is not in the drop-down list | Update the rule value or the field options; check with Show concerned users |
| A group catches people it should not | The rule uses Contains and matches longer values | Switch the condition to Equals |
| A rule matches nobody | The value typed in the condition does not match the stored value exactly | Copy the value from a user profile and edit the condition with the pencil |
| An onboarding rule on hire date matches nobody | The hire date is stored as Short text | Use a Date field for dates |
| A field is missing from the field list in the condition | The field is not linked to User | Edit the field and tick User under Linked entities. If it is already linked, contact Support |
| A drop-down option cannot be edited or deleted | The field is used in a smart rule | Delete the rules that use it, edit the options, then rebuild the rules |
| A “manager” field gives no manager rights | Custom fields set group membership, not permissions | Assign the role in Settings > Permissions |
Start from an outcome, not a setting.
Want help setting up this use case on your platform? Our team can review your custom fields with you.
Contact Support