Custom fields: put the data you already store to work
Your custom fields are already filled for reporting. The same values can enrol the right people automatically — with no new import.
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 4 · Data store
Is this use case for you?
In this use case, custom fields — business unit, cost centre, identifiers from other systems — are filled for most users but used only outside the platform: exports, BI and dashboards.
How it works
Smart groups can read the values that are already there. Pick one field that splits users the way training is organised, build one smart group on it, and enrolment follows the data.
- Dozens of fields filled for most users, by import or HR feed.
- No smart group uses them yet.
- Use as filter is on for one or two fields at most.
What you need
- Custom fields already filled for your users.
- One training need that matches how a field splits your population.
- Administrator access to review custom fields and manage smart rules.
Example
Veltra Energy: from BI fields to automatic enrolment
Veltra Energy has 15,000 users and imports eight fields every month for its BI dashboards. Enrolment is still done by spreadsheet. A review of its fields shows what can drive automation right away.
The fields
| Field (User) | Type | Review | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business unit | Drop-down list | Filled for 98% of users, 5 clean values | First smart group |
| Site | Short text | Filled, consistent spelling | Second smart group |
| Start date | Short text | A date stored as text — no date rules possible | Recreate as Date |
| Cost centre | Short text | Used in exports only | Keep; turn on Use as filter |
| Employee ID | Short text | Matches the HR system | Keep for exports |
| Access to dashboards | Drop-down list | Grants nothing — rights come from roles | Replace with a role |
| Badge colour | Short text | Nobody uses it | Delete |
The smart groups
| Smart group | Smart rule | Linked training |
|---|---|---|
| Grid Operations – Safety | Business unit Equals Grid Operations | Electrical safety refresher |
| All grid teams | Business unit Contains Grid | Grid code of conduct |
| Non-corporate staff | Business unit Is not equal Corporate | Field risk awareness |
Veltra Energy, its names and figures are a fictional example.
Set-up
From stored data to automation in 5 steps
Review
Audit your fields
In Settings > General > Custom fields, list what each field describes, its type and who fills it.
Pick
Choose one field
One field that already splits users the way training is organised, filled for most users.
Build
Build a first smart group
Create the group, link the training, then add a smart rule on that field in Manage smart rules.
Report
Turn on filters
Turn on Use as filter for the fields admins search by; keep external IDs in dedicated fields for exports.
Govern
Set simple rules
Before any new field: what will it drive, what does it describe, which type, who fills it, is it sensitive?
Expected result
Data you already had now enrols the right people automatically — with no new import.
In the platform
Review and fix your fields
Veltra only creates one new field: Hire date as a real Date, to replace the text “Start date” and unlock onboarding rules.
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business unit | Drop-down list | User | |
| Site | Short text | User | |
| Start date | Short text | User | |
| Hire date | Date | User | |
| Cost centre | Short text | User | |
| Employee ID | Short text | User |
+ Add custom field
Illustration · Veltra’s fields, with the new Hire date next to the old text Start date.
Name
Type *
Linked entities
Illustration · a Date field, linked to User.
In the platform
Build your first smart group on existing data
Veltra builds its first smart group, Grid Operations – Safety, on the Business unit field it already imports: one condition is enough.
- 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 follows each import.
- 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 Show concerned users to check who matches, then Save.
Main rule
ANDOR#1 - Condition group
Group rule
ANDORIllustration · the “Grid Operations – Safety” smart group with its single condition.
Choosing the operator
Illustration · the four operators offered for a custom field.
| Operator | Matches users whose value… | Veltra Energy example |
|---|---|---|
| Equals | is exactly the value typed | Business unit Equals Grid Operations — that unit only |
| Is not equal | is anything except the value typed | Business unit Is not equal Corporate — every other unit |
| Contains | includes the text typed | Business unit Contains Grid — Grid Operations and Grid Maintenance |
| Does not contain | does not include the text typed | Business unit Does not contain Grid — all non-grid units |
Troubleshooting
Common pitfalls and fixes
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| My first smart group is empty | The rule value does not match the stored values exactly | Check the spelling on a user profile, edit the condition with the pencil, then use Show concerned users |
| A group catches more units than expected | The rule uses Contains | Switch the condition to Equals |
| 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 field such as “Access to dashboards” gives no access | Custom fields set group membership, not permissions | Assign the role in Settings > Permissions |
| An onboarding rule on a date matches nobody | The date is stored as Short text | Create a Date field and fill it by import or from your HR flow |
| The delete icon is greyed out for a field | The field cannot be deleted from the list in its current state | Contact Support if you need to remove it |
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