Field Types
Text, number, decimal, dropdown, lookup, multi-select, date, checkbox. Pick the narrowest type that expresses the data.
Usage in Views
Fields drive filters, list columns, report dimensions. Design fields expecting reporting needs.
Lookups
Reference other objects. Relationships between custom objects. Careful design — N-level reference depth hurts UX.
Layouts
Section fields on forms. Role-based visibility. Hide rarely-used fields from the default view.
Governance
Catalog fields quarterly. Retire unused fields; they clutter forms and reports. A 400-field object where 50 matter is a signal to prune.