Columns and data types
A column is one piece of information kept on every record, and its type decides what can go in it, how it looks, and what Merchaint can do with it later. Choosing the right type matters more than anything else on this page — it is hard to undo once data exists.
- A walkthrough video, then why the type you choose matters
- All ten data types, and which one to reach for
- How to add a column, the switches you will see, and the expected result
- Troubleshooting notes, then FAQ
01 · Video
Feature walkthrough
02 · Why
Why do we have this?
Merchaint has to know that a total is money and a due date is a date. Otherwise it can't add them up, sort them, compare them, or spot that one invoice is bigger than its purchase order.
Why is it set up this way?
The type is the thing everything downstream reads. Matching compares numbers as numbers. The grid sorts dates as dates. Your ERP expects money as money.
03 · Use cases
The ten types
| Type | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Text | Names, codes, references, anything with leading zeros |
| Number | Quantities, counts |
| Currency | Any money value |
| Date | Invoice date, due date |
| Date & Time | When something happened to the minute |
| Checkbox | Yes or no |
| Select | One choice from a list you write |
| Multi-Select | Several choices from that list |
| Linked Record | A pointer to a row in another module |
| Lookup | Smart Recognition — messy text resolved to a real row |
Which should I use?
| You have | Use |
|---|---|
| A supplier code with leading zeros | Text |
| An invoice total | Currency |
| "Approved / Rejected / On hold" | Select |
| A supplier name off a document | Lookup |
| A supplier you already picked | Linked Record |
Select or Lookup?
Select is a short fixed list you write by hand — statuses, categories. Lookup points at a whole module and matches messy text against it. Use Select for a handful of choices, Lookup for anything with its own table.
04 · How
- Open
More→Add Column. - Give it a name. This is what people see.
- Pick the
Data Type. The rest of the form changes to match. - Set
Zone. Record Fields puts it with the rest of the details. Summary is for totals, and only works on modules that have line items. - Fill in anything the type asks for — options for a Select, a target table for a Lookup.
- Press
Save Changes.
The switches you'll see
| Switch | What it does |
|---|---|
| Required | The record can't be created without it |
| Allow Multiple Values | Keeps several values in one field, as a list |
| Fixed Value | Always stores the same constant, never extracted |
| Show in task previews | Approvers see this value on the task row in their inbox |
| Calculated | Works the value out from a formula instead of storing one |
Options, on a Select column
Each option gets a label and a colour. You need at least two and can have up to a hundred.
05 · Expected result
The column exists and appears on the record page. To see it in the grid you have to turn it on under Columns — new columns are not shown there automatically.
06 · Troubleshooting / notes
| What you see | What it means |
|---|---|
| The new column isn't in the grid | It's hidden. Columns → tick it. |
| Numbers won't sort properly | The column is Text. Change the type. |
| A leading zero vanished | The column is Number. It should be Text — and the zero is already gone. |
| Some switches disappeared when I changed type | Normal. Not every setting applies to every type. |
| The column isn't in the filter list | Not every type can be filtered. Select and Reference columns aren't. |
07 · FAQ
Can I change a type later?
Yes, but do it before there's much data. Changing type can leave values behind that no longer fit.
What is Zone for?
It decides where the field shows on the record. Record Fields for normal information, Summary for the totals block at the bottom. Summary only appears on modules with line items, and only takes numbers.
Fills the field for you instead of leaving it to extraction. It can copy a constant, another field on the same record, or a value off a record you matched to.
Fixed Value stores the same text every time. Calculated works out a number from other columns.