Custom Fields for Payroll and Human Resources
Payroll Custom Fields let you add your own fields to several Payroll and Human Resources screens at once, to capture extra information that AdmCloud does not offer natively (for example, an internal reference code, a control date, or a classification of your own). Unlike other Custom Fields in the system, here you define the field only once and choose which screens it should appear on, instead of creating a separate field for each one.
What are they and what are they for?
A Payroll Custom Field is an extra field that you define and can enable on any combination of Payroll and Human Resources transaction screens. Once you create it and check which screens it should show on, every record on those screens (for example, every Hour Entry and every Labor Contract) can have its own value for that field.
This feature is useful when you need to store the same extra data on several Payroll or Human Resources transactions without repeating the definition, or when a developer is building a plugin or a custom integration that needs extra information on those transactions.
How to use it
- Open the screen. Go to Payroll Custom Fields from the Customization menu.
- Create the field. Enter the Field Name, the Label users will see, and the Data Type.
- Check which screens it should appear on. The form shows a Payroll tab (if your company has the Payroll module active) and a Human Resources tab (if it has the HR module active), each with one checkbox per available screen. Check as many as you need; the same field can appear on several screens from both modules at the same time. Save: the field becomes available immediately on the checked screens.
- Fill in the value on each transaction. When creating or editing, for example, an Hour Entry or a Labor Contract, complete the new field along with the other data and save as usual.
- Review or edit the field's definition. From this screen's list you can open any field to review its configuration or edit the data that can still be changed (see "What you can't change" below).
Where this field can appear
Each checkbox on the Payroll and Human Resources tabs enables the field on a different screen:
| Tab | Checkbox | Screen it appears on |
|---|---|---|
| Payroll | Hour Entry | Hour Entry |
| Payroll | Concept Registration | Concept Registration |
| Payroll | Labor Contracts | Labor Contracts |
| Payroll | Labor Contract Groups | Labor Contract Groups |
| Payroll | Leaves and Absences | Leaves and Absences (Time Off) |
| Payroll | Loans | Loans |
| Human Resources | Performance Evaluations | Performance Evaluations |
| Human Resources | Incidents | Incidents and Warnings |
| Human Resources | Trainings | Trainings |
| Human Resources | Asset Allocation | Asset Allocation to Employees |
| Human Resources | Personnel Actions | Personnel Actions |
The Payroll tab only shows up if your company has the Payroll module active, and the Human Resources tab only shows up if it has the HR module active. If your company has neither module active, this screen has no available screen to check the field for.
Key fields
| Field | What it's for |
|---|---|
| Field Name | The field's internal identifier (no spaces or special characters). Cannot be changed once created. |
| Label | The text users see next to the field on every screen where you check it. |
| Data Type | Defines what kind of information the field accepts (text, number, date, yes/no, a reference to another entity in the system, a Custom List, a Custom Record, a transaction, etc.). Cannot be changed once created. |
| Custom List | Only applies when the Data Type is "Custom List": indicates which of your custom lists the options come from. |
| Custom Record | Only applies (and is required) when the Data Type is "Custom Record": indicates which custom record the field points to. |
| Document Type | Only applies when the Data Type is "Transaction": indicates which document type in the system the reference points to (for example, to link to an invoice or another transaction). |
| Required | When enabled, the field becomes mandatory when saving the transaction on every screen where it's checked. |
| Default Value | Optional value automatically proposed on new transactions. It must be valid for the chosen Data Type. |
| Owner | The user responsible for the field's definition (defaults to whoever creates it). Used together with the "Protected" option. |
| Protected | When enabled, only the Owner user can view and edit the field's structure; other users won't see its configuration details (they can still fill in its value on the transactions where the field is checked). |
Validations when saving
- Field Name is required, with no spaces and no special characters.
- Field Name must be unique: you cannot reuse the same name on two Payroll custom fields.
- Label is required.
- Owner is required.
- If the field is "Protected", only the Owner can save changes to its structure.
- The Default Value must be valid for the chosen Data Type (for example, you cannot enter text in a numeric field).
- Custom Record is required when the Data Type is "Custom Record", and cannot be set if you chose a different data type.
What you can't change after creating it
To protect the information already captured on the transactions that use it, once you save the field for the first time the form locks editing of these items:
- The Field Name.
- The Data Type.
- The associated Custom List.
- The associated Custom Record.
You can still change, at any time, which Payroll or Human Resources screens the field appears on (the checkboxes on the tabs), its Label, whether it's Required and its Default Value. If you need to change the Name, the Data Type or the associated Custom List/Record, create a new field with the correct configuration instead.
Deleting a custom field
Deleting a custom field also deletes the values captured on every transaction that had it filled in, on any screen where it was checked; this action cannot be undone.
Transferring the field to another company
If your company is part of a group of companies in AdmCloud, the field's Owner can transfer (copy) its definition — along with its associated Custom List, if any — to another company in the group, without having to recreate it manually. This option only appears on the field's Details screen for the user who created it, and is not available in companies still in their evaluation period.
Availability, plan and permissions
- This feature requires the Enterprise plan. In addition, to be able to check which screens the field appears on, you need the Payroll module, the Human Resources module, or both, active. If your plan does not include it, the option won't appear in the menu and the screens will show a "not available in your edition" message.
- Access is controlled by the "Customization" permission on the user group, with separate levels for view, add, edit and delete.
- A field marked as "Protected" can only be viewed and edited by its Owner (ForTech users are not subject to this restriction).
Tips and common pitfalls
Take advantage of one field covering several screens. If you need the same data on, say, both Labor Contracts and Hour Entry, don't create two fields: create one and check both boxes.
Think through the Data Type before saving. Since you won't be able to change it afterward, take the time to decide what kind of information you need to capture (text, number, date, a custom list, a reference to another entity, etc.) before creating the field.
Deleting a field deletes its data. Before deleting a custom field, make sure you no longer need the captured information: deletion removes the entire column from every screen where it was checked and it cannot be recovered.
Don't see the option in the menu, or no screens to check? This feature requires the Enterprise plan, and to choose where the field appears you need the Payroll module or the Human Resources module active. If your company should have them enabled and they're not showing up, contact AdmCloud support.