NetSuite provides hundreds of standard record types—customers, items, transactions, and more. But sometimes your business needs to track data that doesn't fit neatly into any existing record. That's where custom records come in. They let you create entirely new data structures within NetSuite, complete with their own fields, forms, permissions, and search capabilities.
When to Use Custom Records
Custom records are ideal for:
- Reference data – Product certifications, compliance requirements, internal project tracking
- Relationship tracking – Linking multiple entities (e.g., a "Contract" record linking a customer, vendor, and project)
- Operational data – Equipment maintenance logs, training records, quality inspection results
- Configuration tables – Storing application settings, lookup tables, or rule definitions
- Integration staging – Holding data from external systems before processing
Step 1: Create the Custom Record Type
Navigate to Customization > Lists, Records, & Fields > Record Types > New. Configure:
- Label – The display name (e.g., "Project")
- ID – Internal ID (e.g., customrecord_yrk_project). Use a consistent prefix.
- Description – Explain the purpose of this record type
Step 2: Configure Record Settings
On the record type form, configure these important options:
Record Display
- Include Name Field – Adds a standard "Name" field. Most records should include this.
- Show ID – Display the auto-incremented ID field
- Icon – Choose an icon that appears in lists and search results
Access and Permissions
- Access Type – "Use Permission List" for role-based access, or "No Permission Required" for universal access
- If using Permission List, you'll configure which roles can view, create, edit, or delete these records on the Permissions tab
Features
- Allow Inline Editing – Users can edit records directly from list views
- Allow Quick Add – Users can create records from popup windows
- Show Notes – Enable a notes tab on the record
- Use System Notes – Track field-level change history automatically
Step 3: Add Custom Fields
After saving the record type, go to Customization > Lists, Records, & Fields > Other Record Fields > New. Select your custom record type and add fields as needed. The field setup process is similar to creating any custom field—choose the type, configure validation, and set up sourcing.
Common fields to add:
- List/Record – Link to customers, items, employees, or other custom records
- Date – Start/end dates, deadlines
- Status (custom list) – Create a custom list for statuses (e.g., Active, Completed, On Hold)
- Currency/Decimal – Amounts, quantities, percentages
Step 4: Create Subtabs (Optional)
For complex records with many fields, organize them into subtabs. On the record type form, go to Subtabs and add new tabs. Then assign fields to specific tabs in the field configuration.
Step 5: Add Child Records (Sublists)
Custom records can have child records displayed as sublists. This is useful for one-to-many relationships. For example, a "Project" record might have a sublist of "Project Tasks." Create the child custom record type first, add a List/Record field linking to the parent, and check "Show as Sublist" in the parent record configuration.
Step 6: Build Saved Searches
Custom records are fully searchable. Create saved searches to report on your custom record data, use them in dashboards, or feed them into workflows.
Best Practices
- Plan your data model – Before creating custom records, design the relationships between them and existing NetSuite records
- Use linked records – Use List/Record fields to connect custom records to standard records (customers, items, transactions) rather than duplicating data
- Enable System Notes – This gives you a full audit trail of changes
- Set up permissions properly – Don't use "No Permission Required" for sensitive data
- Use consistent naming – Prefix all custom record IDs with your company abbreviation
Ready to design a custom data model for your business? Contact YRK Consulting for expert help.