Editing fields

You can edit any field's name or attributes; however, changing the field name through define fields will not change the field name in the layout. For information about changing the field name in a layout, see About layouts and the Layout Designer.

If you change the field name for a field used in lookups, the command may not work; and changing a field attribute may cause a loss of data. For example, if you change a field that contains alphanumeric data to a date/time field, all existing data in that field will be lost. Additionally, if you synchronize, the field you edited will no longer synchronize data with other databases.

To edit a field

1. From the Tools menu, click Define Fields.

The Define Fields window appears. For field definitions, press F1.

2. In the View fields for list, select the record type for which you want to edit a field (Companies, Contacts, Groups, or Opportunities), and then select the field you want to edit.

You can only edit the field name and length for Opportunity Fields 1-8.

3. From the Field Tasks list, click Edit field.

4. Follow the directions on the screen, pressing Next to proceed to the next screen. For more detailed help, from any panel, press F1.  

To avoid losing data, you should only shorten field lengths if the fields contain no data or you are certain the existing data will fit in the changed field. You should also avoid changing field types, such as changing a field from character to number.