4 Powerful NetSuite Customisations Anyone Can Do

NetSuite's customisation tools offer an innovative way to tailor the suite to match your unique business needs and processes. These solutions provide a user-friendly point-and-click interface for creating fields, forms, record types, transaction types, form layouts, segments, and centers.

With these customisation capabilities, you have the power to define how information is accessed and entered by each user of your NetSuite account. This blog will guide you through creating four types of customisations step-by-step to meet a range of business needs. And the best part? These customisations ensure the suite's hassle-free upgradability, seamlessly adapting to every new product release. 

Custom Fields

Custom fields are like the secret sauce of your NetSuite account, allowing you to sprinkle in user-defined data fields that cater specifically to your business needs. Picture a physician clinic creating a custom field to store extra patient details for quick reference - that's the kind of magic custom fields bring. Whether they sit on the record's header, under a subtab, or as a transaction column, these fields give you the power to customise how information flows within NetSuite.

Examples of Custom Field Types:

• Entity fields
• Transaction body fields
• Transaction line fields

To create a Custom Field:

1. Navigate to Customization > List, Records, and Fields > New.
2. Select the Custom Field Type.
3. Enter the Label for the field.
4. Select the Type of field you would like to create, e.g. Free Form Text, List/Record, Currency, etc.
5. Navigate to the Applies To subtab and select where you want to display it.
6. Navigate to the Display subtab and choose the subtab you would like the field to appear under.

Tips

• When crafting your custom field in NetSuite, remember that the field-level help details in the Help field under the Display subtab are your best friend. These details guide users on the information you expect them to enter or select in the field, ensuring seamless data input.
• Make a custom field mandatory only when you want users to always fill it out - skip this step if the information isn't always available.
• And unless you want the field to pop up in every saved search you create, resist the urge to check the Show In List checkbox during creation. This way, you can keep your custom fields tailored and clutter-free for maximum efficiency.

Custom Lists

Custom lists are like a treasure trove of options that you can sprinkle into your custom fields on forms and records. These lists enable you to set up pre-defined choices for your team members and customers to select when inputting transactions and records.

For instance, imagine a service company adding a field to pinpoint the specific region of a customer - that's the magic of custom lists. Intended for small, fixed, and related sets of data, each custom list should ideally contain no more than 1000 values.

To create a custom list:

1. Navigate to Customization > List, Records, and Fields > Lists > New.
2. Enter the Name of the custom list.
3. Choose how the items in the custom list should be ordered in the Show Options In field.
4. Under the Values subtab, enter each of the values with which you want to populate the list.
5. Click Save.

Tips

• To seamlessly incorporate your custom list into your forms, follow the steps outlined above for creating a custom field.
• Under step 3, select List/Record, then choose the relevant custom list from the options provided.
• For an organised approach, opt for Alphabetical Order in the Show Option In field to ensure easy navigation through the list.

Custom Records

You can create custom record types to collect and store information that is not included in NetSuite. For example, a hardware support services company may need to track the computer equipment it is managing for its customers. The company could create a custom record to store information such as purchase date, serial number, and condition so its technicians can easily access these details. If there is not a relevant standard record type in
NetSuite, you can create a custom one called Equipment.

To create a Custom Record:

1. Navigate to Customisation > List, Records, and Fields > Record Types > New.
2. Enter the Name of the record type you are creating.
3. Enter a Description of the record type.
4. Fill in other appropriate information.
5. Click Save. After saving, you can create the fields that make up the custom record.
6. Edit the custom record and navigate to the Fields subtab and click New Fields to add the fields you want to appear on your custom record.

Tips

• To ensure seamless integration of your custom fields with your custom record, make sure to mark the "Show In List" checkbox for fields that you want to display when creating a saved search for this list.
• When it comes to Custom Records, they can be linked to existing records through a parent-child relationship. This feature allows a custom record to appear under another record type, such as Customer Record > Customer Survey.
• Remember to assign the appropriate permissions to other roles to ensure they can create, edit, or view the custom record effectively.

Custom Segments

Classifications play a vital role in organising and managing records within NetSuite, providing a structured way to categorise data effectively. By utilising custom segments, you have the power to create tailored classifications similar to the default ones such as class, department, and location in NetSuite.

For instance, imagine a shipping company keen on analysing the profitability of each business unit - a custom segment could be the key. This segment allows the company to designate the relevant business unit on transactions, reflecting this information on financial statements. Custom segments function as search filters and columns in NetSuite reports, offering a versatile tool for data organisation and analysis. Moreover, these segments can be configured to have an impact on the general ledger, enhancing the financial insights derived from these classifications.

Consider a scenario where your company needs to categorise a record based on its profit center. By creating a custom segment named Profit Center, you can efficiently sort and search for data, streamlining your data management process for enhanced decision-making capabilities. Custom segments are a valuable asset in structuring and analysing data within NetSuite, providing a tailored approach to data organisation and management.

To create a Custom Segment:

1. Navigate to Customization > List, Records, and Fields > Custom Segments > New.
2. Enter the name of the custom segment under Label.
3. Choose a type of List/Record.
4. Select the Display Type.
5. Select a Filter By if needed.
6. If you want this segment on your general ledger, check GL Impact.
7. Enter Field-Level Help and a Description for your segment.
8. Navigate to the Values subtab and enter the name of the values you want in your list.
9. Update other information on the custom segment as needed.
10. Click Save.

Tip

• Check GL Impact for this custom segment to appear when viewing the impact on transaction.

Supporting you with NetSuite

NetSuite's customisation tools offer a seamless and innovative solution to tailor the suite to your unique business needs. From custom fields and lists to records and segments, you have the power to define how information flows within NetSuite and make data management more efficient. By utilising these customisation capabilities, you can enhance decision-making capabilities, streamline processes, and gain valuable insights for your business. If you're looking to take your NetSuite customisation to the next level, don't hesitate to reach out to our team at Project Salsa for expert assistance.

Our team of professionals is here to support you every step of the way in optimising your NetSuite experience. Contact us today for a personalised consultation.