CRM settings
Design contact types, groups, properties, and access rules
System → CRM Settings defines the CRM structure for all users. Changes affect entry forms, profiles, tables, filters, imports, and some project components.
Understand the three levels
| Level | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Contact type | Categorises contacts and creates the tab | Artist, accommodation, agency |
| Property group | Organises fields into sections and may be confidential | Contact details, bank data, technical data |
| Property | Stores one specific value | Phone number, date of birth, website |
A property is first created in a group and then assigned to the contact types that need it.
Manage contact types
A type has a name, icon, and colour shown on its tab and profiles. Custom types can be edited and deleted after confirmation.
System types carry a System marker. Other Artwork functions depend on them, so they cannot be removed like custom types. Offered display details may be adjusted without changing the underlying system function.
Assign properties to a contact type
Open Edit property assignment on a type. Add or remove groups and enable individual properties. Each enabled property has these options:
| Option | Effect |
|---|---|
| Mandatory field | Must be completed during creation or saving |
| Show in list view | Adds a column to this type's tab |
| Filterable | Offers the field in the filter dialog |
Uploads cannot be filtered. Some system groups and properties cannot be deselected because other functions rely on them.
Keep the result focused: too many columns make the list difficult to scan, and every mandatory field increases effort during creation and import.
Property groups
A group has a name and icon. Enable Confidential when its fields should not be visible to all CRM users.
For a confidential group, search users or teams and separately grant:
- Can view — the group and values are visible.
- Can edit — values can be changed.
In practice, combine edit access with the required view access. If you turn off confidentiality, the separate access list is no longer used.
Create properties
Select Add property in the desired group, then provide a name, type, and optional help text. Available types are:
| Type | Suitable for |
|---|---|
| Text | Short values such as phone, city, or reference number |
| Textarea | Notes and longer descriptions |
| Number | Purely numeric values |
| Date | Calendar dates |
| Checkbox | Binary characteristics |
| Selection | Controlled list of prepared values |
| Link | Web addresses displayed as clickable links |
| Upload | One file stored directly on the contact |
For Selection, define the allowed options using the intended spelling. Imports check these exact values.
Drag properties within their group to change their order. This affects the contact page and entry forms.
Edit and delete
Custom groups and properties can be edited or deleted after confirmation. System items are protected. Before deletion, assume that existing values and assignments will no longer be available.
Test structural changes first
Create a new field as optional and assign it to one contact type. Test entry, list, filter, and import. Only then make it mandatory and roll it out to more types.
Recommended conventions
- Name contact types clearly and in the singular.
- Do not create duplicate properties with slightly different spelling.
- Group privacy-sensitive values into dedicated confidential sections.
- Keep selection values short, stable, and consistent.
- Reserve mandatory status for genuinely indispensable data.
- Do not treat protected system fields as freely interchangeable master data.