Upcoming changes to custom columns in user management

We are working on a new update to streamline how custom columns work on the user management page.

Previously, it was possible to create custom columns under the user management section in both production and sub-environments like development and staging. With our previous update, user management tables have been unified, allowing you to manage users centrally from the production environment. As a result, creating custom columns in the sub-environments (development and staging) is no longer possible.

What’s new

Any custom column created in the production environment’s user management table will now immediately sync with the user management in the sub-environments.

What’s changing

1. Expanded sync support for complex field types

Previously, custom columns in the sub-environments with simple field types (such as Text, Text area, Number, Currency, Date, Date and time, Yes/No) were editable, while those using complex field types (such as Attachment, Dropdown, Signature) were read-only.

With this release, all field types in the old custom columns are now editable.

Note: Any validation rules associated with these field types will also be synced to production.

2. Centralized metadata management

• Custom column metadata (such as field type and validation rules) can now only be created and modified in the production environment.

• Data values can still be added or removed in the sub-environments, but structural changes (like field type or validation rules) must be made in production.

What this means for you

• Custom columns created in the sub-environments before this release will be removed along with their data.

• You can continue to edit data in custom columns from the sub-environments, but the structure and metadata must be managed in the production environment.

• The custom column sync is triggered when you create or modify a custom column in production. Only the metadata will be synced; that is, data values entered in production will not be copied to the sub-environments.

These changes are scheduled to be rolled out in May 2025.

Please feel free to drop a comment below if you have any questions!