Add and Map Data Fields to an Application

Overview

Fields are how CX Platform makes sense of your data. Every time you send a campaign, the platform takes the data you've supplied — names, account numbers, balances, due dates, anything else — and slots each piece into the right place inside your templates. That mapping is set up here, in the Fields tab of your Application.

Getting your Fields right means your personalisation tokens always pull the right value, your reports show the right information, and your team can search and filter with confidence. It's worth spending a bit of time here at the start, because everything else in your Application builds on top of it.

To access the Field settings for your Application:

In the secondary navigation menu, click Applications to view a list of all available Applications.
In the Application list view, double click on the auto highlighted Application or click on the Settings icon on the right hand of the list view.
Click the Fields tab to display your field and mapping settings.

Inside the Fields tab

Each row in the Fields tab represents a single piece of data. Reading left to right, you'll set the display name, the data type, where the value comes from in your incoming data, how it behaves in search and list views, and where it lands in CX Platform.

Here's what each column does:

Field Setting Description	What it's for
Name	The friendly display name for the Field — what you and your team will see across the platform. Use plain English here (for example, "Account Number" rather than "accountNumber") since this is the label that shows up in templates, reporting, and search.
Data type	Tells the platform what kind of value to expect — Text, Integer, and so on. Picking the right type means the data gets validated, sorted, and formatted correctly when it's used in templates and reports.
Source data field	Tells the platform where to find this value in your incoming data. What you put here depends on how the data arrives: Excel/CSV uploads, or documents added manually via Add Document — set this to the same as the Name. The Source data field isn't actually required in this case, but matching it to Name keeps things tidy. API (XML/JSON) or XML Batch uploads — map the value using a path to the element, like `/path/to/element`. If all your data sits inside an element called `fields`, you can drop the slashes and just enter the field name on its own.
Is search index?	Tick this if you want to be able to search by this Field in Archive and reporting. Handy for things like Account Number or Email Address where you'll often need to look up a specific recipient later.
Show in list view?	Tick this if you want the Field to appear on the main Search page, where your team can see it at a glance when looking up sends. Leave it unticked if the Field is only needed inside the template (for personalisation tokens, for example) and doesn't need to be visible in Search results.
Destination field	Tells the platform where the value lands once it's in CX Platform. There are a handful of pre-defined destinations (like Email Address and Mobile) reserved for specific values that power platform features — use one of these whenever it fits. For anything else, pick a custom destination that matches your Data type: Source System Document Id — the ID of the document in the originating system. Skip this if it's not relevant. Custom — Integer — whole numbers without decimals or letters, like `12345`. Good for account numbers, invoice numbers, and similar. Custom — Decimal — numbers with decimal points, like `12,345.00`. Suits dollar amounts, closing balances, and totals. Custom — Date — dates in DD/MM/YYYY format. Custom — Alpha numeric Id — for IDs that mix letters and numbers, like `INV1234` or `PO51125`. Custom — Text — any other free text.

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Add a new Data Field

Adding a Field tells your Application about a new piece of data it should expect from your source system. Each new Field is set up in the empty row at the bottom of the list:

In the empty row at the bottom of the Fields list, type the display name into the Name column.
Choose a Data type from the dropdown — for example, Text for names and references, or Integer for numbers like account or lodgement numbers.
In Source data field, tell the platform where to find the value in your incoming data. If you're uploading via Excel/CSV or adding documents manually, set this to match the Name. If you're importing via API (XML/JSON) or XML Batch, enter the path to the element (for example, /path/to/element) — or just the field name on its own if your data sits inside a fields element.
Tick Is search index? if you want to be able to search by this Field later.
Tick Show in list view? if you want this Field to appear on the main Search page. Leave it unticked if it's only used within the template.
Choose a Destination field that matches your Data type. Use Email Address and Mobile only for the actual email and mobile values — everything else should go to a custom destination.
Click Save at the bottom of the page to lock it in.

Once saved, the new Field becomes available to use in your templates, your reports, and any list views you've enabled it for.

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A few best practices for picking destinations

Email Address and Mobile are reserved for the actual email and mobile values. These are the destinations the platform uses to deliver your messages, so mapping the wrong value here means your sends won't reach the right place.

A few other rules of thumb worth following:

Keep display names and field types consistent across your Applications. It makes things easier to manage as your library grows.
Use camelCase for Source data fields
Use Custom — Integer wherever you can, rather than Custom — Alpha numeric Id.
Use Custom — Integer, Custom — Decimal, or Custom — Date where they suit the data. Don't store numbers or dates as text.

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‍Destination fields are usually pre-configured for your organisation, so the options you see in the dropdown will already reflect the data structure your team works with. You'll be picking from what's there rather than setting up new destinations from scratch — and if something you need is missing, your CX Platform administrator can get that sorted for you.

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Edit an existing Data Field

You can come back and edit your Fields anytime, though what's available to change depends on whether your Application has already received data.

For Applications with no data imported yet, everything's open — you can change names, data types, source mappings, destinations, and remove Fields entirely.

Once data has been imported, the platform locks down anything that could break your existing records or previously sent communications.
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When an Application already has imported data, you can edit the display Name and add new Fields. Existing Fields can’t be deleted, and their Data type, Source data field, or Destination field can’t be changed. This safeguard helps keep historical sends and reports intact.

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Reorder or remove Fields

The order of your Fields controls how they appear in list views and reports, so it's worth getting it into a logical sequence.

Use the up and down arrows on the right of each row to move a Field higher or lower in the list.
To remove a Field, click the trash icon on the right of the row. (Only available for Fields that haven't yet had data imported against them.)
Click Save to apply your changes.

Export your Field structure

Need an offline copy of how your Fields are configured? Click Download XML format at the bottom of the page to export the full structure as an XML file.

This is useful when you're handing a spec to a developer who's setting up the data integration on the source side, or when you want to document your setup for a project handover.