Attributes
Learn to create, track, and manage attributes in Attio.
Attributes are customizable data points added to your records in Attio. An example attribute might be a record’s location, where they work, or when your last email interaction was with them.
Object versus list attributes
Before creating a new attribute, consider whether it should be an object attribute or list attribute:
Object attributes are created on the object level, and they will show on every record for that object in your workspace. They can be surfaced in all lists.
List attributes can only be used in the list where you create the attribute.
If you are creating an attribute that is relevant in many lists and applies to all records of a certain object in your workspace (for example all person or all company records), you may want to create an object attribute. If you are creating an attribute that is only relevant to one list, you can create a list attribute.
Object attributes
Object attributes will appear on every record for a given object in your workspace and can be surfaced in any list. For example, a company object attribute will show on all company records in your workspace. While only admins can add or change new object attributes, any member of your team can assign values to them.
For a video walkthrough of creating object attributes, see Attio Academy.
To create or edit object attributes, choose Workspace settings from the dropdown beside your workspace name in the sidebar, then navigate to Objects in the left-hand menu. Next, select the object you want to create attributes for, and navigate to the Attributes tab.
Click + Create attribute to create a new attribute, choosing an attribute type, giving it a name, optionally adding a description, and setting other criteria depending on the attribute type.
Custom objects have two additional options for attributes: Required and Unique. Deals, Users, and Workspaces standard objects also have the Unique option. Making an attribute Required means filling out the attribute will be mandatory whenever a new record is created for the object. Enabling the Unique option will make it so that the content of the attribute can only appear once, meaning no two records can have the same value for the attribute. This can be helpful in preventing duplicate records in your workspace.
From this page you can also edit, duplicate, archive, or restore attributes from the ⋮ icon to the right of an attribute. Click and drag attributes with the ::: icon to change the order, which can impact which attributes show by default on record pages. See Configure record pages for more information.
To display your object attributes in a view, click View settings followed by + Add column. Scroll down or search for your object attribute.
Enriched attributes
Attio gives each company or person record a set of built-in enriched attributes that auto-populate based on data we source about your records including:
Contact details: description, location, and social media links
Company details: foundation date, categories
Communication intelligence: last contacted, connection strength, and strongest connection
Note: Access to certain enriched attributes will depend on your Attio plan. Learn more about the different plans available.
List attributes
List attributes are only able to be used in the list where they are created, so you can use them instead of object attributes when they are only relevant to one list. You can track values such as owner, priority, stage, and more.
Full access members of a list and admins can access a dedicated attribute tab for each list. To open the attribute tab:
Select the ⋮ icon in the top right of a list
Select Manage attributes
Manage, edit, and create custom attributes using the Manage attributes tab
From this tab you can create new attributes with + Create attribute, and reorder attributes with the ::: icon. The order of the attributes on this page will determine the order of attributes shown when you go to add a new record to your list.
Click and drag attributes with the ::: icon to change the order, which can impact which attributes show on record pages. See Configure record pages for more information.
Select the ⋮ icon to the right of an attribute to edit, duplicate, archive, or restore the attribute if it is archived.
Attribute types
There are several different attribute types to choose from, depending on the type of data you want to track:
Status - track which status each record is currently in and use it in a kanban view
User - track which members of your workspace are owners or assignees
Select and multi-select - pick from one or more color-coded options in a dropdown
Text - fillable custom text fields; can also be used for URLs
Date and timestamp - track due dates, timestamp records, or schedule follow-ups, displayed as absolute dates/times or relative values (i.e. "in 3 days")
Number - track quantitative values such as percentages
Currency - select your currency and track monetary values
Checkbox - record yes or no answers by checking/unchecking a box
Rating - add custom ratings between 1 and 5 stars
Record - reference another record, such as a specific person or company, as a value. Select the checkbox for Multiple Values if you want to be able to add more than one record as values for the attribute, and select the object(s) you want to be able to choose from when adding a value to the attribute under Available object types
Relationship - show the bidirectional relationship between records. Similar to the Record attribute type, except it writes to both sides of the relationship rather than only one side, and it can only be created at the object level (not as a list attribute). Learn more about relationship attributes.
Location - includes fields for city, state, and country
Phone Number - add phone numbers, requiring valid format including country codes
Updating attribute value options
Certain attribute types like single and multi-select provide a dropdown with options to pick from so that you don’t need to manually type the value out each time (a bit like a multiple choice question in a form).
You can add as many value options as you like. You can edit option names, colors, and the order of your options.
Note: Deleting an option will delete any input data that already exists. You won't be able to get this back.
Relationship attributes
Relationship attributes allow you to connect records and show the bidirectional relationship between them. Updating the value of a relationship attribute on one record will also automatically update the value on any connected records.
For a video walkthrough of setting up relationship attributes, see Attio Academy.
Note: Relationship attributes are only available on Pro and Enterprise plans. Learn more about plans and pricing.
The Relationship attribute type is only available for object attributes, not list attributes, and you must be an admin to create them. To create a relationship attribute, click your workspace name and go to your Workspace settings, click Objects, select an object, then go to the Attributes tab. When you create an object attribute and select the Relationship attribute type, you will choose the two objects you want to link. This can be two different objects or two of the same object.
Then choose from the following options to designate how many records can be linked on both sides:
One to many
This allows you to select one record of the first object and connect it to many records of the second object
Example: Connect Companies with a Deals object to connect one company with many deals associated with the company
One to one
Connect one record of the first object with one record of the second object
Example: Connect Companies with People to link your main point of contact at a company to their company
Many to one
Connect many records of the first object with one record of the second object
Example: Connect an Invoices custom object with Companies to link many invoices to one company
Many to many
Connect many records of the first object with many records of the second object
Example: Connect a Workspaces custom object with a Users custom object to link a workspace with its users (and users can be in more than one workspace)
You will also need to give an Associated attribute name for both sides of the relationship. This will show on all records for the object it's under and should describe the relationship the linked records of the other obejct will have to its records.
For example: For a Workspaces <> Users relationship attribute, under Workspaces you'd enter "Users" for the Associated attribute name, and under Users you'd enter "Workspaces", like this:
With the above setup, when you are adding a workspace record you can designate its user(s) via the relationship attribute, and when you add a user you can designate its workspace(s) via the relationship attribute. If you update the workspace attribute on a user, it will also update the user attribute on the workspace.
