# Create and manage custom objects

URL: https://attio.com/help/reference/managing-your-data/objects/create-and-manage-custom-objects
Breadcrumbs: [Help](https://attio.com/help) > [Reference](https://attio.com/help/reference) > [Managing your data](https://attio.com/help/reference/managing-your-data) > [Objects](https://attio.com/help/reference/managing-your-data/objects)

Create and configure custom objects.

> Available on pro, enterprise plans.
>
> Only **admins** can create and manage custom objects.

## **What are custom objects?**

If your company’s data doesn’t fit within [Attio’s standard objects](https://attio.com/help/reference/managing-your-data/objects/manage-standard-objects), you can create your own custom objects to suit your business requirements. Custom objects give you the flexibility to adapt Attio to your business’s exact needs.

For help choosing the right objects and understanding how they work with lists and views, see [Define your data model: objects, lists, and views](https://attio.com/help/reference/attio-101/attios-data-model/define-your-data-model-objects-lists-and-views). Admins and members with Full access to an object can [configure access to objects](https://attio.com/help/reference/managing-your-data/objects/manage-access-to-objects).

> **Note: **The number of objects you can use is dependent on your Attio plan: 3 on Free, 5 on Plus, 12 on Pro, and unlimited on Enterprise. Companies and People objects are included in those numbers. [Learn more about plans and pricing.](https://attio.com/pricing)

## **Things to consider before creating a custom object**

Before you create a new custom object, it’s important to ensure it is the best option for your data. Consider:

- **Does your data fit within one of Attio’s standard objects?** If so, consider using the standard object instead. The standard object will include built-in attributes, [enrichment data](https://attio.com/help/reference/managing-your-data/enriched-data), and features that may not be available with custom objects.
- **Do you need to sync emails or send emails to the records?** If so, consider using a standard object instead. Emails can only be sent to people records, and you can only [sync emails](https://attio.com/help/reference/email-calendar/email-and-calendar-syncing) to person and company records.

⁠Here are some examples of use cases that are a good fit for custom objects:

- A SaaS company may want to create a custom object for:

  - **Subscriptions**, to track data such as subscription type, status, renewal date, and seat count
  - **Invoices**, to track data such as amounts, due dates, and payment dates
  - **Projects**, to track project names, descriptions, owners, statuses, and due dates
- A B2B marketplace may want to create custom objects for:

  - **Buyers**, to track data such as total spend, number of purchases, or peer ratings
  - **Sellers**, to track data such as total earnings, number of sales, or buyer ratings
  - **Transactions**, to track data such as date, amount, and product

## Create a custom object

Workspace admins can create new custom objects from **Workspace settings**.

1. Click your workspace name in the top-left corner.
2. Select **Workspace settings** from the dropdown.
3. In the left-hand sidebar, click **Objects**.
4. Click **+ New custom object** in the top-right corner.

![Data page showing Objects tab with blue button highlighted for creating new custom object](https://a.storyblok.com/f/234930/2159x1375/5d64b21ad8/create-custom-object.png)

> **Note: **Custom objects are only available on Pro and Enterprise plans. [Learn more about plans and pricing.](https://attio.com/pricing)

5. Enter the **Plural** and **Singular nouns** for your object. For example, if you're creating a Subscriptions object, you would enter "subscriptions" and "subscription". You can update these later in **Workspace settings**, under the **Configuration** tab for the object.![Popup window titled "Create Custom Object" with fields for plural and singular nouns, and identifier/slug, plus "Cancel" and "Create Object" buttons.](https://a.storyblok.com/f/234930/2068x894/225b0977cb/plural-singular-nouns.png)6. Next, add an **Identifier / Slug**. This is the internal name for your object and is also used in the URL. Once set, the identifier cannot be changed. For example, the Companies object uses the identifier `companies`, which appears in the URL for the Companies page: `https://app.attio.com/basepoint/companies/view/`

7. When you're done, click **Create Object**.

> **Tip:** For a complete example, see **[How to create a custom object for Projects](https://www.attio.community/c/how-to-resources/how-to-create-a-custom-object-for-projects)** in the Attio Community.

> For a step-by-step video, see **Custom objects and relationships** in Attio Academy.

## Manage custom object attributes

Once you’ve created your custom object, head over to the **Attributes** tab to create attributes for the data points you want to track.  [Learn more about creating and managing attributes](https://attio.com/help/reference/managing-your-data/attributes/create-manage-attributes).

You can also customize which attributes are shown when creating a new record for your custom object by [creating a record template](https://attio.com/help/reference/managing-your-data/create-record-and-list-entry-templates) (available on Pro and Enterprise plans).

The following system attributes are automatically included on all custom objects. These system attributes are built-in by Attio, and the attributes and their values cannot be edited.

| Attribute     | Description                                                                                                           | Notes                                                        |
| ------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Record ID     | Unique ID generated when a record is created                                                                          | Unique; values not editable                                  |
| List Entries  | Lists the record is in                                                                                                | For use in filters; not displayable in table or kanban views |
| Next due task | Due date of the next upcoming task linked to the record                                                               | Values not editable                                          |
| Created at    | Date and time the record was created                                                                                  | Values not editable                                          |
| Created by    | Who or what created the record: a user, an integration (e.g. Zapier), a workflow automation, or an app (e.g. Segment) | Values not editable                                          |

### **Manage record labels**

To manage how your custom object records are displayed, admins and members with Full access to an object can follow these steps:

1. Click your workspace name in the top-left corner.
2. Select **Workspace settings** from the dropdown.
3. In the left-hand sidebar, click **Objects**.
4. Select the object you want to customize.

On the **Configuration **tab under **Appearance**, you can choose which attributes are used for record labels, including the record image and record text.

![Screenshot of a software interface showing an "Events" settings page with options for configuration, permissions, and appearance.](https://a.storyblok.com/f/234930/2452x1562/4787cc3a78/appearance-custom-object.png)

#### **Record image**

If you want records to include an image, use the dropdown under **Record image** to choose the attribute that will hold the image URLs.

This must be a text type attribute, since it stores URLs pointing to images. [Learn more about creating attributes.](https://attio.com/help/reference/managing-your-data/attributes/create-manage-attributes)

The record image appears:

- Next to the record text on the record page
- In the first column of list views

You can create or select a text attribute directly from the dropdown.

#### **Record text**

The **Record text** is the main identifying attribute shown for each record. This is typically a name attribute, but it could also be something like an ID, email address, or username, for example.

The record text appears:

- In the top left corner of the record page
- In the first column of views

For example, the standard Companies and People objects both use the Name attribute as their record text. This can be a Record ID, number type, or text type attribute. [Learn more about creating attributes.](https://attio.com/help/reference/managing-your-data/attributes/create-manage-attributes)

To set this:

1. Click **Choose an attribute** under **Record text**.
2. Select an existing attribute or click **+ Create new attribute** to make one.

## Change a custom object slug

Each custom object has a slug that identifies it in the API. By default, the slug is generated from the object’s singular name when you create it.

To change a custom object slug:

1. Click your workspace name in the top-left corner.
2. Select **Workspace settings** from the dropdown.
3. In the left-hand sidebar, click **Objects**.
4. Select the custom object you want to update.
5. In the **Configuration** tab, click the edit icon next to the **Identifier / Slug** field.
6. Enter the new slug and click **Save**.
7. Type the required confirmation text and click **Update**.

Keep in mind:

- Only custom object slugs can be changed. Standard object slugs cannot be changed.
- Changing a slug can break API integrations that reference the current slug. Before updating it, make sure to update any integrations that use the existing slug.

## **Delete a custom object**

Admins and members with Full access to an object can delete custom objects from **Workspace settings**.

> **Note:** Deleting a custom object is permanent. It will remove all records, data, and views associated with that object.

To delete a custom object:

1. Click your workspace name in the top-left corner.
2. Select **Workspace settings** from the dropdown.
3. In the left-hand sidebar, click **Objects**.
4. Select the custom object you want to delete.
5. Go to the **Configuration** tab.
6. Scroll to the bottom and click the red **Delete object** button.
7. To confirm, click **Delete object** again.

Make sure you really want to delete the object before confirming. This action cannot be undone.

![Screenshot of an "Events" configuration page, showing options for general settings, identifier, and a red "Delete object" button in the danger zone.](https://a.storyblok.com/f/234930/2090x1418/de2887089a/delete-custom-object.png)