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What is a property?

A property is a typed field on an object, the equivalent of a column on a table. Every property declares a type (text, number, date, select, and so on), and that type determines how the value is stored, validated, filtered, and rendered across every surface: the database view, record pages, filter pills, charts, and the schema exposed to AI tools. Each record holds one value per property. Choosing the right type up front matters. It is what lets Custral validate input, match inbound email to the correct record, roll values up in reports, and hand a clean schema to automations and AI.

Property families

Property types are grouped into families by the shape of the value they hold. Start with the family that matches your data:

Common

The everyday types most objects start with.

Text

Free-form text, emails, phone numbers, URLs, addresses, and unique IDs.

Number

Plain numbers, currency amounts, and durations.

Date & Time

Single dates, date ranges, and times of day.

Select

Option lists, statuses, users, and links to other records.

Communication

Embedded spreadsheets and whiteboards attached to a record.

Complex

Formulas, rollups, grades, external provider values, and usage.

See also

  • Objects: the containers properties live on.
  • Records: where property values are stored.