Custom data attributes are an integral part of your customer management process. They allow you to update and view information important to you and your business.

There are two main types of attributes, Customer Data and Pet Data. The functionality between the two is essentially the same, differing only in where the information is stored. In this guide we will discuss everything you need to know about creating, managing, and using custom data attributes.

Start by selecting the "Settings" menu from the bottom-left corner of the page.

Then select "Custom Data Attributes" from the "Product Configuration" section.

The Custom Data Attributes page allows you to view and manage your current customer and pet attributes. Attributes are split into two sections: Client Attributes and Pet Attributes. If you have not yet created any custom attributes each section will list your default attributes followed by the message "No custom attributes created".

If you have one or more custom attributes, they will be listed beneath the default attributes in their associated section (client or pet) with their name and format. Each attribute is also listed with its own edit (pencil icon) and delete (trash can icon) buttons. Default attributes will not have these buttons as they cannot be edited or removed.

The available fields on the Edit Custom Attribute page will vary slightly depending on the type of attribute you have chosen to edit. Note that the Field Type and Data Type cannot be edited. Once the desired updates have been made to the field name and/or options (if any), select the "Update Field" button to save your changes and go back to the field list. See the Adding a New Custom Attribute section of this guide for more information on different attribute types and related components.

Now that we know how to find and manage existing custom attributes, let's explore the steps required to add a new one. Start by locating and clicking the "Actions" button at the top of the Custom Data Attributes page. The resulting drop-down menu includes the selections New Data Attribute, Client Data Settings, and Pet Data Settings. Clicking "New Data Attribute" will take you to the attribute creation page.

The first step here is to name the attribute. This name will be used to label the field on your customer/pet profiles, and should generally be fairly concise. i.e. Emergency Contact, Veterinary Clinic, Pronouns, etc.

After naming the attribute, set the Field Type. This field may be set to Client or Pet, and controls where the data is to be listed. Client attributes are listed on customer profiles, pet attributes are listed on pet profiles.

From there, set the Data Type for the attribute. This setting determines the format of the input field for the new custom field (i.e. Drop-down menu, multiple choice, text box, date, etc.). Clicking the "Select a Type" field opens a drop-down menu with all of the available options.

Once you have completed the selections for your custom attribute, click the "+ Add Field" button to create it. Your new attribute will now be listed under the appropriate section (Client Attributes or Pet Attributes) on your Custom Data Attributes page. All existing fields will be listed on all customer and pet profiles and can be set to update automatically from client intake form submissions. For more information on using attributes within intake forms, check out our guide on Creating Forms and Contracts.

Many businesses collect a wide variety of data from their clients. As more and more attributes are created, it can become overwhelming to try to find the most important information. To help make it easier to access the information you need most, BusyPaws allows you to customize the order in which attributes are listed on client/pet profiles, and control which fields display by default.

To organize your custom attributes, select the "Actions" button at the top-right corner of your Custom Data Attributes page. This will open a drop-down menu with the options "New Data Attribute", "Client Data Settings" and "Pet Data Settings". Select Client Data Settings to organize your customer attributes or Pet Data Settings to organize your pet attributes.

After selecting one of the two Data Settings options you will be taken to a page listing all of the existing custom attributes of that type. Attributes can be re-ordered by clicking the two lines to the left of any line item and dragging the attribute to the desired location.

Each attribute also has a visibility toggle, indicated with an eye icon at the right end of its line item. When enabled (purple), the attribute will be listed directly on each client's profile. Any attribute with visibility disabled (grey) will show on client profiles only after the user selects "Show More".

For more information on how attributes appear on client and pet profiles, see the section below on Adding and Viewing Attribute Data.

Let's take a look at the different ways our custom attribute data can be added, viewed, and updated. As an example, we will consider the following potential custom attributes, some for customer profiles, some for pet profiles.

Every customer profile lists custom attribute fields near the bottom of the left-hand column.

The Attributes section will automatically display any custom attributes that have been set as visible. Click the "Show More" button to expand the section and see a full list of attributes and their associated data.

Select any attribute's name to open edit its content.

That will open a pop-up with a field to edit the attribute content. The type of field will vary depending on the format of the attribute (i.e. text field, multiple choice, date selection, etc.). Click the "Update" button to save changes made to the attribute data or click the "X" at the top-right corner to exit without saving.

Information can also be added to these fields through intake forms. When a field on a form has been associated with an attribute, the act of submitting that form will add those details to the Attributes section of the client's profile.

The same is true for custom pet attributes. If you navigate to a pet profile you will see the pet's attribute fields listed down the left side of the page. Though vaccines are a form of custom attribute they will always be listed in their own section, between the standard attributes (pet name, gender, type, breed, birthday) and the Custom Data section.

Just as for client attributes, select any pet attribute to adjust its data and click the "Show More" button in the Custom Data section to see attributes that have been set as not visible. All default pet attributes (photo, name, gender, type, breed, birthday) can be adjusted by editing the pet profile via the Actions button menu.

Attribute data may also be collected through intake forms. When a custom attribute is assigned to a field on a form that attribute data will be updated automatically when a client submits that form. Likewise, if a default field is included on a form the submission of that form will add the associated data to the client's/pet's profile.

For more information, see our help guide on Creating Forms & Contracts. It is strongly recommended to use intake forms to collect the majority of your client data, as forms are one of the best ways of reducing administrative workload.

Some attributes are also available for clients to update through their Private Client Portal account. After logging into their account, customers will be able to update their default attribute data (first name, last name, email, phone, address) as well as their pets' default attribute data (pet name, gender, type, breed, birthday). They will also be able to update pet vaccine data.

We hope this will enable you to add all of the information you need to know to run your business and keep it all in one place!