The Case for Typed Fields Over Free-Text Notes
A note says "rent is 950, due on the 1st". A typed field says it in a way you can sort, filter, total and remind on. When to use each, and how to make the switch.
Most records start as notes. "Tenant since March, rent 950 payable monthly, deposit held, break clause after a year." It is quick to write and easy to read. It is also invisible to every question you will later want to ask across many records: whose break clause falls next quarter? What is the total monthly rent? Which files have no deposit recorded? A note cannot answer any of that. A typed field can.
What a typed field is
A typed field is a labelled slot that accepts one kind of value: a date, a number, an amount of money, a yes/no, a choice from a list, a person. "Break clause date: 1 March". "Monthly rent: 950". "Deposit held: Yes". The type is the point. A date field only accepts dates, so it can be sorted, compared and used to trigger reminders. A number can be totalled. A choice list gives everyone the same words.
What typed fields buy you
- Filtering and sorting. "All open matters where the next review date is before month end" becomes a one-line filter.
- Totals and reports. Numbers add up without anyone re-reading every file.
- Reminders. A date in a field can generate a task or an alert. A date buried in a paragraph cannot.
- Consistency. A choice list stops "Closed", "closed - done", "Finished" and "complete?" appearing as four different states.
- Completeness checks. An empty field is visible. A missing sentence in a note is not.
- Faster reading. The facts sit in the same place on every record, so people stop hunting.
What free text is still for
Typed fields are not a replacement for writing. Narrative belongs in notes: what happened on a call, why a decision was made, the tone of a meeting, anything with nuance or sequence. The rule of thumb:
- If you will ever want to filter, count, total or be reminded by it, make it a field.
- If it needs context or explanation, write it as a note.
- Often it is both: a field for the fact ("Outcome: Upheld") and a note for the reasoning.
For the narrative side, see how to write a case note that still makes sense in five years.
Choosing the right type
| If the value is | Use |
|---|---|
| A day that matters | Date field |
| An amount you will total | Number or currency field |
| One of a known set | Choice list |
| True or false | Yes/no |
| A person or organisation | A link to the contact, not their name typed in |
| Repeating rows (payments, visits) | A table, not a pile of fields |
Common mistakes
- Too many fields. Forty fields on a form means none get filled. Start with the six to ten you actually filter or report on.
- "Other" as the most popular choice. It means the list is wrong. Look at what people type and fix the options.
- Dates as text. "Early March" cannot trigger anything. Pick a date and note the uncertainty.
- Fields that nobody reads. If no report, filter or reminder uses it, question whether it earns its place.
Making the switch
Look at the last twenty records of one type. Highlight every fact that appears in most of them and that someone has asked a question about. Those are your first fields. This is the same exercise that tells you a tracking spreadsheet has outgrown itself; see why spreadsheets break at fifty records. In a case-based system such as Herarx, those fields live in a template, so every new record starts with the same shape.
