Custom data types

A custom data type (CDT) in Appian defines a data structure made up of fields with a data type. The data type can be simple, such as Text or Date. A field can also use another CDT as a type, which creates a nested data structure. A field can be rendered as an array, which allows you to store a list of values in a single field.

While we will use CDTs to persist data to the database, the CDT does not do that on its own. It is just a data structure we use to define the types of objects and variables in the following places:

• Variables in process models
• Variables and rule inputs in expressions and interfaces
• Entities in data stores
• Exchanging data in integrations and Web APIs

  Tip

  There is no behind-the-scenes magic in Appian. If you want something to happen, you need to configure, model, or code it. All this is easy to do, but still needs to be done.

Creating the CDT

Follow these steps to create a new CDT:

1. To create a new object in...