Custom Fields

Sometimes you may need additional fields beyond those provided by default.

In the Settings menu, open the Custom Fields tab to create and manage extra fields for Assets, Processing Activities, Legal Entities, Initiatives, and Risks.

This lets you tailor TrustWorks to your organization’s specific data and reporting needs.

Where you can use custom fields

Assets

Under the Additional Information tab, you’ll find Processing Locations together with any custom fields you’ve configured.

Custom fields can be used to record complementary details that aren’t covered elsewhere—for example, internal classifications, system ownership, or integration notes related to the asset.

Processing Activities

When editing or creating a processing activity, open the Additional Information tab to view or add custom fields.

You can replicate fields from your existing Record of Processing Activities (RoPA) to ensure nothing is lost during import.

Custom fields can also be marked for inclusion in the RoPA export.

Legal Entity

Under the Additional Information tab, you can add custom fields to capture details not included in the default setup—such as an internal code, a responsible department, or any other internal reference.

These fields help you document and display entity-specific attributes consistently across your organization.

Initiatives

Within an Initiative, you’ll find a Custom Fields section under the ‘Additional Information’ tab.

This allows you to include extra attributes relevant to your internal governance programs or improvement projects — for example, an internal ID, business area, budget, or compliance objective.

By defining custom fields for Initiatives, you can standardize tracking and reporting across ongoing projects or programs within TrustWorks.

Risks

You can also add custom fields to Risks. These appear in the ‘Additional Information’ tab when creating or editing a Risk.

Use them to capture any additional context not included in the default fields — for instance, classification type, associated regulation, assessment method, or review frequency.

This flexibility helps you align risk documentation in TrustWorks with your organization’s internal frameworks and reporting templates.

Surveys

Custom fields can also be utilised in surveys, helping you streamline them to always include the necessary questions. Information added in the 'Custom Attributes' section of the survey will be updated in the processing activity or data repository associated with the survey.

How to create a custom field

Basic setup

1. Click on ‘+ New Custom Field’ and a pop-up will appear.

   

2. Enter a name for the field.
3. Select the field type:
   • Number – for numeric values (e.g., number of users).
   • Date – opens a date picker (useful for renewal or review dates).
   • Selection list – customisable list of predefined options.
   • Text – for open, free-form responses.
   • URL (link) – creates a clickable link.
4. Now select the related entity you want this field to be available for: Data Inventory, Processing Activities, or Legal Entity. Note that this cannot be changed once the field is created.
5. Decide if the field is active (enabled by default).
6. For Assets, Processing Activities, and Legal Entities you can also display the custom field in filters.
7. For processing activities, choose if the field should be available in the RoPA export.
8. Optionally, add a description. If provided, it will appear in the information tooltip next to the field name.

You can edit or delete a custom field from the list of custom fields at any time. Please note that if you delete a custom field from the Settings menu, all data entered in that field since its creation will also be deleted.

Managing Selection List Options

Selection List fields support configurable option management to help organisations maintain clean and consistent taxonomies over time.

Editing Option Labels

Admins can safely rename selector options at any time.

When an option label is updated:

• The new label is automatically reflected across all related objects where the value is used
• Historical relationships remain intact
• Existing records do not lose their selected values

This makes it easier to standardise terminology or update naming conventions without recreating fields or losing data consistency.

Example:

• “HR System” → renamed to “People Platform”
• Existing records automatically display the updated label

Users can remove inactive values from records if needed.

However, once removed:

• The inactive value cannot be selected again
• Historical reporting consistency may be affected

For this reason, TrustWorks displays a confirmation warning before removal.

Active and Inactive Options

Selection list options can now also be marked as:

• Active
• Inactive

Active Options

Active values are available for selection in new or edited records.

Inactive Options

Inactive values:

• Cannot be selected in new records
• Remain visible in existing records for historical and audit purposes
• Are visually marked as inactive

This allows organisations to safely retire outdated classifications, systems, or categories without deleting historical data.

Example use cases:

• Deprecating legacy systems
• Retiring outdated business classifications
• Standardising terminology over time

Conclusion

By utilising custom fields, you can tailor the TrustWorks environment to meet your specific needs, ensuring that all necessary information is captured and easily accessible. Whether you need to include additional details in your Data Inventory, Processing Activities, or Legal Entities, custom fields offer the flexibility to enhance your data management and maintain consistency with your existing records.