Best method to classify/view/interact with contacts?

[sTu_Grey]

Hi,

We're needing to classify contacts/accounts in custom ways, and I'm wondering how best to get Sugar to do this.

The most obvious method is to create custom fields (eg. the likes of project_used, Supplier_type, supplier_rating etc...), but Sugar can't search across these out of the box (requires custom php script edits), and forum past posts *seem* to suggest that the ability to do useful logical searches across these fields may be limited.

I do wonder whether there are other mechanisms already in Sugar (either addon modules or existing less obvious ones) that are more suitable to this task. Any tips in this regard?

Perhaps the commercial version of Sugar has other options?

Another example of what I'm after is to not require searches to get the more common information sets from Sugar - eg. instead of having to do a standard search to find some combination of these field values, perhaps there is some mechanism to offer those results more directly... eg. if we had a custom field called preferred_suppliers, then that could be the default display when going into the suppliers page...

Thanks, Stu.

[Janrig]

Hi Stu,

Here a simple idea to have your contacts classified/sorted. Behind this idea is the fact that your database is today in SugarCRM, but perhaps in two to three years, you will decide for another open source program, perhaps. If you use too much fields, or categories, or even links (specials to each database), the time you change you will probably loose part of them.

I have been using following fields in my databases, and then I do queries, mixing these elements. BUt I keep it simple, to be able to switch anytime, and fast. Besides ACCOUNT (standard for all CRMs) one field is PRIORITY (1,2,3,....), one is CITY, One is COUNTRY, and the most important is called CODES.

My field CODES has any mix of sets of three to four letters, each being used later in my filters/queries. You set a multi line field where you will input the sets of letters like this example:

ITTT: IT companies/persons
EXPP: exporters
RLST: real estate people
LBBB: lobbyist
ARTT: art people

Then in your field CODES, you just fill in with a combination of these codes you create (keep the list somewhere elese in your database). The field will look like this: ITTT / LBBB / RLST / where the contact will be working with IT, has some real estate business and does lobby. The filters will be very easy to set, simple or more complex (and in addition to the others above) and will work everywhere (SugarCRM, ACT!, ACcess, Excel, vTiger, Caspio, and the others).

Hope this will give you some ideas.

Cheers

Jan