Working with custom enums

A custom enum is a list of permitted values that you define once and reuse across your configuration, for example mobility categories, worker segments, or eligibility groups. Without one, these values usually end up in free-text fields, custom entities, or lists tied to one configuration, and each one is maintained on its own with nothing keeping them consistent.

Once a custom enum is active, you can reference it in custom fields, custom entity fields, and business matrix fields. A field set up this way accepts only values from the enum’s list instead of free text, so classifications stay the same across your data.

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Custom enums are available under Workbench > Data Management >Custom Enum. Access to Workbench depends on your role within the platform. Only users with the Data Foundation Admin and Configuration roles can use this feature. HRBP and Compensation users don’t configure enums directly, but they work with the fields that reference them.

The Custom Enum page lists all custom enums in your environment, with their name, description, and status. Tiles at the top of the page show the Total custom enums and how many are Active, Draft, or Deactivated. Use the Search bar or the Status filter to narrow the list.

Creating an enum

To create a custom enum, proceed as follows:

1. Click Create custom enum in the upper-right part of the Custom Enum page. The Create custom enum form opens.

2. In the Enum details section, fill in the details:

   • Enter a name for the enum in the Name field (up to 100 characters). This field is mandatory.

   • Enter a description in the Description field (up to 3,000 characters). We recommend that you state the purpose of the enum here, to avoid confusion if you create several enums in your system.

3. Review the Enum structure section. It shows the two fields that every value in the enum has:

   Field name	Description	Type	Required
   Code	Unique identifier of the reference	String	Yes
   Name	Label of the reference	String	Yes

   This structure is fixed and can’t be edited. You don’t enter values in this form; you load them through the Data Load page (see next subsection).

4. Click Publish to make the enum Active.

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Click Save & exit in the upper-right corner of the application to save the enum as a Draft and finish it later. Click Cancel to close the form without saving.

Step 2 - Load the enum values

Values are loaded and maintained through the Data Load page using a CSV template generated for the enum, not on the enum's configuration screen.

1. Go to Workbench > Data Management > Data Load > Data Load.

2. Download the CSV template generated for your custom enum.

3. Fill in a Code and a Name for each value. Both columns are required, and each Code must be unique within the enum.

4. Upload the file.

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The Data Foundation is case-sensitive. Keep the column names exactly as they appear in the template, or the upload will fail. For more information about uploading data, see Uploading data into the data foundation.

After the upload, you can review the enum's values in the Data Viewer.

Step 3 - Use the enum in your configuration

An active custom enum can be selected as an enum reference in:

• Custom fields – see Creating custom fields

• Custom entity fields – see Working with custom entities

• Business matrix fields – see Working with business matrices

A classification such as mobility category then only needs to be defined once and can be reused everywhere it applies.

Deactivating a custom enum

When a custom enum is no longer needed for new configuration, you can deactivate it from the actions menu (...) next to the enum in the list. Existing fields, business matrices, and snapshots that already use the enum keep working as before. Data linked to deactivated enum values also keeps displaying correctly in the Data Viewer and in Business Matrices.

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Deactivation can't be undone.