Custom objects allow you to recreate your data model in Brevo by defining new objects to store information most relevant to your business. In this article, we will take the example of a car-rental company and create a custom object called "Cars". This custom object is defined by several attributes (plate number, brand, color, etc.) and is associated with contacts.

Before you start

• Make sure custom objects fit your needs. To learn more about custom objects and how they can be used in Brevo, check our dedicated article What are custom objects?.
• For now, you can import custom object data from an API, by synchronizing with the CDP, or by creating it directly from Brevo.

Step 1: Define the name and purpose of your object

To create a custom object:

1. Go to CRM > Custom objects.
2. Click Create custom objects.
3. Enter the name of your object in singular form. An object ID is automatically created in the Advanced parameters section.
   An object ID is a unique identifier used when syncing your data through integrations or APIs.
4. Enter the name of your object in plural form.
   
5. Give a description to your custom object.
6. (Optional) To edit your object ID:

   1. Click Advanced parameters. 

      ❗️ Important

      Your object ID should start with a letter and can include only lowercase letters (a–z), numbers (0–9), and underscores (_). Other special characters are not allowed.
   2. Edit the object ID.
7. Click Continue.

Step 2: Define the primary attribute of your object

An attribute is a data field containing specific information about your object, such as a plate number, brand, or color. The primary attribute serves as:

• the main search term for records
• a record's title in its details page
• the only visible attribute in association cards

To define the primary attribute of your object:

1. Enter the name of the primary attribute. An attribute ID is automatically created in the Advanced parameters section.
2. Select the type of the primary attribute: text, number, date, category, multiple-choice, or boolean.
   
3. (Optional) To edit your attribute ID:

   1. Click Advanced parameters. 

      ❗️ Important

      Your object ID should start with a letter and can include only lowercase letters (a–z), numbers (0–9), and underscores (_). Other special characters are not allowed.
   2. Edit the attribute ID.
4. Click Continue.

Step 3: Create associations for your object 

Custom objects can be linked to contacts or other objects, standard or custom. These associations appear on both the details page and listing view of each object.

To create associations for your object:

1. Select the association type you want to create.
   Let's consider a custom object, Car, that you want to associate with Contact. The following table shows all the association types you can create, and provides a description and an example.

   Association type	Description	Example
   Many-to-one	Several of your objects can be associated with one instance of the other object.	Several cars can be associated with only one contact.
   One-to-many	Your object can be associated with several instances of the other object.	One car can be associated with several contacts.
   Many-to-many	Several instances of your object can be associated with several instances of the other object.	Several cars can be associated with several contacts.

2. Select the object with which you want to associate your object.
   
3. (Optional) Click Add association and repeat steps 1 and 2 to create more associations.
4. (Optional) Click the bin icon to delete an association.
5. Click Create association.

Your object is now created. You can view and manage your custom object from the Custom objects page.

Step 4: Add data

Now that you have created your custom object, you can add your customer data corresponding to this object. For example, in our car-rental company example, we can now add all the cars we rent along with their details (plate number, brand, color, etc.) and associate them with the contacts who rented the cars.

For now, you cannot import object records directly from Brevo. To add data, you have three options:

• Create records
  ➡️ To learn more, check our dedicated article Create and manage custom objects records.
• Import from an API
  ➡️ To learn more, check our dedicated developer documentation.
• Synchronize with CDP
  ➡️ To learn more, check our dedicated article Prepare your data sources for import into the Brevo CDP.

View and manage your custom objects

Once you've created a custom object, go to CRM > Custom objects. From there, you can see a list of all your custom objects and the number of records they each have. Click the name of the custom object to view its records. Each record has its own details page, just like standard objects, displaying its attributes and associations for quick access to all relevant information.

To manage and create new associations and attributes:

1. Click the account dropdown and select Settings > Custom objects.
2. Click the name of your custom object in the Objects column.
3. From the Attributes tab, you can:
   1. Create new attributes.
      You can create text, number, date, category, multiple-choice, and boolean attributes.
   2. Click the three-dot icon next to an attribute to edit its name, set it as a primary attribute, or delete it.
      
4. From the Associations tab, you can create new associations. To learn more, check step 3.

⏭️ What's next?

• What are custom objects?

🤔 Have a question?

If you have a question, feel free to contact our support team by creating a ticket from your account. If you don't have an account yet, you can contact us here.

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