What happens when you mark custom fields in-active on a request form? | Community
Skip to main content
J
JenniferMa10
Level 3
March 20, 2026
Solved

What happens when you mark custom fields in-active on a request form?

  • March 20, 2026
  • 2 replies
  • 30 views

Hi!

 

I am getting a lot of conflicting information about marking custom fields in-active once I move them to an Admin section of a request form. 

My end goal is to make sure all of these old custom fields remain in my historical reporting. 

By marking them in-active, am I inadvertantly removing them from my historical reporting? I thought in-active was just making sure these custom fields are no longer active. 

Any guidance or insight is greatly appreciated. I have a huge update next week that I am prepping for! I want to make sure everything is done correctly. :-) 

 

As always, this community rocks. 😁

    Best answer by AmitVishwakarma

    Hi ​@JenniferMa10 

    You're safe on historical data, but there is an important nuance:

    So:

    • If your only goal is to keep historical reporting and hide old fields from normal users, the safest pattern is:
      • Leave the field Active,
      • Move it into an Admin‑only section (section break with restricted visibility).
    • If you're sure you never need to add that field to new reports/forms again, you can mark it Inactive:
      • Existing reports and existing objects keep their values,
      • You just won't be able to pick that field for new reports or forms going forward.

    For your "huge update next week," I'd keep fields Active + hidden in an Admin section if you want maximum flexibility and guaranteed historical reporting.

    2 replies

    Patrick-antegma
    Patrick-antegma
    Level 4
    March 20, 2026

    Hi ​@JenniferMa10,

     

    In Adobe Workfront, marking a custom field as inactive does not remove it from historical reporting. It simply prevents the field from being used going forward from users, while all existing data remains intact and reportable.

    The only real risk is deleting the field, which can break reports or make past data inaccessible.

    Keeping fields inactive instead of deleting them is the correct approach for preserving history.

     

    Also keep on rocking Workfront  ;)

    AmitVishwakarma
    Community Advisor
    AmitVishwakarmaCommunity AdvisorAccepted solution
    Community Advisor
    March 21, 2026

    Hi ​@JenniferMa10 

    You're safe on historical data, but there is an important nuance:

    So:

    • If your only goal is to keep historical reporting and hide old fields from normal users, the safest pattern is:
      • Leave the field Active,
      • Move it into an Admin‑only section (section break with restricted visibility).
    • If you're sure you never need to add that field to new reports/forms again, you can mark it Inactive:
      • Existing reports and existing objects keep their values,
      • You just won't be able to pick that field for new reports or forms going forward.

    For your "huge update next week," I'd keep fields Active + hidden in an Admin section if you want maximum flexibility and guaranteed historical reporting.

    Amit Vishwakarma - Adobe Commerce Champion 2025 | 16x Adobe certified | 4x Adobe SME
      J
      JenniferMa10Author
      Level 3
      March 23, 2026

      Thank you! I knew there was a weird catch and I’m so incredibly glad I reached out to Experience League! You guys never let me down! Thank you! :-) 

        Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement

        Loading footer...