# How to Override Salesforce Field Definitions Copystorm creates database columns using metadata provided by Salesforce to determine the proper database column type. Salesforce metadata is usually correct, but in the rare occasion that it is wrong or inconsistent CopyStorm provides a way to override the column type. This article describes how to configure CopyStorm to override the column definition provided by Salesforce (or even ignore a Salesforce column completely). ## Background * If Salesforce says a column is 80 characters long, CopyStorm will create a NVARCHAR(80) column in the target database. * If Salesforce says a column is a single digit number, CopyStorm will create a DECIMAL(1,0) column in the target database. Unfortunately, sometimes data provided by Salesforce does not match the column definition. For example, Salesforce claims that multipicklist columns may contain up to 4099 UTF-8 characters. Though this is true in fact, it would be rare for a Salesforce instance to have a value this long. For searching, indexing, and data storage purposes a CopyStorm instance may override Salesforce’s 4099 value with a much smaller data type. Sometimes Salesforce metadata is wrong when determining column size — for example, an aggregate column that says it is 80 characters wide may have much wider values when table data is queried (CopyStorm deals with this case automatically). In all cases, Salesforce metadata can be overridden by including an *ExtractionManagerConfig.xml* configuration file. The configuration file can be located in: * The configuration directory referenced by the .copyStorm configuration file. * The directory “config” in the CopyStorm installation directory. It is also possible to force CopyStorm to completely ignore a field using directives in an *ExtractionManagerConfig.xml* file. See the end of this article for details. ## FieldOverride Options The only tricky part of this configuration is that table and column names must precisely match the definitions in Salesforce (names are case sensitive). There is no limit to the number of FieldOverride directives. New and changed directives will be applied to existing columns in the target database the next time CopyStorm runs. | Option Name | Value Type | Description | | -------------- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | table | string | Salesforce table to which the override applies. This option is case sensitive. | | column | string | Salesforce column to which the override applies. This option is case sensitive. | | length | integer | Number of characters for a string column. This option only applies to string type columns. | | digits | integer | Total number of digits for a numeric column (utilized for integers). | | precision | integer | Total number of digits for a numeric column (utilized for decimals). | | scale | integer | Number of digits after the decimal point for a numeric column. | | extraPrecision | integer | Overrides the [*Extra Precision*](/reference/configuration-tab/database-schema.md) added to a numeric column for the specified field. | | htmlFormatted | boolean | Overrides the Salesforce field definition to denote the field is HTML formatted. | ### About ***extraPrecision*** The ***extraPrecision***attribute overrides how many additional precision and scale digits CopyStorm adds to a numeric field when *Strict Decimal Mode* is NOT enabled. \*\*Example:\*\*If a field override such as the below override is provided, the resulting column definition in the database would be “AccountRevenue\_\_c decimal(22,6)” — 18 + 4 precision, 2 + 4 scale. ``` ``` #### **Important Notes:** * If *extraPrecision* is defined for a field, it overrides the system-wide ***Extra Scale*** setting for the specified field. * When using *extraPrecision*, the total precision for a field must NOT exceed the database limit of 38. * *extraPrecision* is ignored when ***Strict Decimal Mode***is enabled. ## Problem: Multipicklist Columns Are Too Wide A configuration like the following will cause all multipicklist type columns in CopyStorm to be 120 characters wide (rather than the Salesforce default of 4099): ``` ``` The tables being overridden can be specified by including an optional “table” parameter. In the following example the Contact table multipicklist columns will be 80 characters, with other tables using 120 characters: ``` ``` ## Problem: String Formulas Are Too Wide A configuration file like the following will cause all string formula type columns in CopyStorm to be 255 characters wide (rather than the Salesforce default of 1300): ``` ``` The table being overridden can be specified using an optional “table” parameter. In the following example the Contact table string formula columns will be 80 characters with other tables being limited to 120 characters: ``` ``` ## Problem: Salesforce Lies About Column Length If Salesforce has a single digit numeric column (e.g. DECIMAL(1)) and an aggregate column SUMs this column, Salesforce will sometimes declare the SUM column with a DECIMAL(1) type. This causes problems when a SUM() is greater than or equal to 10 — without an override CopyStorm will read Salesforce metadata, create a DECIMAL(1) column, and report a “value too large” error when attempting to insert records where the SUM() value is too large. ### Fixing Salesforce Metadata Inconsistencies This configuration will alter the precision of the “AnnualRevenue” column for the “Account” object from DECIMAL(18,0) to DECIMAL(18,3): ``` ``` This configuration will alter the custom decimal field “MonthlyRevenue\_\_c” column for the “Account” object to DECIMAL(24, 4): ``` ``` This example increases the length of the Account.Name database column from 80 to 120 and the Account.Description column to 200: ``` ``` #### **Digits vs. Precision: When to Use Each** * Use ***digits*** for fields that store whole numbers (integers). This maps closely to how Salesforce defines numeric length for non-decimal types. * Use ***precision*** for decimal or floating-point fields. This ensures the appropriate structure is generated in the target database. ### Strict Decimal Mode Behavior There is different behavior for the creation of numeric fields in the CopyStorm database depending on if the *Use Strict DECIMALs* configuration parameter is utilized. For more information on this option, see [here.](/reference/configuration-tab/database-schema.md) * **Strict Decimal Mode:** CopyStorm will create or update numeric fields in the database using the exact precision and scale as provided by Salesforce. * **Non-Strict Decimal Mode:** CopyStorm will create or update numeric fields in the database with additional precision as denoted by the *Extra Precision* field on the *Database Schema* section of the *Configuration* tab (By default this value is set to 2). ### What to Expect by Database The behavior of *precision* and *scale* can vary depending on the target database. Here is a quick breakdown: | Database Type | Strict Decimal Mode | Non-Strict Decimal Mode | | ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | SQL Server | Uses the specified *precision* and *scale* | Adds the specified extra digits and ensures a minimum total width of 19 digits | | H2 | Uses the specified *precision* and *scale* | Adds the specified extra digits and ensures a minimum total width of 20 digits | | Oracle | Uses the specified *precision* and *scale* as *NUMBER(precision, scale)* | Utilizes the generic *NUMBER* datatype without enforced limits | | PostgreSQL | Uses the specified *precision* and *scale* | Same behavior as Strict Decimal Mode | | Redshift | Uses the specified *precision* and *scale* as *NUMERIC(precision, scale)* | Adds the specified extra digits and ensures a minimum total width of 19 digits | | Snowflake | Uses the specified *precision* and *scale* | Adds the specified extra digits and ensures a minimum total width of 19 digits | | MySQL | Uses the specified *precision* and *scale* | Adds the specified extra digits and ensures a minimum total width of 20 digits | ## Problem: Completely Ignore Salesforce Columns Sometimes, but rarely, a company desires to completely ignore Salesforce columns and not transfer them or their data into the CopyStorm backup. Most of this time this comes up during a migration where backing up fields associated with an obsolete managed package is desired. Here are a few examples of how to completely ignore fields. * The first *IgnoreField* directive ignores the field Account.MyCustomField\_\_c * The second *IgnoreField* directive ignores all columns added by the Salesforce CPQ package. Note that the special table name default means to apply this rule all tables. Be careful! An *IgnoreField* directive tells CopyStorm to pretend that a column no longer exists in Salesforce and, by default, when a column no longer exists in Salesforce it will be dropped in the CopyStorm database. ``` ``` The options for the *IgnoreField* directive are: * table — name of the Salesforce table containing the field(s). The special name *default* means that the rule will apply to all tables. * name — a regular expression indicating which columns should be ignored. Of course, just a column name also works since this is simple regular expression. Note that this feature was added in CopyStorm 9.47.1. Earlier CopyStorm versions will silently ignore *IgnoreField* directives. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://learn.capstorm.com/reference/configuration-files/how-to-override-salesforce-field-definitions.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.