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Standard SharePoint Column Types

Recently, I was going over some user stories with a client of mine, and the stories themselves were absolutely awesome. They provided an amazing level of detail, granularity and specificity that is not normally found in user stories that originate from the business. Then again – I guess I was dealing with a group of [...]

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For those that attended my “The Fantastic InfoPath Voyage” session at SharePoint Saturday Michigan this past weekend, you may download a PDF of my slides by clicking the link below.

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Posted by Joe Mack on January 15th, 2012

Imagine my shock and amazement when this Twitter account turned out to be fraudulent. If I didn’t know better, I would say that there might be some people out there that are trying to use Twitter for their own personal gain. I know, it’s a stretch. Call it one of Mack’s crazy theories.

Before you click on the link – be advised. There is a slightly salty word in it.

Standard SharePoint Column Types

Posted by Joe Mack on October 26th, 2011

Then again – I guess I was dealing with a group of engineers, so I should not be surprised.

So, one thing that became painfully obvious, as we were going through this exercise, was that the guys writing the user stories did not know much about SharePoint. We figured this out after about the 20th time I said “we will just make that a standard SharePoint Person or Group column, and all of that other stuff just comes along for the ride”. Wait – I might be selling my own cognitive skills short…let’s say it only took 15 times before I was able to discern the pattern.

At any rate, it occurred to me that, if the client had a good list of the standard SharePoint column types, they could consolidate several tasks in every user story that said things like “field should be a pick list”, “field should list the widget types”, “the widget types should be in a central location”, “field should be required” and “field should allow ‘Write-In’ values”…and consolidate it down to “field should be a standard SharePoint lookup field with these parameters: Lookup List: Widget Type | Required: Yes | Unique: No | Fill-In: Yes”

So, here are the learning points, at least for me.

1. Keep the following list handy. I also uploaded a PDF of the list. You can download that here:

List of Standard SharePoint Column Types

2. Give it to the client early in the process. Trust me – they will appreciate this standardized approach over having to provide, and think separately about, every detail pertaining to every field or column.

Here is the list.

Type of Column	Description	Metadata (Default)
Single Line of Text	Contains a single line of text, as in a standard text field	Name Description Required? (No) Enforce Unique Values? (No) Max. # of Characters (255) Default Value Add to Default View? (Yes)
Multiple Lines of Text	Contains multiple lines of text, as in a standard memo field.	Name Description Required? (No) Allow Unlimited Length? (No) Number of Lines Displayed (6) Add to Default View? (Yes)
Choice	This is a pick list field based on options that are listed within the field’s attributes.	Name Description Required? (No) Enforce Unique Values? (No) Choices Display (Drop-Down Menu) Allow Fill-In Choices (No) Default Selection Add to Default View? (Yes)
Number	This is a standard number field. It supports most number types (integer, number with decimal places, etc.)	Name Description Required? (No) Enforce Unique Values? (No) Minimum Value Maximum Value Number of Decimal Places (Auto) Default Value Show as Percentage? (No) Add to Default View? (Yes)
Currency	This is a standard money field. It supports most number types (integer, number with decimal places, etc.)	Name Description Required? (No) Enforce Unique Values? (No) Minimum Value Maximum Value Number of Decimal Places (Auto) Default Value Currency Format (United States) Add to Default View? (Yes)
Date and Time	This is a standard data and time field. It supports using the date/time combination or just the date.	Name Description Required? (No) Enforce Unique Values? (No) Date and Time Format (Date Only) Default Value Add to Default View? (Yes)
Lookup	This type of field is used to allow a SharePoint list or library to use information contained in another SharePoint list as the data source for a pick list.	Name Description Required? (No) Enforce Unique Values? (No) Source List Source Column Allow Multiple Selections? (No) Allow Unlimited Length? (No) Add Columns for Additional Fields Add to Default View? (Yes) Enforce Delete Rules? (No)
Yes/No	This is a standard checkbox used to signify an affirmative of negative response.	Name Description Default Value (Yes) Add to Default View? (Yes)
Person or Group	This field type is used to select a person or group from the list of SharePoint-connected security groups. You can choose from the entire list of users, or restrict the choice from one particular group.	Name Description Required? (No) Enforce Unique Values? (No) Allow Multiple Selections? (No) Allow Selection Of? (People Only) Choose From (All Users) Field to Show (Name) Add to Default View? (Yes)
Hyperlink or Picture	This field type is used to store a link or picture in the list.	Name Description Required? (No) Format URL As (Hyperlink) Add to Default View? (Yes)
Calculated	This field type is used to calculate the value of a particular field based on values in other fields. There is a standard formula notation used by SharePoint developers.	Name Description Formula Data Type Returned (Single Line of Text) Add to Default View? (Yes)
External Data	This field type is used to allow the selection of data from external systems. In order to be used in this manner, the data from the external system must first be encapsulated in a Business Connectivity Services (BCS) data connection.	Name Description Required? (No) External Content Type Field to Show Display the Actions Menu? Link to Default Action of External Content Type? Add to Default View? (Yes)
Managed Metadata	Managed metadata is used to store widely used information at the highest level possible, the server farm level of SharePoint. This field type is used to allow adding managed metadata to a SharePoint list using a pick list.	Name Description Required? (No) Enforce Unique Values? (No) Add to Default View? (Yes) Allow Multiple Values (No) Display Value (Term Label in the Field) Term Set (Use Existing Term Set) Allow Fill-In Choices (No) Default Value