Reporting vs Custom Field
The prompt-type toggle in the chat input, and when to use Reporting mode versus Custom Field mode.
Last updated on
The pill toggle in the chat input footer switches between two prompt types: Reporting (the default) and Custom Field. The setting changes how the assistant interprets your question and what kind of SQL it writes.
Reporting (the default)
Reporting mode is for normal report queries: tickets, time, SLAs, assets, invoices, and anything else you want as a HaloPSA report. This is what you want almost all the time. If you have never touched the toggle, you are already in Reporting mode.
Custom Field
Custom Field mode targets a different
HaloPSA use case: SQL that powers a custom-field dropdown selector in
HaloPSA. These queries are not reports. Each one returns exactly two columns,
ID and Display: HaloPSA stores the ID as the field value and shows
Display to the user in the dropdown.
Custom-field queries can be scoped to the record being edited using HaloPSA
variables such as $faultid (the current ticket), $userid (the user), $areaid (customer level), and $siteid (site level). Switch to Custom
Field mode only when you are specifically building one of these dropdown
selectors.
See the difference
The same toggle produces very different SQL. A report returns the columns you
asked for; a custom field returns exactly ID and Display.
A normal report: your chosen columns, filters, and date range.
A dropdown selector: exactly two columns, ID (stored by HaloPSA) and
Display (shown to the user).
Which one should I pick?
Reporting is the right choice for any question that produces a report. Reach for Custom Field only when you need SQL for a HaloPSA custom-field dropdown, which returns just an ID and a Display column.
The toggle is deliberately compact and tucked into the input footer because most people never change it. The two modes are completely separate use cases, so a report prompt sent in Custom Field mode (or vice versa) will not behave the way you expect. Check the toggle if results look wrong.
For everything else about the input, see The chat input.