A field contains a single piece of information, and is stored in the database. For example, each record in the Contact register contains fields for the Contact Number and Contact Name. When you create a Contact record, you will enter information in these fields. This information is retained permanently, unless you change it or delete the record.

A field has an internal name and a label. It is unlikely that these will be the same. The label is the name given to the field on screen, so that the user knows what sort of information should be entered there. The internal name is the name given to the field inside the program. The label and the internal name are usually different because the internal name cannot contain spaces, full stops or other unusual characters, and cannot be translated into different languages. When creating reports in the Report Generator, you will need to use the internal name of each field. Usually, you will be able to choose a field from a 'Paste Special' list. You can also obtain a full list of internal field names by printing the Export/Import Format report in the Technics module. You cannot create new fields in the Report Generator.