Creating a Save Search Sublist on a Custom Record in NetSuite

The Problem

Everyone is a fan of the “Related Records” list on any transaction or entry record in NetSuite, right?  It allows you to view other records in the system in an orderly fashion based on the record you’re currently viewing, such as a Customer or a Sales Order.  But what if you have a custom record that also has related information? Where is it when you view your custom record entry? You can stop looking because there isn’t one, at least not yet.

A Custom Sublist can be created and applied directly to your custom record to display a result set based on the context of the record you’re viewing. Here’s a scenario:

1. You’ve created a custom record that will be used as a list value to a custom column field.
2. Over time you create many transactions that reference a specific entry in your custom record.
3. You want to view that custom record entry in NetSuite and see all the transaction lines it’s referenced on.

The Fix

Firstly, we need to create a Save Search in the system to display the result and select the appropriate columns one needs to view on a general day-to-day basis. Here are some quick points about this Save Search:

• The search requires at least one available filter, it does not have to be visible, and it must be of list/record type.  Constant values or numeric fields do not work.
• You can display summary results, but unlike in the standard save search result view, it does not allow you to drill down into the details result set.  It all depends on how your viewer consumes the data.
• Give your save search an appropriate naming convention to avoid it being used for other purposes and so that one can easily retrieve it at a later time.

The final step is to assign your search to a custom sublist on your custom record definition. Edit your custom record and add your search as an entry.

NetSuite requires you to provide a Label for your sublist and the field it uses to trigger the filter on your save search, so how it filters based on the record you are viewing.

If required, you can modify your custom form for your custom record entries in order to geographically set your new list in the most appropriate spot on the form.

In this example, the custom sublist is displaying two transaction lines that this record we’re viewing, “Sample Test 2”, is being referenced on.  My search results match the display results on my saved search definition, and I’ve provided the user with both the Date and Document Number fields so they can jump directly to the related record.

These Saved Search sublists can be a simple but valuable tool in providing key-related information for your standard and custom records. For more information or assistance please contact us at hello@plative.com.