Data Model Overview

Kantos uses a flexible data model that lets you create custom objects and fields to match your business needs. This guide covers the core concepts, field types, relationships, and best practices for structuring your CRM data.

Core Concepts

Objects

Objects are the building blocks of your CRM. Each object represents a type of data you want to track—like Contacts, Companies, Deals, or any custom entity unique to your business. Think of objects as database tables with a friendly interface.

Fields

Fields define what information you store on each object. Every field has a type that determines how data is validated, displayed, and searched. Kantos supports 15+ field types to handle any data structure.

Records

Records are individual entries within an object. For example, each contact in your Contacts object is a record. Records contain field values and metadata like creation date, last modified, and the user who made changes.

Default Objects

Every Kantos organization starts with three built-in objects. These can be customized or hidden, but cannot be deleted:

Creating Custom Objects

Create custom objects to track anything specific to your business: Projects, Products, Tickets, Properties, Vehicles, Students—anything.

Field Types Reference

Kantos supports a comprehensive set of field types. Choose the right type for proper validation, display formatting, and search behavior:

Basic Fields

Contact Fields

Date & Time Fields

Selection Fields

Relationship Fields

Special Fields

Creating Fields

{
  "name": "Annual Revenue",
  "slug": "annual_revenue",
  "type": "currency",
  "options": {
    "currency": "USD",
    "required": false,
    "show_in_list": true,
    "show_in_detail": true,
    "searchable": false
  }
}

Relationships

Relationships connect records across objects, enabling powerful data modeling and reporting capabilities.

One-to-Many Relationships

The most common relationship type. One parent record relates to many child records. Use Lookup fields to create these connections.

Company (1) ←→ (Many) Contacts
├── Acme Corp → John Smith, Jane Doe, Bob Wilson
└── Tech Inc → Alice Brown, Charlie Davis

Deal (1) ←→ (Many) Activities
├── Enterprise Deal → Meeting, Call, Email, Proposal
└── SMB Deal → Demo, Follow-up, Contract

Many-to-Many Relationships

When records on both sides can relate to multiple records on the other side. Use Multi-Lookup fields for these connections.

Projects (Many) ←→ (Many) Team Members
├── Website Redesign → Alice, Bob, Charlie
├── Mobile App → Alice, Diana, Eve
└── API Integration → Bob, Charlie, Eve

Products (Many) ←→ (Many) Categories
├── Laptop Pro → Electronics, Business, Featured
└── Office Chair → Furniture, Business, New Arrivals

Creating Relationships

Status Fields & Pipelines

Status fields create visual pipelines for tracking record progress. Perfect for sales deals, support tickets, project tasks, or any workflow with stages.

Configuring Status Options

{
  "name": "Deal Stage",
  "type": "status",
  "options": {
    "stages": [
      { "name": "Lead", "color": "gray", "order": 1 },
      { "name": "Qualified", "color": "blue", "order": 2 },
      { "name": "Proposal", "color": "yellow", "order": 3 },
      { "name": "Negotiation", "color": "orange", "order": 4 },
      { "name": "Closed Won", "color": "green", "order": 5, "is_closed": true },
      { "name": "Closed Lost", "color": "red", "order": 6, "is_closed": true }
    ],
    "default_stage": "Lead"
  }
}

Formula Fields

Formula fields compute values automatically based on other fields. They update in real-time when source fields change.

Formula Examples

// Full Name (concatenation)
CONCAT(first_name, " ", last_name)

// Age from birthdate
YEAR(TODAY()) - YEAR(birthdate)

// Days until deadline
DATEDIFF(deadline, TODAY(), "days")

// Commission calculation
deal_value * commission_rate / 100

// Conditional status
IF(score >= 80, "Hot", IF(score >= 50, "Warm", "Cold"))

Rollup Fields

Rollup fields aggregate data from related records. Useful for totals, counts, and summary statistics on parent records.

{
  "name": "Total Deal Value",
  "type": "rollup",
  "options": {
    "related_object": "deals",
    "related_field": "value",
    "aggregation": "SUM",
    "filter": { "stage": { "$ne": "Closed Lost" } }
  }
}

// Available aggregations:
// SUM - Total of all values
// COUNT - Number of records
// AVG - Average value
// MIN - Minimum value
// MAX - Maximum value

Data Import

Import existing data from CSV files or other CRMs. Kantos handles field mapping and deduplication automatically.

Data Export

Export records to CSV for backup, reporting, or migration purposes.

Best Practices

Object Design

• Start simple - Begin with essential fields, add more as needed
• Use meaningful names - "Annual Contract Value" not "Field_1"
• Avoid duplication - Use relationships instead of copying data
• Plan relationships - Consider how objects connect before creating them

Field Design

• Choose the right type - Use Email for emails, not Text
• Set sensible defaults - Pre-fill common values to speed data entry
• Mark required fields - Only require truly essential data
• Use dropdowns for consistency - Prevent typos with predefined options

Performance Tips

• Limit formula complexity - Complex formulas can slow down views
• Index searchable fields - Only mark frequently searched fields as searchable
• Archive old records - Move inactive records to an archive object

API Access

All objects and fields are accessible via the Kantos API. The data model is fully reflected in API endpoints:

# List all objects
GET /api/crm/objects

# Get object schema with fields
GET /api/crm/objects/{object_id}

# Query records
GET /api/crm/records/query?object_id={object_id}

# Create a record
POST /api/crm/record
{
  "object_id": "obj_contacts",
  "field_values": {
    "name": "John Doe",
    "email": "john@example.com",
    "company": "rec_company_123"
  }
}

Next Steps

• API Reference - Programmatically manage objects and records
• Automations - Trigger workflows when records change
• Smart Intake - Automatically create records from form submissions