Contact subtype field differences and changing subtypes
Changing the subtype of a contact instance can cause some predictable changes in contact data. This topic describes some common changes. Before making the subtype change, you can save the current data for the contact, and then add data to the new subtype if that subtype supports the data. After the subtype change, you can see which fields were changed in the Notes field for the contact.
Name field changes between a company or place and a person
A Person subtype in the en_US locale can have first name, last name, prefix, and suffix fields, while a Company or Place subtype has only a name field. If you change the subtype from a person subtype to a company or place subtype, the person’s first name, last name, prefix, and suffix are combined into a single name. They become the name of the company or place subtype. If you make the opposite subtype change, the name of the company or place subtype becomes the last name of the person subtype, with no first name.
For example, you change the subtype of an instance of Doctor with prefix Dr, first name Samantha, and last name Andrews to MedicalCareOrg. The Name field of the MedicalCareOrg contact instance becomes Dr Samantha Andrews.
Subtype changes and incompatible data
If there are fields on one subtype that are not on the new one, the fields are dropped or converted to similar fields as part of the subtype change. However, array fields are not dropped, and if they are not compatible with the new subtype, that can cause problems in the user interface.
For example, a contact can have related contacts, such as a company that has employees, or a person who has an employer. However, in the base configuration, a company cannot have an employer, and a person cannot have employees. If you change a person who has an employer to a company subtype, the employer field is preserved. However, the next time you edit the contact, you see an exception saying that a company cannot have an employer. If you go to the Related Contacts card and delete that relationship, you can then save the contact.
Additionally, if the person had the primary phone defined as a cell phone, that field is deleted during the transfer. In the base configuration, the primary contact number for a company contact cannot be a cell phone.
You can compare the fields for the subtypes in the Data Dictionary. If there are fields that will be dropped, you can record the data. After you change the subtype, you can add data that is appropriate for the new subtype. You can also consider deleting fields that will cause problems before making the contact subtype change.