You customize a solution by changing its tables and fields to fit your process. Most teams start from one of the more than 200 templates in the Solution Library, or from scratch, and then adapt it.
Here is the test: does the solution track something your team does not, or miss something it needs? Change the fields and tables, not your process.
Example: a risk team installs the Enterprise Risk Management template. Its board wants risks it escalates marked as such, so a Solution Manager adds the value Escalate to Board to the Risk Response field.
Plan Availability | All plan types. |
Permissions | Administrators and Solution Creators create solutions. Administrators and Solution Managers change a solution's tables, fields and settings. |
Platform | Web |
Related Reading |
How do I start from a template?
On the Home Page, select + New Solution.
Select Start with a Template. The Solution Library opens.
Search or browse by category, and select a template to open a live preview.
Hover over the template card and select Use Template. The solution is added to your workspace with demo data.
See Solution Templates. To start empty instead, see Creating Solutions from Scratch.
How is a solution laid out?
A solution holds the tables of one process. Enterprise Risk Management holds tables such as Risk Register, Risk Domains and KRIs, linked to each other.
A table holds records, and each record has fields. SmartSuite has more than 40 field types.
In Grid View, each row is a record and each column a field. Open a row to see the whole record.
How do I change a field?
In Grid View, hover over the field's column header and select its three-dot button.
Select Modify Field Settings.
Make the change, such as a new choice for Risk Response, and save.
The column menu of the Risk Response field in the All Risks grid, with Modify Field Settings at the top.
The same menu duplicates, hides or deletes a field. See Field Management: add, edit, duplicate or delete.
Tip: Rename template fields to your team's words. People find a field faster when its name matches how they talk.
How do I connect solutions?
A Linked Record field connects records in two tables, in the same solution or in different solutions. A risk solution and a vendor solution can share vendors without a second copy of the data. See Link records across tables and solutions.
How do I change the solution's look?
Open the solution menu and pick Solution Color or Solution Icon. Choose from 20 colors and hundreds of icons. See Selecting a Solution Color & Icon.
Frequently asked questions
Can I give a solution a custom icon?
Can I give a solution a custom icon?
No. Custom images cannot be uploaded as a solution icon. Pick one of the icons in the list, searchable by keyword.
Do I have to start from a template?
Do I have to start from a template?
No. Build from Scratch opens an empty solution. A template is faster when one is close to your process.
Can I rename or remove a template's fields?
Can I rename or remove a template's fields?
Yes. Administrators and Solution Managers rename, change, hide or delete fields from the field's menu.
What do I do with the template's demo data?
What do I do with the template's demo data?
Keep it while you learn how the solution works. Remove it once your own records are in. See Deleting demo data.
Need more help? Ask the SmartSuite Community, where builders, administrators and the SmartSuite team answer questions about building on SmartSuite. For your account, billing or data, select the chat button in the lower-right corner of SmartSuite to reach support.
Last verified 1 Nov 2026.