Entity Field Reference

CiviCRM Entity & Field Reference — How to Use

CiviCRM's data model consists of dozens of entities that map to its database tables and APIv4 endpoints. Understanding which entity holds which fields is essential for building accurate API queries, writing custom reports, creating Calculated Fields, and developing extensions.

Use the search input to find fields by name across all entities — ideal when you know a field name like contact_type or financial_type_id but aren't sure which entity it belongs to. Use the filter buttons to narrow down to a specific entity like Contact, Contribution, or Event.

Key CiviCRM Entities Explained

• Contact — The central entity. Every person, organization, or household is a Contact. Stores name, contact type, and basic identity fields.
• Contribution — Tracks financial transactions. Links to a Contact via contact_id. Includes amount, status, financial type, and payment processor details.
• Event — Defines an event configuration. Participants are tracked separately via the Participant entity.
• Membership — Tracks a contact's membership status, type, start/end dates, and payment source.
• Activity — A general-purpose record for any interaction (meeting, phone call, email, case activity).
• Case — Groups related activities together for case management workflows.
• Group — Smart or static groups for segmenting contacts. GroupContact stores the many-to-many membership.
• Relationship — Defines a typed link between two contacts (e.g., Employer of, Spouse of).

Field Types in CiviCRM APIv4

CiviCRM field types include Integer, String, Boolean, Date, Timestamp, Float, Money, Text, and FK (foreign key). Option-list fields (like gender_id, contact_type) reference OptionValue records and can be filtered using both the integer ID and the string value in APIv4.