Understanding and Using Entity Name Formatting

Overview

Practifi automatically formats the names of household records to match those of household members, handling common real-world scenarios such as differing surnames, single-parent families, and spousal relationships. This default formatting ensures that client records are consistent and meaningful from the moment they are created.

For firms that prefer a specific naming style, Practifi supports a fully customizable approach. By creating a formula field on the Entity (API name: Account) object, System Administrators can define a naming convention that aligns with their firm’s brand standards and client communication preferences. Whether your firm uses a format like Feldman Family, Dirk & Anya Feldman, or something entirely unique, this configuration ensures that household names appear consistently across records, reports, and client-facing materials.

• Create a Custom Household Name
• Custom Household Name Examples
  • Common Scenarios
  • Alternative Scenarios
• Mass Update Household Names in the Data Management App 

Create a Custom Household Name

A formula field created on the Entity (API name: Account) object can be used to replace the default household name with a format of your firm's choosing. Within such a formula, conditional "if" statement logic can accommodate naming conventions like Dirk & Anya Feldman or Feldman Family, including scenarios where a spouse is not present on the record. 

Please note: Examples of formulas for different name formats are provided in the Custom Household Name Examples section below.

Before proceeding, create your formula field in Salesforce and copy its API name, as you will need it in the steps below.

To enable a custom household name, do the following:

1. Navigate to the Salesforce Setup page by clicking the gear icon in the upper right-hand corner of the page and select Setup.

   

2. Use the Quick Find on the left-hand side to search “Custom Settings” and select the Custom Settings option within the Custom Code menu. The Custom Settings page opens.
   
    
3. On the Custom Settings list, click Manage next to Household Name Settings.
   
    
4. On the Household Name Settings page, select the Edit button in the Action column.
   
    
5. On the Household Name Settings Edit page, enter the API name of the new formula field into the Default Household Name field, then select Save. 
   

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Custom Household Name Examples

The tables below provide formula syntax that System Administrators can use to implement a variety of household naming conventions in Practifi. These examples are written using the Salesforce formula language and can be entered directly into a formula field on the Entity object.

Common Scenarios

Naming convention  (displayed as example)	Salesforce formula syntax
Dirk Feldman Household	practifi__Primary_Member__r.FirstName & " " & practifi__Primary_Member__r.LastName & " Household”
Feldman, Dirk & Anya	N/A (existing default convention)
Feldman, Dirk & Anya Feldman	practifi__Primary_Member__r.LastName & ", " & practifi__Primary_Member__r.FirstName & " & " & practifi__Spouse__r.FirstName & " " & practifi__Spouse__r.LastName
Feldman, Dirk & Feldman, Anya	practifi__Primary_Member__r.LastName & ", " & practifi__Primary_Member__r.FirstName & " & " & practifi__Spouse__r.LastName & ", " & practifi__Spouse__r.FirstName
Feldman Household	practifi__Primary_Member__r.LastName & " Household"

 

Alternative Scenarios

The following table outlines how to handle specific naming scenarios that may apply to certain households in your firm's book of business.

Scenario	Handling logic
Adding salutations	Include "practifi__Primary_Member__r.Salutation &" "&" in front of the Primary Member’s first or last name as desired. Do the equivalent with Spouse.
Alternative terms to "Household"	Replace the word Household wherever it appears in the examples above with other terms such as Group or Family.
Differing surnames	N/A (not required as in all examples above other than the default, the surname is shown at all times)
Initials	Use the LEFT() formula to return the first character of someone’s first name. Example: LEFT(practifi__Primary_Member__r.FirstName, 1) & ". " & practifi__Primary_Member__r.LastName returns D. Feldman
No spouse	IF(ISNULL(practifi__Spouse__c), {Syntax for Naming Convention with Spouse Removed}, {Original Syntax for Naming Convention} Example: IF(ISNULL(practifi__Spouse__c), practifi__Primary_Member__r.LastName & ", " & practifi__Primary_Member__r.FirstName, practifi__Primary_Member__r.LastName & ", " & practifi__Primary_Member__r.FirstName & " & " & practifi__Spouse__r.LastName & ", " & practifi__Spouse__r.FirstName
Using Preferred Name instead of First Name	Replace references to FirstName with references to practifi__Preferred_Name__c.

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Mass Update Household Names in the Data Management App

Once a custom Default Household Name has been configured, System Administrators can apply the new naming convention to all existing household records at once using the Data Management app. This eliminates the need to update records individually and ensures that naming changes take effect across the entire organization.

To update household names across the organization, do the following:

1. Click the App Launcher located on the left-hand side of Practifi.

2. Select Data Management from the drop-down menu.

   

3. In the Data Management app, select the Entities tab.

   

4. Check the box in the header of the record table to select all entities.

5. Click the Update Household Names button. A dialog box opens.

   

6. Click Next to proceed with the action. A success message appears confirming the update.