Number fields are best used for holding number only values. Most of the time text fields will suffice but some values work best in Formula fields as numbers.
Silvia Lee
Number fields are best used for holding numeric-only values. Use a Number field whenever the value needs to participate in math (totals, averages, formulas) or whenever you'll sort records by that value.
When to Use a Number Field vs. a Text Field
Use a Number field for:
Observation numbers, room numbers, drawing numbers, item counts, quantities
Anything you'll sort in numeric order — Number fields sort
1, 2, 3, 11, 20
Use a Text field for:
Mixed identifiers like
A-101,R200B,PHASE-1Values that may include letters, dashes, or other characters
👉 Sorting a Text field that contains numbers sorts them alphabetically (1, 11, 2, 20), not numerically. See Fields - Text for the full example and a leading-zero workaround.
A Number field configured on an element to store a numeric value.
Currently, Number values can not be negative. Use a formula field to turn the value negative. Number values also cannot contain other characters. If needed, use a text field instead.
