Remove field from multiple reports

Question

Ok, when I created my application, I set up a formula text field [Service Order # (Automatically Generated)] to automatically generate a service order number.  However, we were notified by our client that they would be issuing the service order number.  So I went and created a text field [HNC Service Order #] for the service order number from our client.  However, I had already created approx. 50 reports using the [Service Order # (Automatically Generated)].  Now that we aren't using this field (but don't want to do away with it), I need to put the [HNC Service Order #] field on all of those reports & remove the other field.  Is there an easy way to do this or do I just have to go manually into each report & fix the fields?

LauraThacker · Answer

There are different ways to approach this but my recommendation is going to be based on the Usage of the current formula field. You can either:

1. Use the new entry field as the data-entry field value and still use the formula to display either/or. This means you have 2 fields; which is not as clean for your system.

2. Depending on your Usage of the formula (which probably has a high-usage rate across forms, reports, lookups, email notifications etc.); you may be smarter to temporarily populate the formula values into the new Service Order # field; and then change your formula to a regular entry-field. Then update your old-formula (now data entry) and populate it with all the values stored in the Service Order # field. Then you maintain only 1 field for data entry/creation; you do not need to update any looukps etc. unless you are changing from a numeric to text or vice-versa and you keep the table clean with only 1 field value representing the order #.

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