A relationship type describes how two contacts or organizations are connected, such as "Spouse," "Owner," or "Employee." It also defines which kind of record belongs on each side. Staff choose a relationship type when they relate two records, so set up the types your team needs before they begin using relationships.
Relationship types do not replace contact roles. Use contact roles for role-based relationships, such as Billing Contact or Primary Contact. Use relationship types for additional, non-role associations between records.
What It Controls
Each contact already has one primary organization link in the organization field on the contact record. Use relationship types to capture additional associations beyond that single primary link, such as when a contact needs to be connected to more than one organization during a data migration.
Every relationship type has:
- A name, such as "Spouse" or "Employee." Staff see the same name in both directions, so you do not set a separate label for each side.
- A fixed kind of record on each side — Contact or Organization. For example, "Owner" might have a Contact on the left side and an Organization on the right.
- An active flag.
When staff relate two records, Rhythm offers only active relationship types that include that kind of record. If no active relationship type includes contacts, the contact's Relationships tab does not appear. The same rule applies to organizations.
Where to Find It
Go to Setup › Customers › Relationship Types. This opens Manage Relationship Types, where each type appears in a list. The Types column shows the two sides, such as Contact / Organization.
- Create Relationship Type opens a blank form.
- The clone icon on a row opens a new type prefilled from that row, without its identifier.
- The edit icon opens that type so you can change it.
- The delete icon removes the type after you confirm.
Prerequisites
You need the permission your administrator grants for relationship type setup. Without that permission, this page is not available to you.
The Settings
| Setting | Options | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name: | Any text | Empty | Required. Staff see this label when they relate two records, no matter which direction they read the relationship |
| ID: | Letters, digits, underscores, colons, vertical bars, and hyphens | Suggested from the name, such as "Owner" suggesting OWNER | The type's permanent identifier. You cannot change it after you save the type for the first time |
| Status: | Active, Inactive | Active | Controls whether staff can choose the type when they relate two records |
| Left Side Type: | Contact, Organization | None | Sets which kind of record belongs on the left side of this relationship |
| Right Side Type: | Contact, Organization | None | Sets which kind of record belongs on the right side |
Both side selectors are required. Unlike the identifier, they remain editable after the type has been used, so read the warning below before you change either one on an existing type.
Dependencies and Precedence
- A relationship type can relate only contacts and organizations. No other kind of Rhythm record can be a side.
- A record's Relationships tab appears only when at least one active type includes that kind of record on either side. If you deactivate the last type for that kind of record, the tab disappears and staff lose visible access to every existing relationship of that kind, but the relationships are not deleted.
Change Impact and How to Revert
- Renaming a relationship type is safe. Existing relationships keep showing the old name in their composed display until each relationship is saved again. After that, they show the new name.
- Deactivating a type stops staff from choosing it for new relationships. Relationships that already use it keep working.
- Deleting a type is permanent. You cannot delete a relationship type that any current or already ended relationship still uses. If you try, Rhythm refuses the delete.
Warning
Changing Left Side Type or Right Side Type on a relationship type that is already in use is allowed, and Rhythm does not show a warning. The change still breaks every existing relationship of that type. Each relationship fails the next time anyone tries to save it, because its stored sides no longer match what the type now requires. If you need to change what kind of record belongs on a side, create a brand-new type instead of changing one you already use.
Permissions
You need the permission your administrator grants for relationship type setup. There is no separate permission for creating, editing, and deleting relationship types within that area.
Validation and Errors
You must enter a name, choose a left side, and choose a right side before you can save. If you try to delete a relationship type that any relationship uses, Rhythm refuses the delete and keeps the type in the list.
Related
See "Related" in the sidebar for how staff relate two records day to day, and how a record's relationships fit into the rest of its 360 view.