HubSpot data model: understanding objects, records, properties and associations

A HubSpot data model defines how customer and business information is structured, connected and used across the CRM.

It determines:

• Which objects represent your customers and business processes
• What individual records are created
• Which properties store information
• How associations connect related records
• How activities and interactions are recorded

A well-designed data model helps HubSpot reflect how your organisation operates and provides a reliable foundation for reporting, segmentation, automation and integrations.

Why your HubSpot data model matters

The structure of your CRM affects how effectively people and systems can use its data.

A clear data model can help your organisation:

• Capture consistent information
• Understand relationships between customers and business processes
• Build meaningful reports
• Create accurate segments
• Run reliable automation
• Integrate HubSpot with other systems
• Adapt the CRM as requirements develop

A poorly planned structure can result in duplicate information, unclear definitions, unreliable reporting and automation that behaves unexpectedly.

Objects

Objects represent different types of customer or business-process information.

Common HubSpot objects include:

• Contacts
• Companies
• Deals
• Leads
• Tickets
• Products and line items
• Calls, meetings and other activities
• Appointments, courses, services and projects, where available
• Custom objects, with an eligible Enterprise subscription

Each object should represent a distinct type of information or process.

For example:

• A contact represents an individual person
• A company represents an organisation
• A deal represents a sales opportunity or transaction
• A ticket represents a support request or service issue

HubSpot includes standard objects for common CRM requirements. Organisations should normally assess whether an existing object can support a process before creating a custom object.

For more information, see How to use objects for business processes.

Records

A record is an individual instance of an object.

For example:

• Jane Smith may be a contact record
• Example Ltd may be a company record
• Website renewal may be a deal record
• Delivery query may be a ticket record

Each record brings together information stored in properties, recorded activities and associations with other records.

Consistent rules for creating and maintaining records help prevent duplication and make CRM data easier to trust.

Properties

Properties are the fields used to store information on records.

Examples include:

• First name
• Email address
• Company domain
• Lifecycle stage
• Deal amount
• Ticket priority
• Renewal date

HubSpot includes default properties for standard information. Custom properties can be created where the organisation has a genuine requirement that is not met by an appropriate existing property.

Before creating a custom property, consider:

• What information it will store
• Which object it belongs to
• Who owns and maintains the information
• Which field type should be used
• Whether the information already exists elsewhere
• How it will be used in reports, segments, workflows or integrations
• Whether its definition and allowed values are clear
• Whether it will contain personal or sensitive information

Avoid creating several properties that capture the same concept in slightly different ways. Duplicate or poorly defined properties can make reporting and automation unreliable.

For current instructions, see Create and edit properties.

Associations

Associations connect related records.

For example, a contact may be associated with:

• The company they work for
• A deal they are involved with
• A ticket they raised
• Another contact
• A custom-object record

Associations in HubSpot are two-way. If a contact is associated with a company, that relationship can be viewed from both records.

Accurate associations help users understand the complete relationship between customers, organisations and business processes. They can also support reporting, segmentation and automation across related records.

Professional and Enterprise subscriptions can use association labels to describe relationships more precisely. For example, a contact-to-company association might be labelled Employee, Decision maker or Advisor.

Association labels and primary relationships should have agreed definitions. Adding labels without clear rules can make the data model harder to understand.

For current instructions, see Associate records.

Activities

Activities record interactions and actions connected with CRM records.

They can include:

• Calls
• Emails
• Meetings
• Notes
• Tasks
• SMS and WhatsApp messages
• LinkedIn messages
• Other supported communications

Activities provide context about what has happened and can be associated with one or more relevant records.

For example, a meeting may relate to a contact, their company and an active deal. Correct activity associations help preserve an accurate history across those records.

Reporting

Reports depend on the availability, quality and relationships of the underlying data.

A clear data model helps users understand:

• Which object should be used as the report’s primary data source
• Which properties contain the required values
• How records are related
• Whether the information is complete and consistently maintained
• Which filters and calculations are meaningful

A data model does not guarantee accurate reporting by itself. Users must still enter, import and maintain data consistently.

For current reporting guidance, see Create reports in HubSpot.

Segmentation

Segments can use property values and associated-record information to identify relevant audiences or operational groups.

For example, an organisation might identify:

• Contacts associated with companies in a particular industry
• Customers with an open support ticket
• Contacts associated with an active renewal deal
• Organisations that use a particular service

Segmentation will only be dependable when the required properties and associations are populated consistently.

Automation and workflows

Workflows use CRM data to decide which records should enrol and what actions should take place.

A reliable data model helps workflow designers:

• Choose the correct enrolment object
• Use consistent property values
• Reference associated records appropriately
• Avoid conflicting automation
• Understand where updates should be written

Changes to properties, associations or objects can affect existing automation. Review dependent workflows, reports, segments, integrations and forms before making structural changes.

For current guidance, see Create workflows.

Custom objects

Custom objects allow eligible Enterprise accounts to represent business information that does not fit an appropriate standard HubSpot object.

A custom object might be suitable when the organisation needs to manage a distinct group of records with its own properties, associations and processes.

Before creating one, confirm:

• A standard object cannot meet the requirement
• The information genuinely represents a separate entity
• The object has a clear purpose and ownership
• Required associations are understood
• Reporting and automation requirements have been considered
• Integrations can support the proposed structure
• Users understand when and how records should be created

Custom objects should solve a defined business requirement rather than compensate for an unclear process or inconsistent use of existing objects.

Viewing your data model

HubSpot’s data model overview shows the objects, properties, activities and associations used within the account.

It can help administrators understand:

• Which objects are available or active
• How objects are associated
• Which properties belong to each object
• Which association labels have been configured
• How properties and objects are being used
• Current CRM limits and usage

The objects and capabilities displayed depend on the account’s subscriptions and configuration.

Using the Data Model Builder

The Data Model Builder provides an interface for viewing and managing parts of the CRM structure.

Depending on subscriptions and permissions, it can be used to:

• Review objects and their relationships
• Create custom properties
• Activate supported objects
• Manage association settings
• Create association labels and limits
• Rename supported objects
• Create custom objects in eligible Enterprise accounts
• Export an image of the data model

Structural changes can affect multiple areas of HubSpot. Review their impact before updating a live data model.

For current instructions, see Use the Data Model Builder.

Good data-model practices

When designing or reviewing a HubSpot data model:

• Start with real business processes and reporting requirements
• Use standard objects and properties where they meet the need
• Give custom properties clear names and definitions
• Document important property values and association labels
• Avoid duplicating the same information across several fields
• Define who owns and maintains each important data point
• Apply appropriate permissions to sensitive information
• Test structural changes before wider use
• Review reports, workflows, segments, forms and integrations when the model changes
• Maintain a record of agreed data-model decisions

The aim is not to make the model as complex as possible. It is to create the simplest structure that accurately supports the organisation’s requirements.

What can Forbidden help with?

Forbidden can help map your organisation’s processes and reporting requirements to HubSpot objects, records, properties and associations.

We can also review an existing data model, identify unnecessary complexity, define naming and governance standards, and assess the impact of proposed changes on reporting, automation and integrations.

Your organisation remains responsible for confirming its business definitions, data ownership, access requirements and any legal or regulatory obligations affecting the information held in HubSpot.

Further information

• How to use objects for business processes
• Associate records
• Create and edit properties
• Use the Data Model Builder
• Create reports in HubSpot
• Create workflows