---
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title: What are Custom Metadata Types?
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/platform/264-0-0/custommetadatatypes_about.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.custommetadatatypes_about.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: f37231b28f3728e8728efc0805f18e17abf620b8c7f358b2a248c5b46d29545f
description: Custom metadata is customizable, deployable, packageable, and upgradeable application metadata. First you create a custom metadata type, which defines the form of the application metadata. Then you build reusable functionality that determines the behavior based on metadata of that type.
products:
  - Salesforce Platform
release: "264"
---
# What are Custom Metadata Types?

Custom metadata is customizable, deployable, packageable, and upgradeable application metadata. First you create a custom metadata type, which defines the form of the application metadata. Then you build reusable functionality that determines the behavior based on metadata of that type.

### Required Editions

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small edition">
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          <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;">Available in: Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience</td>

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            <p>Available in: <strong>Enterprise</strong>, <strong>Performance</strong>, <strong>Unlimited</strong>, and
              <strong>Developer</strong> Editions
            </p>
            <p style="margin-bottom:0;">You can create, edit, and delete custom metadata type
              records from installed packages in: <strong>Group</strong> and <strong>Professional</strong>
              Editions</p>
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After you create a public custom metadata type, you or others can declaratively create custom metadata records that are defined by that type. When you package a public custom metadata type, customers who install the package can add their own records to the metadata type. Your reusable functionality reads your custom metadata and uses it to produce customized application behavior. For example, you can use custom metadata types for these use cases.

- Mappings—Create associations between different objects, such as a custom metadata type that assigns cities, states, or provinces to particular regions in a country.
- Business rules—Combine configuration records with custom functionality. Use custom metadata types and some Apex code to route payments to the correct endpoint.
- Primary data—Let’s say that you use a standard accounting app. Create a custom metadata type that defines custom charges such as duties and VAT rates. If you include this type as part of an extension package, subscriber orgs can reference this primary data.
- Allowlists—Manage lists, such as approved donors and preapproved vendors.

Custom metadata rows resemble custom object rows in structure. You create, edit, and delete custom metadata rows in Metadata API or in Setup. Because the records are metadata, you can migrate them using packages or Metadata API tools.

![Note](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-platform-extend_code-264-0-0-production-enus/789bc523-706b-4ae4-8fe9-be6322e38b6b/images/icon_note.png)

Note Custom metadata records are read-only in the Enterprise and Partner APIs.

#### See Also

- [Custom Metadata Types](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.custommetadatatypes_overview.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "You can create your own declarative developer frameworks for internal teams, partners, and customers. Rather than building apps from data, you can build apps that are defined and driven by their own types of metadata. Metadata is the information that describes the configuration of each customer’s organization.")