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Entity Types

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Overview

This section provides a comprehensive overview of the entity types. As an admin, you can create and customize entities as required.

Background

Entities are the building blocks of all functionalities and are grouped into four categories:

Subject – Real-world Objects.
Business Process – Top-level or parent Entity (example: investigations).
Activity – Child Entity linked to Business Process Entities.
Artifact – Special Media entities.

Accessing the interface

To access the Entities page:

Log into the Hubstream instance.
Click the gear icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
Click Admin.
Select the Entity Types option from the left navigation panel.

Sections of Entity List Page

List page

  • Header - Displays the page label (Entity Types), a plus (+) icon for creating a new list and Download Entire Model icon.
  • Left Pane - Contains a local search widget to filter the list.
  • Right Pane - Displays the list of existing entities along with their details.
  • Footer - Shows the total number of rows, a pagination dropdown and navigation buttons with pagination labels.

Create an Entity

To create a new entity:

Navigate to Entity Type List page.
Click the plus (+) icon on the right.
A New Entity Type popup form will appear.

create

Enter the name of an existing entity in the Search field.
Click Add to create a new Entity.
Choose the template type (Subject, Business Process or Activity) as required and click Create.

create

Standard Entity Types

  • Investigation - Contains case details, notes, tasks, and other related information.
  • Address - Stores physical address information such as street address, city, state, and zip code.
  • IP Address - Stores digital address information such as IP addresses and browser information.
  • Automation - Contains information about automated processes or workflows within your case management system.
  • Online Identity - Contains information about online identities.
  • Media - Stores digital media related to a case, such as photos, or videos.
  • Media Series - Contains information about related series of media files.
  • People - Contains information about individuals relevant to the case, such as suspects, witnesses, or victims.

Edit an Entity Type

Navigate to the Entity Type list page (Newly created or existing).
Select any Item from the list displayed. Actions contextual menu will appear on the right.
Click Edit option.
Modify the necessary details and click Save.

Entity Fields

Entity fields are attributes or properties associated with an entity that provide detailed information.

List page

Fields vary by entity type and include predefined fields (example: IP address for an “IP Address” entity) and custom fields tailored to investigation needs.

Examples of Entity Fields:

  • Investigation Entity - Name, Description, Start Date, Status, etc.
  • IP address Entity - IP address, Allocation Date, Country of Origin, Associated Domains, etc.
  • Online identity Entity - Username, Platform, Known Aliases, Linked Email Addresses, etc.
  • Phone number Entity - Phone number, Country code, Carrier, Associated persons, etc.

Sections of Entity fields List Page

  • Header – Displays the field name and the following icons: Reorder Sequence, Add Text, dropdown, number, decimal, currency, Date & Time, Calculated fields etc.
  • Left Pane - Contains a local search widget to filter the list.
  • Right Pane – Displays the list of existing entities with their corresponding columns.
  • Footer – Displays the total rows label, pagination dropdown and buttons with a pagination label.

List page

Add Entity Fields

Go to Entity Types List page.
Click the desired field cell in the Fields Column to open the entity fields page.
Click the required field icon to open the corresponding popup form.
Add label Name to be displayed in the form.
Enter all the required details for the selected field type.
Click Advanced Options. Add the following properties as required.
  • Basic field Info – Allows you to change the label Name displayed on forms.

basic

  • For Dropdown fields - Configure the Label, Dropdown Type and Dropdown Values.
  • For Calculated fields - Configure the Label and Calculation Type.
  • Field Properties – Allows you to manage the basic properties of a field.

field

  • Default Value – Enter the default value to be displayed for a field.
  • View only - Make the field non-editable.
  • Mandatory – Mark the field as required during entity creation.
  • Field specific properties - Configure field-specific attributes such as Date Format and Time Zone for date and time fields.
  • Max Length – Set character length restrictions for the field.
  • Layout Properties – Customize the layout and placement of the field.

layout

  • Category – Change the category under which the field is displayed.
  • Width - Adjust the width of the field in the form.
  • Visibility Properties – Allows you to control the field visibility.

visibility

Fields can be shown or hidden in the Form, Filter, List, Tile, and Page Header. Visibility Properties provides options as Auto, Yes and No to show or hide a field.

  • Complex Actions – Allows you to add role-based permissions to a field.

complex

You can select multiple roles by checking the boxes among EntityAdmin, User, Administrator, Read Only User, and Manager.

  • Help Text – Allows you to add help details for a field, which will be displayed as greyed out text. help
Click Save.

Entity Field Types

You can add the following field types:

Text Field

The Text field allows you to add text box fields to enter data, comments, or notes.

Text field Types: text

Text field – Use for entering values and data in a form.
Long Text field – Use for notes or extended text input.

Example

In this example, we demonstrate how to add a Notes text box to the Email Address Entity.

Scenario: Create a text box to add notes in the Email Address Entity.

Description:

The user needs to add additional details about the email address such as the last activity. The admin’s task is to create a text box and display it in the form for the user to add additional details.

Prerequisites:

Ensure you have admin access to the instance.
The Email Address entity should be listed under Entity Types.

Steps:

Go to Entity Types Page.
Locate the Email Address Entity.
Click the corresponding fields cell to open Entity fields page.
Click Add Long Text field.
Enter the Label Name as e-mail Notes.
Under Visibility Properties, change Show in Form to Yes.
Click Save.

Expected Outcomes:

After completing the steps above:

Navigate to the Explore your Hub hamburger menu.
Locate Email Addresses Entity under the entity list.
Click Email Addresses.
Click plus (+) icon to add new data.
The newly created e-mail Notes text field will be displayed in the form.

Drop-down field

A Drop down field allows you to choose one option from a list of predefined choices.

Drop down field Types:

dropdown

Add Drop down field

This allows you to create a non-editable dropdown field in forms to select an option from predefined values. The Drop-down type under Basic field info includes:

Field-level value list – Add a set of independent values or options to display.
Shared value list – Add options from an existing dropdown list. Value list option will be displayed when this option is selected, enabling you to select an existing list to share.
Lookup value list - Add a dropdown list from another entity and field.

Add Text box with drop down field

This allows you to create an editable dropdown field in forms, where you can choose an option from pre-defined values or add new options.

The Drop-down type under Basic field info includes:

Field-level value list – Add a set of independent values or options to display.
Shared value list – Add options from an existing dropdown list. Value list option will be displayed when this option is selected, enabling you to select an existing list to share.

Add Cascading dropdown field

This allows you to create a dependent dropdown field based on a parent field.

For example, the values in a state dropdown depend on the country (Parent field) that was selected in a different field.

Choose the Drop-down Type as Field-Level Value List or Shared Value List.
Select the Parent Field from the displayed list.
Enter the dropdown values for the corresponding parent values.

Number Field

The Number Field allows you to add numeric values, including Long Number fields for larger values. Number fields will not allow alphabets and special characters.

Number field Types:

number

Add Number field – Allows you to enter a maximum of 7 digits.
Add Long Number field - Allows you to enter a maximum of 15 digits.

Decimal Field

This allows you to enter decimal values in number fields within forms. Numbers and pointer character (.) is allowed for decimal fields.

Decimal field Types:

decimal

Add High Precision field – Allows you to enter 11 digits in an integral part of a value and 9 digits in a decimal part.
Add Large Number field – Allows you to enter 9 digits in an integral part of a value and 2 digits in a decimal part.
Add Geospatial field - Allows you to enter 3 digits in an integral part of a value and 8 digits in a decimal part.
Add Customizable Decimal field – Allows you to add custom number length for both integral and decimal part of a value as required.

Currency Field

The Currency field allows you to setup the currency format by controlling the basic properties of the element.

Date and Time Field

date

Allows you to setup the date and time format by controlling the field properties of the element. You can choose Default value and Date & Time format under field properties. Timezone DropDown will be displayed for Add Date & Time field.

Calculated field

Calculated fields are used to generate values based on a formula or expression. These fields are not physical fields, but their results are displayed in forms. Calculated fields allow you to create field expressions using column extensions and functions.

Calculated field Types

calculated

Value-list based – Allows you to choose the calculation value as a color or icon based on the value list field.
Expression-based – Allows you to use column extensions, field expressions and column functions.

Calculated Fields flow

flowchart

Applicable Column Extensions and Column Functions

Column Extensions
Extension Name
Extension Examples
Purpose
Boolean
  • TotalMediaFiles.Boolean.
  • Address.TotalMediaFiles.Boolean.
Responsible for casting bit values to the Boolean Data Type.
DateDiff
  • DateTimeCreated.Days.
  • Address.DateTimeCreated.Days.
Calculates the date interval from the given date to the current date.
Date Range
  • DateCreated.DateRange.
  • Address.DateCreated.DateRange.
Retrieves the date range for a given date column.
DateTimeValue
  • DateTimeCreated.UTCValue.
  • Address.DateTimeCreated.UTCValue.
Fetches the UTC date time value for the given field.
EntityLookupValuelist
  • AssignRole.EntityLookUpValue.
  • Address.AssignRole.EntityLookUpValue.
Used for entity Look-up value lists.
EntityType Extension
  • GetLinkInfo(ToTypeID).EntityName.
  • Address.GetLinkInfo(ToTypeID).EntityName.
  • This extension can be used for EntityCaption and EntityIcon.
Joins the entity table and can fetch either the Entity Name or Entity Caption as required.
Number Converter Extension
  • SequenceNumber.Number.
  • Address.SequenceNumber.Number.
Converts a data type to another specified data type.
Organization
  • OrgID.OrgName.
  • Address.OrgID.OrgName.
  • ParentOrganizationID.
Fetches organization details.
Preserve Date Time
  • DateTimeReceived.PreservedDateTime.
  • Address.DateTimeReceived.PreservedDateTime.
  • PreservedDateTimeX.
Retrieves the preserved datetime value from a stored UTC datetime using the preserved time zone ID.
Property Bag Extension
  • PropertyBag.ReceivedInformation.
  • Address.PropertyBag.ReceivedInformation.
Fetches the value of an extended column of type property bag.
Short Date Format Extension
  • DateOfBirth.ShortDate.
  • Address.DateOfBirth.ShortDate.
Formats the date/datetime as a short date string based on the user profile’s time zone.
Time Zone
  • DateTimeReceived.TimeZone.
  • Address.DateTimeReceived.TimeZone.
Retrieves the preserved time zone value for the given field.
User
  • CreatedBy.UserFullName.
  • Address.CreatedBy.UserFullName.
  • You can also use UpdatedBy, DeletedBy, DefaultUserID, or ContactUserID instead of CreatedBy.
  • You can also use UserFirstName, UserLastName, or UserEmail instead of UserFullName.
Fetches user details.
User Time Zone
  • DateTimeReceived.UserTimeZone.
  • Address.DateTimeReceived.UserTimeZone.
  • UserTimeZoneX.
Retrieves the user’s datetime value from a stored UTC datetime value.
ValueList
  • Priority.Value.
  • Address.Priority.Value.
  • You can also use Color, Caption, or Group.
Extends a column by mapping it to a value list and fetches information about the value list.
Column Functions
Function Name
Expression Examples
Purpose
Absolute
  • ABS(Person.Age)
  • Address.ABS(Person.Age)
Returns the absolute value of the expression.
Calculate
  • Calc(Person.ID + 20)
  • Address.Calc(Person.ID + 20)
Performs mathematical operations on a column value.
Coalesce
  • Coalesce(IPAddress.Name, Person.Name)
  • Address.Coalesce(IPAddress.Name, Person.Name)
Evaluates multiple columns as arguments in order and returns the first non-null value from the list.
Concatenate
  • Concat(Person.ID, ‘:’, Person.Name)
  • Address.Concat(Person.ID, ‘:’, Person.Name)
Concatenates multiple columns into a single string.
Constant
  • Constant(Name)
Adds a column that returns a constant value.
Convert
  • Name.Convert(LongText)
  • Address.Name.Convert(LongText)
Converts a column to another specified data type.
DateDiff
  • DateDiffFunction(Day, DateCreated, DateUpdated)
  • DateDiffFunction(Day, DateCreated, DateUpdated, true)
  • Setting the Boolean to “true” triggers time conversion based on the user’s time zone. Only primary tables are supported.
Calculates the date difference between two user-specified dates.
Currency Format
  • Amount.CurrencyFormat(’£ #.00’, ‘,’, ‘.’)
  • Address.Amount.CurrencyFormat(’£ #.00’, ‘,’, ‘.’)
Formats the currency column as per the given pattern.
Date Format
  • DateOfBirth.DateFormat(dd/MM/yyyy)
  • Address.DateOfBirth.DateFormat(dd/MM/yyyy)
Formats the date or datetime column as per the specified format.
Date Format with Time Zone
  • DateTimeReceived.DateFormatWithTimeZone(yyyy-MM-dd, ‘+’, DateTimeReceivedTimeZone)
  • Address.DateTimeReceived.DateFormatWithTimeZone(yyyy-MM-dd, ‘+’, DateTimeReceivedTimeZone)
Formats preserved datetime fields with a time zone ID.
Number Format
  • Latitude.NumberFormat(0’.‘000)
  • Address.Latitude.NumberFormat(0’.‘000)
Converts and formats numbers as per user-defined formats.
Date Delta
  • DateDelta(days, Investigation.DateCreated, Investigation.DateUpdated)
  • Investigation.DateDelta(days, Address.DateCreated, Address.DateUpdated)
Calculates the date interval between two given dates.
Distinct Row Count
  • DistinctRowCount(Investigation.FullName)
  • DistinctRowCount(Address.Name)
  • Person.DistinctRowCount(Address.Name)
Returns the distinct count of rows based on the given column.
Entity Lookup Value List
  • Investigation.Country.EntityLookUpValue(CountryCode)
Retrieves the specified lookup field value for the given entity field.
GetLinkInfo
  • GetLinkInfo(ToTypeID)
  • Address.GetLinkInfo(ToTypeID)
  • Address.GetLinkInfo(IPAddress, ToTypeID)
  • GetLinkInfo(Investigation, LinkName, InvestigationRoles) InvestigationRoles is a value list name.
  • You can use LinkName or ToID instead of ToTypeID.
Retrieves link fields for the specified expression column.
If
  • If(Investigation.Name = Test, Constant(Test), If(Address.City = Chennai, Constant(Chennai), Constant(Pass)))
  • If(Address.City = Chennai, Constant(Chennai), If(Investigation.Name = Test, Constant(Test), IPAddress.Name))
Evaluates an expression and returns a value based on the result.
Is Empty
  • Description.IsEmpty(‘Empty Description’, ‘NULL’)
  • Address.Description.IsEmpty(‘Empty Description’, ‘NULL’)
Replaces null or blank values with a specified replacement value.
MinAggregate
  • Investigation.Min(Address.ID)
  • Min(Address.ID)
Retrieves the minimum value of the specified column.
Not Related Count
  • NotRelatedCount(User)
  • NotRelatedCount(Address, User)
  • IPAddress.NotRelatedCount(Address, User)
Counts entities not linked to a given entity.
Radius Search
  • RadiusSearch(Latitude, Longitude, 12, 77, =, 2332, mile)
  • RadiusSearch(Address.Latitude, Address.Longitude, 12, 77, =, 2332, mile)
Calculates the distance difference between the search point and other locations.
Related Aggregate Function
  • Address.RelatedAggregate(Max,Investigation.DateTime Received)
  • RelatedAggregate(Max,Investigation.DateTimeReceived)
  • Person.RelatedAggregate(Max,Investigation.DateTimeReceived)
  • RelatedAggregate(Max,Investigation.DateTimeReceived,IPAddress)
Aggregates the values of a field of the given entity.
Related Count
  • Investigation.RelatedCount(Note)
  • RelatedCount(Note)
  • Person.RelatedCount(Note)
  • RelatedCount(IPAddress,Note)
Counts related entities for the given entity.
Related CountX
  • Investigation.RelatedCountX(Note,Note.Content,=,Test)
  • RelatedCountX(Note,Note.Content,=,Test)
  • Person.RelatedCountX(Note,Note.Content,=,Test)
  • RelatedCountX(IPAddress,Note,Note.Content,=,Test)
  • RelatedCountX(IPAddress,Note,Address.Name,=,Test)
Counts related entities for the given entity after filtering.
Related EntityType
  • Investigation.RelatedEntityType()
  • RelatedEntityType()
  • Person.RelatedEntityType()
Gets the list of entity type IDs linked to the given ID.
Related Link Count
  • Investigation.RelatedLinkCount(Address)
  • Person.RelatedLinkCount(Address)
  • RelatedLinkCount(Investigation,IPAddress,Note)
  • RelatedLinkCount(Address)
Counts the number of related link rows.
Related Link Fields
  • Investigation.RelatedLinkField(User,FullName,LinkName,AssignedTo,LeftJoin)
  • RelatedLinkField(User,FullName,LinkName,AssignedTo,LeftJoin)
  • Person.RelatedLinkField(User,FullName,LinkName,AssignedTo,LeftJoin)
  • Person.RelatedLinkField(User,FullName,LinkName,AssignedTo)
Helps to return a value of an entity linked to another entity and are filtered with the given link Field Name and value.
Related Multiple Function
  • Investigation.RelatedMultiple(User.FullName, ‘,’)
  • RelatedMultiple(User.FullName, ‘,’)
  • Person.RelatedMultiple(User.FullName,’,')
  • Investigation.RelatedMultiple(Investigation.Name,’,')
Retrieves related entity columns for a given entity.
Related MultipleX Function
  • Task.RelatedMultipleX(Person.GivenNames,’,’,Person.LastName,=,Charles)
  • RelatedMultipleX(Person.GivenNames,’,’,Person.LastName,=,Charles)
  • Investigation.RelatedMultipleX(Person.GivenNames,’,’,Person.LastName,=,Charles)
  • Investigation.RelatedMultipleX(Person.GivenNames,’,’,Task.Name,=,Charles)
Gets the list of related entity column for a given entity.
Row Count
  • RowCount()
  • Person.RowCount()
Counts the number of rows.

Example

In this example, we demonstrate how to show a list of assigned users for an investigation in the list page.

Scenario 1: Show assigned users using Calculated fields.

Description:

The user needs to see the list of assigned users for an investigation. The admin’s task is to create a Calculated field using expressions to display the list.

Steps:

Go to Entity Types List page.
Click the required field to open the entity fields page.
Click Calculated field icon.
Add label Name.
Choose the Calculation Type as Expression based.
Provide the field expression: RelatedMultiple(User.FullName,‘,’)
Click Save.

Expected Outcomes:

After completing the steps above, the users will see the list of Assigned users, separated by commas.

Scenario 2: View and filter the assigned Users.

Description:

The user needs to see the filtered list of Assigned users of an investigation. The admin’s task is to create a Calculated field using expressions to display the filtered list.

Steps:

Go to Entity Types List page.
Click the required field to open the entity fields page.
Click Calculated field icon.
Add label Name.
Choose the Calculation Type as Expression based.
Provide Field expression: User.FullName.
Click Save.

Expected Outcomes:

The user can now filter the list of assigned users of an investigation.

Others

As an admin, you can add the following additional fields to an entity:

others

  • Add Check Box field -Allows you to add check boxes to the fields for users to select or unselect items.
  • Add Image field – Allows you to add images to a field.
  • Add JSON field - Allows you to add JSON files to a field.
  • Add Multiple Fields – Allows you to create multiple fields of the same type.

Edit an Entity Field

edit

Navigate to Entity Types list page.
Click any field cell in the Fields column.
Select any Item from the list displayed. Actions contextual menu will appear on the right side.
Modify the necessary details.
Click Save.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you display a long text field as infographics?

You can configure a Long Text field to be displayed as an infographic tile on an entity’s details page.

Steps to configure a long text field as infographics

Navigate to the Entity Types Page.
Click the Settings hyperlink for the desired entity (example: investigation).
In the left pane, use the search widget to search for “text”.
Select Infographics from the available list.
Click Edit in the Actions contextual menu.
In the Current Value field, enter the field name for which you want to configure infographics.
The selected fields will now appear in the infographics section of the entity’s details page (example: Investigation).

Steps to find the required field name

Navigate to the Entity Types Page.
Click the Fields hyperlink of the desired entity (example: investigation). The corresponding fields page will be displayed.
Locate and select the long text field (example: synopsis).
Click Edit in the Actions contextual menu.
Click the Advanced Options hyperlink.
Copy the field Name, under Basic field info section.

Example Scenario

Scenario: Display the Synopsis field as an infographic in the Investigation details page.

Description: The user should see an Infographic Tile in the Investigation Details page displaying the Synopsis field’s data. The admin needs to configure this field accordingly.

Steps:

Retrieve the Synopsis Field Name

Navigate to the Entity Types page via the Admin menu.
Locate Investigation.
Click the Fields hyperlink. You will be redirected to the Investigation Fields page.
Select Synopsis. The Actions Contextual Menu will appear on the right.
Click Edit.
Click Advanced Options.
Copy the field Name displayed under the Basic Field Info section.

Configure the Field as Infographics

Navigate to the Entity Types page via the Admin menu.
Locate Investigation.
Click the Settings hyperlink. You will be redirected to the All Entity Settings page.
In the left pane, use the search widget to search for “text”.
In the right pane, select Infographics.
Click Edit in the Actions contextual menu.
In the Current Value field, enter the previously copied Synopsis field Name.
Click Save.

Expected Outcomes

After completing the steps above:

Navigate to the Investigations list page via the hamburger menu.
Click any investigation. You will be redirected to the Investigation details page.
Under Infographics section, the Synopsis tile will be displayed.

infographics

Need Help?For assistance, please visit our support center.

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