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How to use the NetSuite Schema Browser
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Book a callThe NetSuite Schema Browser is a free, public reference from Oracle, linked from the NetSuite Help Center, that lists the standard records and fields NetSuite supports. It has three tabs: Records Browser for SuiteScript and searches, Schema Browser for SOAP web services, and Connect Browser, which Oracle stopped updating after 2021.2. For custom fields, SuiteQL and ODBC reporting, use the Records Catalog inside your own account.
- The browser is the dictionary of standard NetSuite records and fields. It is free and needs no login.
- For most lookups use the Records Browser tab. The SOAP tab serves an interface Oracle is retiring, and the Connect tab is out of date.
- Custom fields, SuiteQL and ODBC reporting are not covered. For those, use the Records Catalog inside your own account.
What is the NetSuite Schema Browser?
It is the dictionary of NetSuite's data model. Each standard record that NetSuite supports, such as customer, invoice or journal entry, has a page that lists its fields, their types and how the record connects to others. Developers use it to build integrations. Accountants and analysts use it to work out where a number actually lives.
The three browsers, and which one you need
| Tab | Use it when you are working with | It shows |
|---|---|---|
| Records Browser | SuiteScript and saved searches | Field IDs, sublists, search joins, search filters and search columns |
| Schema Browser | SOAP web services (SuiteTalk) | Records, fields, data types and whether a field is required |
| Connect Browser | Old ODBC queries only | Tables and columns of a data source Oracle has retired. It has not been updated since 2021.2 |
They sit side by side as tabs at the top of the same page, which is why people call the whole thing "the schema browser".
Two of the three are on their way out. Oracle is retiring SOAP web services: 2025.2 is the last planned SOAP version, and Oracle says SOAP will stop working with the 2028.2 release, so do not start a new integration on it. For ODBC reporting today, use the Records Catalog described below.
Pick one saved search or report your team relies on. Can anyone say which records it joins, and has its total ever been tied to the general ledger?
How to open it
- Open the Records Browser from the link on Oracle's Schema Explorer Tools help page. It is a public page and needs no login.
- Use the newest version, which is the only one Oracle supports. A new one comes out with each of the two yearly releases.
- Pick a letter in the A to Z bar at the top, then open a record from the list on the left, for example Invoice.
- Switch between the tabs at the top. The same record looks different in each one, because each interface exposes it differently.
How to read a record page
- Fields. The internal ID is what scripts, searches and integrations use. The label is what people see on the form. They are often not the same word.
- Sublists. The line-level data, such as the item lines on an invoice.
- Search joins. The other records you can reach from this one in a saved search. This is the fastest way to answer "can I pull the customer's sales rep onto this report?" For invoices and other transactions, the joins, filters and columns are on the separate Transaction page.
- Search filters and columns. What you can filter by, and what you can show.
Go to Home, Set Preferences, and on the General tab tick "Show Internal IDs". If the box is not there, ask your administrator, because it only appears when a scripting or workflow feature is switched on. Then click any field label in NetSuite and the field ID appears in the help pop-up. It saves a lot of searching in the browser.
Where the schema browser stops
The browsers only know about standard NetSuite. Your custom records and custom fields are not in them, because they exist only in your account.
For those, use the Records Catalog, under Setup in your own account. It shows every record type available to you, including custom ones, with their fields and joins. It is also the right reference for SuiteQL and for NetSuite2.com, the data source all ODBC reporting now runs on, where table and field names differ from the old Connect Browser. Your role needs the Records Catalog permission to see it.
How accountants use it in practice
- Tracing a report line back to its source. Find which record and field feed the number before you trust it.
- Building a reconciliation search. Check the joins first, so you know the search is possible before you spend an hour on it.
- Scoping an integration. List the required fields for the records you will create, so the first import does not fail.
- Checking a data migration. Map each old field to its NetSuite field ID, not to its label.
Where this goes wrong
| The problem | What it costs you | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| You read the wrong tab | Field names differ between tabs, so the script or query fails | Check which tool you are building for before you copy a field ID |
| You look for a custom field in the browser | Time lost, because it can never be there | Open the Records Catalog in your own account |
| A report joins two records the wrong way | Totals double up and nobody notices until month-end | Check the join in the browser, then tie the report total to the ledger |
Our NetSuite team uses the browsers and the Records Catalog when building saved searches and checking integrations for clients.
Sources we opened and checked for this guide:
First published 2024. Rewritten and checked in September 2026. If something here is out of date, tell us and we will fix it.
