---
title: "Create custom tables"
description: "Define tables and columns for your team's structured data."
canonical: https://ocho.bot/docs/data-manager/create-custom-tables
last_updated: 2026-07-12
---

# Create custom tables

> Define tables and columns for your team's structured data.

> Who can do this: table administrators. Without the Table Admin role these controls simply don't appear — the left rail shows only the **Tables** heading, and with no tables the empty state reads "No tables yet." with a note that an admin can define one.

## Create a table

1. In Data Manager, click **New** next to the **Tables** heading in the left    rail (with no tables yet, an additional **Create your first table** button    also appears in the empty state). This opens the **New table** dialog. 2. Give it a **Label** (the internal name is derived automatically as a    snake_case slug — there is no name field), an optional **Description**,    and an **Icon**. 3. Decide AI access: **Let AI read this table** and/or **Let AI write this    table**. Both are off by default. The read toggle controls whether the    [AI data assistant](/docs/data-manager/ai-data-assistant) can read the    table, and the write toggle controls whether it can create and update    records. Deleting records through the assistant is governed by your own    delete permission, not by these toggles. 4. Click **Create table**.

## Define columns

Open the **Columns** sheet with the **Manage columns** gear button on the table (or the **Add column** button, which opens the same sheet with the add form first):

- **Add a column** — set a **Label**, a **Name** (snake_case, derived from

the label but editable here), a **Type**, plus **Mandatory** and **Visible   to AI** checkboxes (Visible to AI is on by default). Choice columns —   **Choice (single)** or **Choice (multi)** — take a comma-separated list of   choices; **Reference** columns pick a **Reference table**; **String** and   **Text (long)** columns can set a **Max length**.

- **Reorder** columns with the **Move up** / **Move down** controls.
- **Edit** a column at any time — label, type, max length, choices,

reference table, mandatory, and visible to AI can all change after   creation.

- **Delete** a column — it is removed from the schema; existing record

values are retained in storage but no longer visible.

## Good to know

- A column's internal name can only be set when the column is added — the

edit form never offers a rename, so plan names when you create columns.   The label stays editable at all times.

- Deciding AI access happens at table creation; there is no in-app control

to change it afterwards, so choose deliberately for tables holding   sensitive data.

All docs: https://ocho.bot/docs

---

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