Your customer wants to change the name of a field of an existing Custom Data Type (CDT) to match a renamed database field. The CDT is backed by a…

The standard procedure for updating a Custom Data Type (CDT) to match a pre-existing database schema change is to modify the CDT object directly within Appian Designer. Since the "Automatically Update Database Schema" option is disabled, Appian will not alter the database. The developer must first rename the field in the CDT editor. Afterward, verifying the data store is a critical step to check for and resolve discrepancies between the updated CDT and the database schema. Publishing the data store saves these new mappings, completing the synchronization.

A. While technically possible, downloading, editing, and re-uploading an XSD file is an unnecessarily complex and less direct method for renaming a single field compared to using the built-in CDT designer.

B. Modifying a record type field does not change the underlying data source. Record types are built on top of data structures like CDTs; the data definition flows from the CDT to the record type, not the other way around.

1. Appian Documentation, "Manually Updating Your Database Schema": This section outlines the required process when automatic schema updates are disabled. It states, "If you choose to manually manage the schema... you will need to update your database schema and then verify the data store in Appian to ensure the mappings are correct." This directly supports the "Verify and publish" part of the correct answer.

2. Appian Documentation, "Custom Data Types (CDT)": The documentation on creating and modifying CDTs shows that fields can be directly edited, including renaming, within the CDT designer interface. This supports the first action in the correct answer: "Rename the field in the CDT in Appian."

3. Appian Documentation, "Data Stores": The documentation explains the function of the "Verify" button: "Compares the data types listed in the data store with the schema of the database. If there are any discrepancies, Appian will report them... This allows you to confirm that your data types are in sync with your database schema." This confirms the necessity of the verification step after a manual change.