The quick answer
Go to Setup > Accounting > Revenue Field Mapping > New. On the Revenue Recognition Field Map, set Source Record Type to Transaction Line and Transaction Type to Sales Order, pick your custom line field as the Source Field and the matching revenue element field as the Target Field, and save. Leave the map's Start Date and End Date blank so the map has no effective-date limit. The map is applied when Update Revenue Arrangements creates a revenue element, so an order processed after you save it gets the value on its element. Saving a map doesn't backfill elements that already exist. In this example, the contract reference MSA-0417 on sales order SO7419 shows up on arrangement 2236's revenue element.
The screenshots show sample data. The company, user and customer names are fictional. Use your own fields and orders when following the steps.
Before you start
Halverson Analytics Co. sells a Telemetry Platform Subscription. Sales enters a contract reference on each sales order line in a custom column field called Contract Reference. The revenue accountant reconciles revenue by contract, but that value stops at the order. Nothing copies it to the revenue elements, so revenue reports and arrangement searches can't be grouped by it.
You need Advanced Revenue Management enabled. Revenue Field Mapping is under Setup > Accounting in the Revenue group. Administrators have access, and so do the standard Revenue Manager and Revenue Accountant roles. Check the permissions on a custom role. This example uses Administrator.
Set up the target field first. It has to be a stored custom transaction line field that's applied to revenue arrangement lines and shown on your revenue arrangement form, with a data type that matches the source. Here both are free-form text, and the target is called Contract Reference (Rev Element). Keep to one map per target field so two maps don't compete for it. The item on the order also has to be set up for ARM with a revenue recognition rule, or there's no revenue element to receive the value.
Without any map, NetSuite copies the line's Rev Rec Start Date and Rev Rec End Date to the element's Start Date and End Date, as long as they're filled in before the element is created. Whether a revenue plan then uses those dates depends on its revenue recognition rule. A custom field like Contract Reference gets no such treatment, which is why it needs a map.
01. See the gap on an earlier arrangement
Open sales order SO7342 for Brightwater Dental Group, entered 08/18/2026. On the Items subtab, the Telemetry Platform Subscription line is 9,600.00 with Rev Rec Start Date 09/01/2026, Rev Rec End Date 08/31/2027 and Contract Reference MSA-0381.
Click the Related Records subtab. The order has one Revenue Arrangement, 2210. Click its Date link to open it.
On the arrangement's Revenue Elements subtab, scroll the Revenue Element row to the right. Start Date 09/01/2026 and End Date 08/31/2027 came across from the line's Rev Rec dates. Contract Reference (Rev Element) is blank. No map for that field existed when this element was created, and nothing else in this account fills it.
02. Review the existing field maps
Go to Setup > Accounting > Revenue Field Mapping > Search. The Revenue Recognition Field Mapping list has two maps, both Transaction Line sources for Sales Order: Rev Rec Start Date to Start Date, and Rev Rec End Date to End Date. Neither reads Contract Reference.
03. Create the field map
Click New. The Revenue Recognition Field Map form opens. Fill it in:
- Source Record Type: Transaction Line. The other choice, Project Revenue Rule, is for project revenue.
- Transaction Type: Sales Order. Leave Custom Form blank so the map covers every sales order form.
- Source Field: Contract Reference, the field that's read from the line.
- Target Field: Contract Reference (Rev Element), the revenue element field that receives it.
- Start Date and End Date: leave blank. These set when the map itself is in effect. They aren't revenue dates. The greyed 10/01/2026 in both boxes is placeholder text, not a value.
- Automatically Update Target Field Value: checked, so a later change to the order line is copied to the element at the next arrangement update. That can overwrite a value someone typed on the arrangement. Leave it clear if the value should only be copied once, when the element is created.
- Description: Copies the contract reference from sales order lines.
Click Save. The list now shows three maps. Map 3 sends Contract Reference to Contract Reference (Rev Element), with Automatically Update Target Field Value Yes.
04. Create the new order's arrangement
Open sales order SO7419 for Fenwick Cold Storage from Recent Records. It was entered 09/24/2026 and is Pending Fulfillment. The line is Telemetry Platform Subscription for 7,200.00, with Rev Rec Start Date 10/01/2026, Rev Rec End Date 09/30/2027 and Contract Reference MSA-0417. Its Related Records subtab is empty, so the order has no revenue arrangement yet.
Go to Transactions > Financial > Update Revenue Arrangements and Revenue Recognition Plans and click Update Revenue Arrangements. In this example two submissions appear, Update Revenue Elements and Update Revenue Arrangements, both Pending at 0.0%.
Click Refresh until both read Complete, 100.0%, with 0 Errors in Message. If a submission shows errors, fix them before you check the order.
This step creates the arrangement. It doesn't create revenue plans. The element's Create Revenue Plans On is Fulfillment, from the item, so the order gets its arrangement now and its plans wait for fulfillment. You don't need plans to check the mapped field.
05. Confirm the mapped value
Reopen SO7419 from Recent Records and click Related Records. It now lists Revenue Arrangement 2236 for 7,200.00. Click its Date link.
On the Revenue Element row, Contract Reference (Rev Element) is MSA-0417, the value from the order line. Start Date 10/01/2026 and End Date 09/30/2027 came from the line's Rev Rec dates.
Arrangement 2210 from step 1 is still blank. Saving a map doesn't go back and fill elements that already exist. An older element can pick up the value when its source line changes and Update Revenue Arrangements runs again with Automatically Update Target Field Value checked. Only change an order line when the new value is correct, and check the element afterward. If revenue on it has already been recognized, follow your normal revenue adjustment process instead.
Common questions
Why is my custom field blank on the revenue arrangement?
The value is on the sales order line, but nothing copies it to the revenue element unless a Revenue Recognition Field Map does. If the element was created before the map existed, it stays blank. In this example, arrangement 2210 was created before the Contract Reference map and has no value, while arrangement 2236, created after it, shows MSA-0417.
What does Automatically Update Target Field Value do on a revenue field map?
It controls later changes. When it's checked and the source field changes, the next Update Revenue Arrangements run copies the new value to the element, even over a value someone edited on the arrangement. When it's clear, the value is copied only when the element is created.
Does a new revenue field map update existing revenue arrangements?
No. Saving a map doesn't go back and fill elements that already exist, and rerunning the update on an unchanged order isn't a reliable way to backfill one. This walkthrough only shows the map working on a new arrangement. An older element can pick up the value after its source line changes, with automatic update checked.
Where do the Start Date and End Date on a revenue element come from?
From the sales order line's Rev Rec Start Date and Rev Rec End Date, when they're filled in before the element is created. NetSuite copies them without a field map. Whether a revenue plan uses those dates depends on its revenue recognition rule.
What do Start Date and End Date mean on the field map itself?
They set when the map is in effect. They aren't revenue dates and don't change anything on the element. Leave both blank for a map with no effective-date limit.
What does the target field need?
It has to be a stored custom transaction line field applied to revenue arrangement lines and shown on the revenue arrangement form, and its type has to match the source. Here both Contract Reference fields are free-form text. Point only one map at each target field.
Can I map a sales order body field instead of a line field?
Yes, a body field can be the source, but the target is still a field on the revenue element line. This walkthrough maps a line field to a line field.
Does the sales order have to be fulfilled before the arrangement is created?
No. SO7419 was still Pending Fulfillment when Update Revenue Arrangements created arrangement 2236. Its item creates revenue plans on fulfillment, so the arrangement exists now and the plans come later.