CRM data model

What it is

A CRM data model is the structure under every record. It answers three questions: what kinds of things you track (objects), what you know about each one (attributes), and how they connect (relationships).

In Attio, that means objects such as People, Companies, and Deals, plus any custom objects you add. Lists sit on top of objects to run a process, like a pipeline or a fundraise.

What it is made of

• Objects. The nouns of the business. A fund might track Companies, Founders, LPs, and Funds. A SaaS team might track Accounts, Contacts, and Subscriptions.
• Attributes. The fields on each object. Text, numbers, currency, dates, selects, and record references.
• Relationships. The links between objects. A Deal points to a Company. An LP points to the Funds they committed to.
• Lists and stages. The processes that run across records, with the attributes that only matter inside that process.

Why it matters

Every report, automation, and integration reads from the data model. If the model is wrong, everything downstream inherits the mistake. Fields end up on the wrong object, the same person exists three times, and simple questions need a spreadsheet export.

A good data model mirrors how the business actually works. It is designed before records are imported, not patched after.

Common mistakes

• Copying the old CRM’s structure into the new one, field for field.
• Storing values on a list entry when they belong on the record.
• Using free text where a select or a record reference would keep data clean.
• Creating one object per process instead of one object per real-world thing.