Source URL: https://knowledge.hubspot.com/records/understand-objects Source type: Primary (HubSpot official Knowledge Base) Last updated: April 30, 2026
Plain-language summary for a CMO
The HubSpot data model has three main components: objects, properties, and associations.
- Objects represent your customers and business-process information. They are grouped into categories: foundational, sales, marketing, and service. Example objects: contacts, companies, deals, tickets, subscriptions, services, custom objects.
- Records are single instances of an object (e.g., one contact, one deal). You store information in their properties, track interactions, and view associations.
- Properties are the fields where information is stored on a record. Each object ships with default properties; for most objects you can also create custom properties.
- Associations are relationships between two records. They are always two-way. You can associate records of different objects (companies and deals) or the same object (contacts and contacts). Associations can be labeled to describe the relationship.
Key object types
- Foundational: Contacts, Companies (core CRM records).
- Service: Tickets store customer support requests (status, priority, logged communication); deduplicated by Record ID.
- Custom objects: For niche business needs. Requires an Enterprise subscription. Only Super Admins can create them.
Subscription notes
- Most objects are available with all products and plans; certain features require additional subscriptions.
- Custom objects require Enterprise.
- Super Admins can activate additional objects (e.g., appointments, services).