Source categories
What this page is — a grouping layer above lead sources, so Facebook Ads and Google Ads both roll up to Paid Advertising.
What it is for — keeping a long source list readable, and reporting at channel level rather than per individual source.
The problem it solves — nineteen sources in a flat list tells you nothing about paid versus organic. Categories give you that view. This page also explains why creating a category needs a permission named after sources, not categories.
Route: /org/marketing/leads/settings?tab=master-data · View: Make the tabs visible of Source Category
1. What it is
Categories exist so the source list groups usefully and so reports can roll channels up. The reference tenant has 11 categories over 19 sources — Import, Referrals, Social Media, Paid Advertising, Website, Manual Entry, Events and others.
| Source category | Source | |
|---|---|---|
| Example | Paid Advertising | Google Ads |
| Attached to | Sources | Leads |
| Optional | Yes — a source can be uncategorised | Effectively no |
2. Field reference
| Field | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Name | text, required | The group heading in the source list |
| Code | text, required | Stable identifier |
| Status | toggle | Inactive categories leave the source form's picker |
3. Permissions — three families for one resource
| Action | Permission |
|---|---|
| View | Make the tabs visible of Source Category |
| Create | Add new item for Lead Source Category |
| Edit | Edit existing item for Lead Source Category |
| Delete | Delete existing item from Lead Source Category |
Categories are a small, low-risk piece of configuration and there is rarely a reason to split them. Anyone you trust to manage lead sources should generally hold all four of these too.
4. The admin contract
| Needs | Or |
|---|---|
| Categories, before grouping sources | Sources display ungrouped |
| Create lead sources to add one | The Add button fails |
5. Downstream
Categories drive the grouping in the source list, and the group counts there are the quickest audit of whether your channel taxonomy still matches reality.
6. Don't confuse this with…
| This | Not this |
|---|---|
| Source category | Lead status category — an unrelated concept on statuses |
sourcecat.create | sources.create, which is what actually works |
| Master Data | Custom Fields, a separate section |
7. Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Cause |
|---|---|
| Cannot create a category | Needs Create lead sources. Section 3 |
| Sources ungrouped | They have no category, or grouping is toggled off |
| A category is missing from the source form | It is inactive |