N/record Module in NetSuite: Complete Developer Guide

The N/record module is the most fundamental module in SuiteScript 2.x. It provides full CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations on any NetSuite record type — from Sales Orders and Customers to custom records. Every serious SuiteScript developer uses this module daily.

Loading the N/record Module

define(['N/record'], (record) => {
    // your code here
    return {};
});

Creating a Record

Use record.create() to instantiate a new record object in memory. Set its fields, then call save() to persist it to NetSuite.

const newRecord = record.create({
    type: record.Type.CUSTOMER,
    isDynamic: true
});
newRecord.setValue({ fieldId: 'companyname', value: 'Acme Corp' });
newRecord.setValue({ fieldId: 'subsidiary', value: 1 });
const customerId = newRecord.save();
log.debug('Created customer', customerId);

Loading an Existing Record

const soRecord = record.load({
    type: record.Type.SALES_ORDER,
    id: 12345,
    isDynamic: false
});
const status = soRecord.getValue({ fieldId: 'status' });
log.debug('SO Status', status);

Updating a Record with submitFields()

For updating just one or two fields, use record.submitFields() instead of loading the full record. This is far more governance-efficient.

record.submitFields({
    type: record.Type.CUSTOMER,
    id: 12345,
    values: { email: 'new@email.com', phone: '555-1234' }
});

Deleting a Record

record.delete({
    type: record.Type.CUSTOMER,
    id: 12345
});

Working with Sublists

Sublists (such as line items on a Sales Order) require their own set of methods. Use getLineCount(), getSublistValue(), setSublistValue(), and insertLine().

const lineCount = soRecord.getLineCount({ sublistId: 'item' });
for (let i = 0; i < lineCount; i++) {
    const item = soRecord.getSublistValue({ sublistId: 'item', fieldId: 'item', line: i });
    const qty = soRecord.getSublistValue({ sublistId: 'item', fieldId: 'quantity', line: i });
    log.debug('Line ' + i, item + ' x ' + qty);
}

Key Methods Reference

Method	Description
record.create(options)	Create a new record in memory
record.load(options)	Load an existing record by type and ID
record.copy(options)	Copy an existing record
record.delete(options)	Delete a record permanently
record.submitFields(options)	Update specific fields without loading the full record
record.transform(options)	Transform one record type to another (e.g., SO to Invoice)
recObj.getValue(options)	Get a body field value
recObj.setValue(options)	Set a body field value
recObj.getSublistValue(options)	Get a sublist field value
recObj.setSublistValue(options)	Set a sublist field value
recObj.getLineCount(options)	Get the number of lines in a sublist
recObj.save(options)	Save the record to NetSuite

Governance Cost

Loading a record costs 10 governance units. Saving a record costs 20 governance units. submitFields() costs just 10 units. Always prefer submitFields() when updating only a few fields, and use N/search to read field values in bulk rather than loading individual records.

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