As you centralize your data in Formaloo, you’ll often discover that certain pieces of information are interconnected or dependent on one another.
Using linked rows enables you to capture these relationships within your workflow.
What are linked rows?
Linked rows are a feature for creating relationships between different sets of data. By linking records, you can connect information across tables, making it easy to see how records in one table relate to records in another.
For example, if you have a table for tasks and another table for projects, linking records allows you to track which tasks are associated with which projects. Conversely, you can see which tasks are linked to a specific project from the project’s table view.
These linkages work both ways, so you can access and manage related data from either side of the connection.
Using linked rows to structure your data helps to map out complex relationships, streamline your workflow, and quickly locate the information you need.
How to use linked rows?
You will need to have at least 2 forms to use linked rows.
Let's take the above-mentioned example of managing projects and tasks.
Create one form and name it Project Management (Form 1), including all the information you'll need for the project, and create another form (Form 2) for recording tasks.
To connect those bases, you will need to add linked rows to Form 2. Add the field and name it Project. Then choose the correct base, Project Management in this case.
Before you start getting responses on Form 2, make sure to have responses for Form 1. This will ensure that when filling in the tasks, people will be able to link them to the projects.
When filling out the form, this linked row field will look like this.
✨ Tip: You can also add a lookup field. With the help of the lookup field, you'll be able to display one data asset from another form, instead of all of them.
For example, if you want the project title to be selected and displayed separately on the result table, you can add it and name it the Project title.
Make sure to select the correct base and the field.
You can check the template of this example.
Autofill multiple fields when a linked rows field is selected
You can also autofill fields according to another base. To be able to do this, first you should have linked rows field and then lookup fields.
For example, Projects can be a linked rows field and the information you want to be autofilled can be below it and they should be lookup fields.
Make sure that they're all connected to the correct base.
The product will look like this:
Examples of use cases using linked rows
Here are some different use cases for linked rows:
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Forms: Customers (Form 1) and Interactions (Form 2).
Use Case: Link customer profiles to their interactions, such as emails, meetings, or support tickets. This allows you to view all interactions related to a specific customer and track the history of communications, helping you manage relationships more effectively.
Event planning
Forms: Events (Form 1) and Attendees (Form 2).
Use Case: Link event details with attendee registrations. This way, you can see which attendees are registered for which events, manage RSVPs, and track attendance. You can also link tasks related to each event, like catering or setup, to ensure everything is covered.
Inventory management
Forms: Products (Form 1) and Orders (Form 2).
Use Case: Link products to customer orders. This lets you track which products have been ordered, manage stock levels, and view sales trends. You can also link supplier information to products to streamline the restocking process.
Employee onboarding
Forms: New Hires (Form 1) and Training Sessions (Form 2).
Use Case: Link new hires to their training sessions. This helps in tracking which training each employee has completed, scheduling future sessions, and ensuring all onboarding requirements are met.
Content management
Forms: Articles (Form 1) and Authors (Form 2).
Use Case: Link articles to their authors. This enables you to manage and track contributions, assign articles to specific authors, and view all articles written by a particular author.
Project budgeting
Forms: Projects (Form 1) and Expenses (Form 2).
Use Case: Link expenses to specific projects. This allows you to track project spending, compare it against budgets, and analyze financial performance.
📝 Additional insights:
To learn more about enhancing your workflow, check out our blog post on: