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Using Lookup Fields in Charts

Drill deeper into your relationships across tables

Peter Novosel avatar
Written by Peter Novosel
Updated this week

SmartSuite now supports Lookup fields in both Chart Widgets and Chart View, giving you powerful new ways to analyze and visualize your connected data. With this enhancement, Lookups can be used as values or grouping options, letting you drill deeper into relationships across tables.


Why It Matters

Many workflows rely on Lookups to bring important data from related records into a single application. Until now, those values weren’t fully usable in charts. With this update, you can:

  • Sum, average, or count numeric Lookups.

  • Group records by Lookup values (numbers, dates, users, linked records, or lists).

  • Drill into results to quickly see the records behind the metrics.

  • Build visualizations that reflect the real-world relationships across your solutions.


Key Capabilities

Lookup to Numbers

  • Use as Values: Apply Sum, Average, or Count to numeric Lookups.

  • Group by Lookup Numbers: Break down results by number-based Lookups.

  • Example: Track total expenses grouped by category Lookups.

Lookup to Dates

  • Group by Lookup Dates: Organize charts by date values pulled in via Lookup.

  • Combine with Other Values: Count or sum other fields alongside date groupings.

  • Example: View the number of tasks or hours logged grouped by milestone dates.

Lookup to Linked Records & Assigned To

  • Group by Linked Records: See totals broken down by connected entities (e.g., Accounts, Projects).

  • Group by Assigned Users: Visualize workload or contributions by user via Lookup.

  • Example: Chart the number of tickets linked to each customer or assigned team member.

Lookup to Lists

  • Full Support for List Types: Group or aggregate by list-based Lookups.

  • Example: Display the number of records tagged with specific categories brought in via Lookup.


How to Use Lookups in Charts

  1. Open Chart Settings: From either Chart View or a Chart Widget, click Chart Settings.

  2. Select Value or Group:

    • Choose a Lookup field as your Value (e.g., Lookup to Number with Sum).

    • Or, use a Lookup as your Group By option (e.g., Lookup to Date).

  3. Choose Aggregation (if applicable): For number Lookups, pick the aggregation type (Sum, Avg, Count).

  4. Drill Into Results: After saving, click any chart segment to drill into the underlying records.


Examples

Example 1: Lookup to Number

  • Value: Lookup to Number (Sum)

  • Group by: None

  • Result: Adds together all Lookup values across records.

Example 2: Lookup to Date

  • Value: Count of Titles

  • Group by: Lookup to Date (By Date)

  • Result: Shows how many records fall under each Lookup date group.

Example 3: Lookup to Assigned Users

  • Value: Lookup to Number (Sum)

  • Group by: Lookup to Assigned To

  • Result: Breaks down totals by user(s) assigned via Lookup.


Next Steps

  • Try adding Lookup fields into your existing charts to see more relational insights.

  • Use drill-ins to explore the records behind aggregated numbers.

  • Combine Lookups with filters to focus on the metrics that matter most.


✅ With Lookup fields now supported in charts, your visualizations become a complete reflection of your SmartSuite data — unlocking insights that were previously out of reach.

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