Feature Overview Video
Linked Record Field
Connect information across Solutions to share data and streamline saved views or tasks with our unique and customizable displays.
Plan Availability | All plan types |
Permissions | Solution Managers and Administrators: Can create, modify, and manage Linked Record fields |
Related Reading |
Linked Record Basics
Linked Record fields connect Tables within and across other Solutions, allowing processes to flow seamlessly while maintaining single sources of information. Any time you link two records together, you’ll see that the association is mirrored in the other record. These reciprocal links allow you to see related information without duplicating it.
For example, you can track the contacts associated with an account, the clients associated to projects, and the venues connected to your upcoming events.
Field Limit Note:
The limit for complex field types in Tables vary based on plan type & include:
Plan-Specific Limits
Plan | Linked Records | Lookups | Total Calculated Fields (Formulas, Rollups, Counts) |
Free / Team | 30 | 30 | 30 |
Professional | 50 | 50 | 50 |
Enterprise / Signature | 100 | 100 | 100 |
When to Use Linked Records
Determining Data Relationships
Understand how your data components connect. For instance:
Clients to Projects: Link a client’s profile to all their associated projects.
Properties to Tenants: Organize tenants by their property locations.
Determining Workflow Relationships
Before building relationships between your records, take time to analyze how the components of your data interact. Start by considering:
What information are you tracking? Identify the key entities in your workflow, such as companies, projects, clients, properties, tenants, or partners.
How does this information relate? Map out how records in one list connect to records in another. For example:
Properties are linked to partners and locations with tenants.
Projects are tied to clients and associated tasks.
Mapping Relationships
It’s helpful to sketch out the relationships in your workflow before creating tables. For simple workflows—like a table with tasks, status fields, and basic data types—you might not need Linked Records. These independent processes can often be managed within a single table using text, select, due date, and checklist fields.
However, for more complex workflows where data relationships span multiple tables, Linked Records are essential. They enable you to:
Create dynamic connections between tables.
Avoid duplicating information.
Reference and organize related data effectively.
Examples of When to Use Linked Records
Single Table Scenario: You’re managing tasks with no dependencies. A single table with basic fields (e.g., task name, due date, status, and assigned to) is sufficient.
Multi-Table Scenario: In an agency marketing solution, you might have separate tables for client projects, clients, and tasks. Linking these tables allows you to:
Reference a client across multiple projects.
Avoid re-entering client information for each new task.
View related tasks and clients directly from the project table.
Benefits of Linked Records
Eliminate Redundant Data Entry: Add existing clients and tasks to a new project without re-entering their details.
Bidirectional Relationships: Link tasks to clients and view the client’s information from the task table.
Quick Access: Expand linked records to access related information without switching tables.
Adding Linked Record fields and values
From Record View
Click Link to a record from... and select the target table.
Add linked values directly from the field interface.
You will be prompted to select the Table you wish to link.
To add a Linked Record from record view, simply select the "Link to a record from.." (after making your selection of what Table to choose items from).
From Grid View
Open the + menu after the last column or select Add Field to the Right.
Choose "Linked Record" and configure the field.
Select the target table and add values by clicking the + in the cell.
You will be prompted to select the Table you wish to link to.
To add a Linked Record value from Grid View, click on the cell and a "+" sign will display. Click the plus sign and a window for selection will display.
Customizing Linked Records
When creating a new Linked Record field, you'll be able to:
Select the Display Format: Compact Display, Simplified Display, Expanded Display
Choose the Table to link to in SmartSuite
Select the Fields to Display (and Sort Order and/or Filters)
Select if Single or Multiple Records (default) can be linked between Tables.
Make entries in the field required for new records
Note: Once a link is established and records are connected between Tables, you will not be able to modify the linked record. Solution Managers can delete the field, which will break the links and replace data as a Text Field in the linked Tables.
Indicate whether you want to allow linking to multiple records and if you want to require an entry in this field.
Display Formats
The Linked Record field provides a few display formats including Compact, Simplified, Standard, Expanded, and Table.
Compact
Simplified
Standard
Expanded
Table
Fields to Display & Sort Order
Set the fields to display in the Linked Record field section within a Table for every format besides Standard. This can provide a visual way to see important data at a glance in Record view. Also, set the order in which they are displayed.
Allow Linking to Multiple Records
When creating a Linked Record field, it’s important to consider the cardinality of the relationship between tables—whether it’s one-to-many, many-to-one, or many-to-many. By default, Linked Record fields allow linking to multiple records, but this can be toggled off for more specific workflows.
How to Enable or Disable Linking to Multiple Records:
Create the Linked Record field from the "many" side of the relationship. For instance, if a project can have multiple tasks, create the field in the Tasks table and link it to Projects.
In the Linked Record field settings, locate the Allow Linking to Multiple Records option.
Toggle the option off if each record should only link to one other record (e.g., a project linking to a single opportunity).
Save your changes. This ensures the field’s behavior aligns with your workflow requirements.
Why It Matters:
Validation: Ensures data accuracy by preventing unintended many-to-many relationships.
Clarity: Simplifies workflows by maintaining clear, one-to-one or one-to-many relationships as needed.
Customization: Adapts to unique business needs, whether for hierarchical data or independent processes.
Setting Display, Sort, and Filters in the Record Picker
Solution Owners can Sort and Filter linked records using any field in the linked Table. For instance, it may be helpful to show the most recently created (First Created) record in the Bugs & Issues table so users can find the newest items to work on.
Filters are handy as well. Set filters to only show Opportunities in an open stage, or show records in an Initiative tracking table for the current year.
You can even, for example, set a filter on your Customers linked record that will only show customers associated with your previously selected Account linked record.
Linking Across Solutions & Permissions
SmartSuite’s flexibility allows linking records between solutions, enabling multi-departmental workflows. For example:
Sales & Operations: Share customer and order records across sales and operations solutions without duplication.
Permissions and Access Control for Linked Records
SmartSuite ensures that permissions are respected across linked solutions:
User Access: Users can only view or interact with linked records if they have at least Viewer access to the linked table or solution.
Restricted Records: If a user lacks access to the linked solution, the field will appear empty or restricted.
Creating New Records: Users with Assignee+ permissions in the linked table can create new records directly from the linked record field if they have the appropriate permissions.
These permissions safeguard sensitive data while maintaining seamless workflows.
When creating linkages across Solutions, Solution level permissions are applied in the Linked Record field. We also enforce permissions if the user does not have access to the linked content.
If a user has no access to the underlying table in a Linked Record Field, the field will display titles of the linked records but they will not be clickable.
Note: Users who have Assignee+ permission to the linked Table will see any records that they are currently assigned to, and they will additionally have the option to create a new record via the Linked Record selection modal.
Dynamically Filter Linked Records
With this powerful capability, you can customize how you access data through linked records in incredibly granular ways, enhancing your data management and efficiency.
Let's say we are in a Solution and have 3 Tables: Accounts, Contacts, and Opportunities. When creating a new Opportunity, you want to ensure that only the Contacts a part of an Account will display when you are making the selection (after linking the Account).
Example: Filtering Linked Contacts by Account
In this example, we'll show you how to filter contacts based on the company they are associated with, ensuring that you only work with relevant contacts for a specific company.
Accessing Record Picker Settings
Open the Linked Record selector to Contacts and navigate to the gear in the top right.
Setting Dynamic Filters
Open the Linked Record selector.
Click the gear icon to access settings.
Apply filters to display relevant linked records based on specific criteria.
Linked Records in Automations
When mapping automations to Linked Record fields:
Support for multiple values includes parsing with semicolons (
;).Automations ensure smooth data integration and task management. See more details on our SmartSuite Automation Actions article.
Printing Linked Records
Printed Linked Records now reflect the selected display format. For instance:
Expanded View: Shows detailed field names and values.
Other Formats: Display data as they appear in Record View.
If you have selected one of the other display formats, they will display as they would in the Open record view.
Linked Records vs Sub-Items
The Sub Items field often competes for use with Linked Record fields. Should you build a connection between two Tables with a Linked Record field? Or should you use a Sub Items field to log multiple related items?
Note: Use Sub Items for simplicity but use a table when you want the full functionality for use in reporting, data management, and automations. The Table Display for Linked Records will have a similar display to Sub-Items. Try it out!
Practical Scenarios and Use Cases
1. Centralized Employee Records Across Departments
Scenario: HR manages employee data (e.g., roles, contact info, certifications), but multiple departments (IT, Finance) need access to subsets of this data for their workflows.
Solution: Use a central "Employee Records" table linked to department-specific tables. For example:
IT links to employee certifications to manage system access.
Finance links to roles for payroll processing. This ensures each department references a single source of truth, avoiding data silos.
2. Cross-Functional Project Management
Scenario: A company’s marketing, design, and product teams collaborate on launching new products. Each team tracks specific tasks in separate tables.
Solution: Link all task tables to a central "Project Overview" table. For example:
Marketing links campaigns to the project.
Design links assets to the project.
Product links development milestones to the project. This centralizes progress tracking and ensures all teams are aligned.
3. Filtering for Precision
Scenario: A salesperson filters opportunities by account to focus efforts. Solution: Apply dynamic filters to display relevant opportunities linked to the selected account.
FAQ
Why would I want to connect my Solutions?
Connecting your solutions via Linked Records is the best way to ensure everything is working off the same set of information without the need for duplication! It gives you the ability to have your "single source of truth" that can then be referenced in any other necessary process.
Using Formulas, Lookups, & Rollups
Linked Record relationships open a massive opportunity to push and pull data into other Tables using calculated field types such as Formulas, Lookup, Rollup, and Count.
Any field in the linked Table records can be used in related calculations. For more info, click the links to the specific field types above or take a look at these articles: