Start Here: Learn how to Add, modify, duplicate and delete fields in SmartSuite

Overview

Display formats

Examples of Use

The Lookup field is related to the Linked Record field function. At least one Linked Record field must be present in an app to add a Lookup field.

Take a moment to understand SmartSuite App Relationships, and remember Linked Record fields create relationships between apps.

For example, let's consider the relationships in the Company Objectives & Key Results solution available in the SmartSuite Solution Library. The Objectives app can "link" to the related Key Objectives app, allowing data in each app to be shared between records.

Multiple Key Results can relate to one or many Objectives.

The Lookup field reduces data duplication by allowing a record in one app - Key Objectives in this example - to "look up and display" a specific field in the linked Objective record.

In this example, it may be nice to show users viewing the Key Results records linked to the "Win Biz Journal Best Places to Work" Objective the department responsible for delivering it. The Objective app contains a field named Department and this particular objective is owned by "Human Resources":

The Lookup field pulls the value of the Department field - "Human Resources" - into the related Key Results and displays it.

See it in action below, where a Solution Manager creates a new Lookup field titled Department in the Key Results app.

Display options are easy with the Lookup field: they "inherit" the format of the field specified in the lookup configuration.

🔎 Check out quick articles on Adding Help Text to fields.

Strategic planning, financial reporting, departmental, and individual performance management are associated with time periods, creating a form of annual business engine.

The simple Initiative Management solution available in the SmartSuite Solution Library maps Initiatives to Goals, using a Lookup field to cascade the Period of a Goal to the associated Initiatives that will deliver the desired results.

The Personnel Management solution available in the SmartSuite Solution Library contains multiple apps to address the holistic needs of tracking and managing employees. This allows for advanced permissions to ensure sensitive information is kept confidential.

The Personnel File app looks up key information related to each employee, creating an at-a-glance summary. Lookup fields include Employee Number, Department, Reports To, and Hire Date.