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Linked Fields can be configured to automatically update when the value in the source table changes or to save the old value. In either case, they retain the display attributes, permissions, and size restrictions of the source fields. You can copy or link fields from another record in the current table, another table within the current KnowledgeBase or even an external database. Fields that have been linked from another table are marked as "Link to" in the data type column (Setup > Tables . select Table to edit . Fields).
Several different kinds of Linked fields appear at the bottom of the "New" drop-down on the Fields tab in the Table wizard (Setup > Tables > [select Table] > Fields).
Let's consider an example.
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Imagine you have a Vendor table that holds records for each of your vendors; a People table that holds the employees at your company, vendor contacts, and other outside contacts; and a Contract table holding information about your contracts. Within a contract record, you typically pull in and display fields from the vendor record for the contract’s vendor, the names and email addresses of the main vendor contacts, and information about your own employees who are responsible for the contract. For example, the Party Main Contact section shows the information for a vendor contact pulled from the People table.
Within the vendor record, you might also show a Related Table of all contracts for that vendor, which links to the Contract table, as well as a Related Table of all vendor contacts, which links to the People table. |
Although a linked field establishes a relationship with another table, it isn't just a window that shows the exact same information. You can rename the field to be more appropriate for the target table, such as changing the Full Name field from the Person table to display as Party Main Contact in the example above. You can also set whether the linked field updates automatically when the source data changes, or whether the initial value should remain static.
There are several types of linked fields, each appropriate to a different situation:
- Link to Single Field from Other Table. Often used to link to multiple records in another table and display them as multiple choices.
- Link to Selected Fields from Other Table. The most common linked field data type, offering lots of flexibility.
- Related Tables. A reflection of an existing linked field, which simply displays existing links between the current record and another table.
- Link to Single Field from Multiple Tables. Allows users to choose values from multiple tables.
- Calculation on Multiple Linked Records. Performs calculations on Links to Selected Fields with multiple values enabled (MVE) or on Related Tables.
- Additional Linked Field Types. Describes less commonly used data types, such as Embedded Search Result.
Beyond data types, these articles under Working with Linked Fields offer tips for using linked fields:
- Linking to Other Databases. Describes how to pull data from outside
into a linked field.Companyname - Populating a Linked Field with a Saved Search. Offers more flexibility for setting a linked field's default value
- Link to single field. Links to one field in another table. Seldom used because you will often find you want to add more fields later and have to redo it.
- Link to selected fields. The most common way to pull in fields from a single record in another table (i.e. user information in a case or asset). Can also be used to pull in multiple fields from records as part of a multi-to-multi relationship. In this case it is displayed as an embedded table rather than as separate fields.
- Link to all fields. Pulls all fields in and if new fields are added to source table they are automatically added to the set of target fields.
- Single field from multiple tables. Used for the Assigned To fields to allow an issue to be assigned to a Team or an individual (Team: Team Name and Employee: Full Name) and for other situations in which a single field should display values from more than one table.
- Related table. Shows one of the above relationships from the other direction. For example, when the Assigned To field is used to assign each Issue to a user, a Related table shows all the Issues that were assigned to her.
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