Relation fields connect records that belong together, such as tasks and projects or contacts and companies. They help you organise related information while keeping each record’s details in one place.
Main differences between all relational field types
| Field type | When to use it | Example use case |
|---|---|---|
| Relation | Choose one or more records to connect to the current record. | On a task, select the project it belongs to, like "Website relaunch". |
| Reverse Relation | Show which records already link to the current record through a Relation field. | On “Website relaunch”, see all tasks that have this project selected in their Project field. |
| Matching Records | Find records automatically using conditions, instead of selecting them individually. | On a project, show only tasks belonging to this project and whose Status is “Open”. |
| User | Assign one or more members of your Klarino account to a record. | Give a task an assignee responsible for completing it and two reviewers to check the work. |
| Association template grid | Select items from a catalogue and add details specific to each selected item. | Add services to a project: select “Design workshop” from the catalogue and set its quantity to 2 for this project. |
Which relational field type should you use?
Relation
How it works
A Relation connects the current record to one or more records you choose. You select a target schema and decide whether the field allows a single selection or several selections.
Use cases
- Link each task to the project it belongs to.
- Connect a contact to their company.
- Link a product to several suppliers who can provide it.
Keep in mind
Single selection limits each task to one project; it does not stop other tasks from selecting that same project. Choose multiple selection only when a record genuinely needs several connections.
Reverse relation
How it works
A Reverse relation shows records that link to the current record through a specific Relation field. The list follows those existing links, so you do not maintain a second set of connections.
Use cases
- Show all tasks assigned to a project.
- List all contacts linked to a company.
- Display all invoices belonging to a customer.
Keep in mind
An editable Reverse Relation lets you manage an existing connection from the other side. For example, adding a task to a project’s reverse task list updates the Project field on that task. You can work from the task or from the project: both views use the same connection and stay in sync.
Adding a second Relation field on the project would create a separate selection of tasks. It would not automatically reflect the projects selected on those tasks, leaving you with two lists to maintain. Choose Reverse Relation when you want to manage the same relationship from both sides.
Matching Records
How it works
Matching Records finds records that match a common attribute without an existing relationship. Choose a target schema and set rules for matching. There’s nothing to link by hand, because the connection only exists through the criteria. They way you do not need to maintain the results manually.
Use cases
- Real estate: on a Listing, show the Buyers whose budget ≥ price, region = region and rooms wanted ≤ rooms. A new buyer appears on every fitting listing the moment they’re entered. With a relation field, someone would have to link every buyer to every fitting listing. With Matching Records, this is much easier to maintain and scale.
- Recruiting: on a Job, show the Candidates with the required skill and location, whose salary expectation is ≤ the budget.
- Staffing: on a Shift, show the People whose availability covers that date and who have the required qualification.
- Product management: create easily a product group of all products that match a specific criteria, without having to manually assign each product to the group.
Keep in mind
A matching rule determines the results; it does not store a manually selected set of links. You can return all matches or the first or last match. First and last require a defined sort order, for example, sorting activity records by date to identify the latest one.
User
How it works
A User field lets you select people who have access to your Klarino account. Configure it to hold one person or several, depending on the responsibility you want to record.
Use cases
- Assign a task to the person responsible for completing it.
- Name the account member who owns a project.
- Select several colleagues to review a piece of work.
Keep in mind
User selects account members. To link a customer contact stored in your Contacts schema, use a Relation to Contacts.
Association template grid
How it works
An Association template grid lets you select items from a catalogue and store details for each connection. The catalogue holds the reusable item; a separate link record holds values specific to its use on the current record, such as a quantity.
Use cases
- Add services to a project and enter a quantity for each service.
- Create a task list for a client with recurring pre-defined periodicity.
Keep in mind
This structure uses three schemas: the parent, the link records containing the per-connection details, and the template catalogue. Use a simple Relation when you only need to select records without storing extra details for each connection.
Calculate totals from related records
Use a Function field when the result you need is a number or another calculated value. The relation identifies the records and the function performs the calculation. A project’s reverse task relation can supply the tasks for a count or a sum of estimated hours.