Linked data

When working with multiple data sets, you will quickly come across cases where you want to reference information in one data set from another. In CloudTables this is done by creating a Link between the data sets.

Note that it is possible to have multiple links between data sets. For example, you might have a "Property" data set which has two members of staff assigned to manage it. Two links could be created to your "Staff" data set to be able to set the managers independently.

Using links

To create a link, load the Data tab for the data set that you would like to reference another data set in. Click the "Create new link" button and you will be asked to select the data set you would like to reference. Note that it is possible to link a data set to itself, creating a self-referencing link. This could be useful if you are creating a "Staff" table and you want to associate a member of staff as a manager for another.

Table

Once a link has been created, on the Table tab the "Table Inspector" will show the data points from the linked data set, in addition to the data points that are directly owned by the host data set. Use the checkboxes to select which data points from the linked data set you would like to show in the table.

Form

On the Editing tab, each link is represented by a single field in the form. Here, unlike the owned data points, the end user is not asked to enter raw data, but rather to select items from the linked data set.

By default, the end user can select the referenced data from a <select> element, from which a single entry can be selected. This can be customized by clicking on the field and changing the options in the "Field Inspector". Multiple items can be selected from the linked data set if an option with "Multiple selection" is chosen, otherwise the client is limited to selecting a single item.

You might also find it useful to change the data point that is used for the options list - typically you would choose a label that allows the client to uniquely identify items in the linked data set.