Frequently Asked Questions

Kinabase is a flexible business management platform designed for SMEs. It helps you organise your data, automate workflows, and streamline operations—all in one place.

Think of it as a customisable database that grows with your business, with built-in tools for tasks, automations, dashboards, and more.

For more information read our Getting Started guide.

After signing in, you'll see the navigation sidebar on the left with your Collections (data tables). Here's a quick orientation:

1. Click a Collection to view its Records

2. Click a Record to see its details and edit Fields

3. Right-click a Collection to access configuration options

4. Use the Settings menu (gear icon) for system-wide settings

Your administrator will have set up Collections relevant to your Role.

For more information read our Core Concepts guide.

Click the + Add button at the top of any Collection View. Fill in the required Fields and save.

You can also create Records through Automations, Form submissions, or the API.

For more information read our Adding Records guide.

Several resources are available:

• Contact support – Email support@kinabase.com or call +44 (0)1223 626261
• Support documentation – Browse our help articles at kinabase.com/support
• In-app help – Look for the help icon in the interface for contextual guidance

For more information read our Getting Started guide.

Adding new users is straightforward. Navigate to:

Settings → Users → Invite

Enter the user's email address and select their Role. They will receive an invitation email with instructions to set up their account.

For more information read our Adding Users guide.

When your organisation uses Microsoft 365 for authentication, new users may need to be synced before they can sign in. To sync users:

Settings → Identity & Provisioning and click "Sync now" under the Microsoft accounts section.

After syncing, users can sign in using the "Sign in with Microsoft" button on the login page.

For more information read our Microsoft 365 guide.

Yes, Kinabase supports MFA through Microsoft 365 integration. By requiring users to sign in with their Microsoft accounts, your organisation's existing MFA policies are automatically enforced.

To configure this, go to Settings → Identity & Provisioning and enable Microsoft authentication while optionally disabling password-only sign-in.

For more information read our Security Settings guide.

Kinabase offers several Roles to meet different access needs:

• Standard User – Standard access with Permissions defined by your organisation
• System Administrator – Full access to all settings and configuration
• Billing Administrator – Access to billing and subscription management

Portal Users have separate Role types for internal and external access.

For more information read our User Types guide.

Yes, users can have multiple email addresses associated with their Kinabase account. This is useful when someone needs to receive Notifications at different addresses or has changed their email over time.

One email is designated as the primary address for communications and sign-in purposes.

For more information read our Email guide.

Kinabase offers flexible Field-level Permissions. To configure them:

Configure Collection → Fields → Select the Field → Edit Field → Permissions → Custom

From here you can define exactly who can read or edit the Field based on user Roles or custom expressions.

For more information read our Assign Roles & Permissions guide.

Yes, Kinabase provides powerful Record-level visibility controls:

• Add a Colleague Field to your Collection and configure Permissions so users only see Records where they are assigned
• Create Role-based rules so managers see all Records while team members only see their own
• Use expression-based Permissions for complex scenarios

This gives you precise control over data visibility across your organisation.

For more information read our Assign Roles & Permissions guide.

Kinabase supports comprehensive Permission controls:

• View Permissions – Control who can access specific Views
• Record Permissions – Manage read, edit, and delete access at the Record level
• Field Permissions – Set read and edit access for individual Fields
• Workflow Stage Permissions – Restrict who can move Records to certain Stages
• Collection Permissions – Control access to configuration, Import/Export, and bulk operations

For more information read our Assign Roles & Permissions guide.

Expression-based Permissions let you create dynamic access rules based on Field values. For example:

• Allow editing only when a status Field equals "Draft"
• Grant read access when the current user is assigned to the Record
• Restrict access based on department or region Fields

These expressions are evaluated in real-time, so Permissions automatically adjust as data changes.

For more information read our Assign Roles & Permissions guide.

Yes, Kinabase maintains a comprehensive audit trail. Navigate to:

Settings → Event Log

This shows all changes made across your organisation, including who made each change and when. Individual Records also have Activity histories showing their complete change timeline.

For more information read our Event Logs guide.

You can control access to individual List Fields through Field-level Permissions.

Configure Collection → Lists → Select the List → Select the Field → Permissions

Set the appropriate read and write access for each Role, ensuring only authorised users can view or modify that data.

For more information read our Collection Lists guide.

Lists are ideal for managing related items, such as attendees at an event, line items on an order, or Tasks within a project.

Each List creates a sub-Collection within your main Collection, allowing you to track detailed information that belongs to specific Records.

For more information read our Collection Lists guide.

Yes, List data can be exported separately from the main Collection. Navigate to:

Settings → Import/Export → Export Data → Records and select the List you want to export.

This is useful for reporting on related items or transferring data to other systems.

For more information read our Importing & Exporting Data guide.

Yes, Lists support the same Field types as Collections, including text, numbers, dates, dropdowns, and Computed Fields. You can also configure Permission within Lists.

For more information read our Collection Lists guide.

While the Type selection itself is optional, you can make individual Fields within a Type mandatory. This ensures that when users do select a Type, they must complete all required information for that category.

Configure mandatory Fields in Configure Collection → Types → Select the Type → Edit individual Field settings.

For more information read our Types guide.

Types allow you to categorise Records and show different Fields based on the category. For example:

• A Contacts Collection might have Types for "Individual" and "Company" with different relevant Fields
• A Companies Collection could categorise businesses by "Supplier", "Customer", or "Partner".
• A Projects Collection might have Types for "Internal" and "Client" projects

This keeps your interface clean by only showing Fields relevant to each Record Type.

For more information read our Types guide.

Yes, each Type can have its own set of Fields that only appear when that Type is selected. This lets you capture specific information for different categories without cluttering Records that don't need those Fields.

For more information read our Types guide.

To set a View as the default:

1. Right-click the Collection and select Configure

2. Go to Views

3. Click the three dots next to your preferred View

4. Choose Show by default

This View will now load automatically when users open the Collection.

For more information read our Creating Views guide.

Kinabase offers flexible view options to display your data:

• Table view – Traditional spreadsheet-style display with sortable columns
• Side by side – Visualise Records side by side for easy comparison
• Grouped views – Organise Records by Field values like status or category

Each view can have its own Filters, sorting, and column selections.

For more information read our Creating Views guide.

Yes, Views support Role-based Permissions. You can configure which user Roles can see each View, allowing you to create specialised Views for different teams or access levels.

For more information read our Creating Views guide.

Create a new View and apply the Filters you need. The View will remember your Filter settings, so users always see the relevant subset of Records. This is useful for creating Views like "My Tasks", "Overdue Items", or "This Month's Orders".

For more information read our Creating Views guide.

Forms are versatile tools for capturing and processing data.

Common uses include:

• Works orders and receipts – Manufacturers can create standardised data entry processes
• Client-facing Forms – Add Forms to Portals for customers to submit orders or requests
• Pricing calculators – Build interactive calculators that feed into your Records
• Internal processes – Standardise how your team enters data

For more information read our Forms guide.

Form responses can trigger any Automation action you configure. Options include:

• Creating a new Record in any Collection
• Creating a Task for follow-up
• Sending an email Notification
• Generating a PDF document
• Calling an external webhook
• Updating existing Records

Configure these actions when setting up your Form in Settings → Forms.

For more information read our Forms guide.

Yes, Forms support multi-page layouts. This helps break complex Forms into manageable sections and improves the user experience for longer data entry processes.

For more information read our Forms guide.

Yes, Forms support prefilling Fields with data from existing Records. This is useful when Forms are used to update or process existing information rather than creating new entries from scratch.

For more information read our Forms guide.

Portals provide a secure way to give External Users access to specific parts of your Kinabase data. Common uses include:

• Client Portals – Let customers view their orders, submit requests, or track project progress
• Supplier Portals – Allow suppliers to update their information or view purchase orders
• Partner access – Share relevant data with business partners without full system access

For more information read our User Types guide.

Workflow configuration for Portals is managed through your Collection settings:

Configure Collection → Workflow → Select Stage → Edit Stage → Actions → Fields

From here you can control which Fields Portal Users can view and edit at each Workflow Stage.

For more information read our Workflows guide.

Yes, Portals can be customised with your branding. You can configure:

• Custom domain settings
• Navigation menu items
• Welcome message and branding for Portal communications

Access these settings in Settings → Portals.

For more information read our Set Up Your Organisation guide.

External Users receive email invitations to access your Portal. They can log in securely to view the data you have shared with them.

For more information read our Invite Users & Licenses guide.

If you're seeing this message and need to allow duplicate names, you can adjust the validation settings:

Configure Collection → Fields → Name Field → Validation

Change the uniqueness setting from "Show error" to "Show warning" (to alert but still allow), or disable it entirely if duplicates are acceptable for your use case.

For more information read our Configuring Fields guide.

To ensure a Field only contains unique values:

Configure Collection → Fields → Select the Field → Validation → Unique

Choose whether to display a warning (allows saving but alerts the user) or an error (prevents saving until resolved).

For more information read our Configuring Fields guide.

Kinabase supports several validation types to maintain data quality:

• Required Fields – Ensure essential data is always captured
• Unique values – Prevent duplicate entries
• Format validation – Validate email addresses, phone numbers, and other formats

For more information read our Configuring Fields guide.

Yes, Tasks can flow between related Collections. To enable this:

Configure Collection → Tasks and enable the option to show Tasks in related Collections.

This is useful when you want to see all relevant Tasks in one place, such as viewing all project Tasks from a client Record.

For more information read our Using Tasks guide.

Collections can be organised into logical groups in the navigation sidebar. Right-click on the Collection list to create new groups, then drag Collections into the appropriate groups.

This helps keep your workspace organised, especially when you have many Collections for different business areas.

For more information read our Collection Sidebar guide.

Yes, you can control Collection visibility through Role-based Permissions. Users will only see Collections they have Permission to access, keeping the interface clean and focused on relevant data.

For more information read our Assign Roles & Permissions guide.

Use Record Fields to create relationships between Collections. For example, link Orders to Customers, or Projects to Clients.

Once linked, you can:

• Navigate directly to linked Records
• View all linked Records in the parent Collection e.g. View Contact Records from a Company Record
• Use Lookup Fields to pull data from linked Records

For more information read our Linked Collection Fields guide.

Use Automations to create Records across Collections. Here's how:

Create the Automation

Settings → Automations → Add Automation

• Set the trigger to fire when a Record is added, updated, right-clicked, becomes due, or changes Stage
• Add a "Create a new Record" action step targeting your destination Collection
• Map the Fields you want to copy across

For example, when a Quote moves to "Accepted", automatically create an Order with the relevant details.

For more information read our Automations guide.

Yes, Automations can include multiple actions. You can update the source Record, create Records in other Collections, send Notifications, and more—all from a single Automation trigger.

For more information read our Automations guide.

Lookup Fields pull data from linked Records in other Collections. Once you have a Record Field connecting two Collections, you can add Lookup Fields to display information from the linked Record.

For example, if Orders has a Customers Record Field, you can add a Lookup Field to show the customer's address directly on the order without duplicating data.

For more information read our Lookup Fields guide.

Kinabase offers a comprehensive range of Field types:

• Basic – Text, Number, Date, Yes/No, Dropdown, Multi-select, Currency, Percentage
• People – Colleague (internal users), Person Name (contacts)
• Relationships – Record Field, Lookup, Aggregation
• Calculated – Computed Text, Computed Number, Computed Date, Computed Duration, Computed Select
• Files – File attachments with single or multiple file support (including images)
• Special – Workflow Stage, SI Units, Email, Phone, URL, Rich Text
• And More

For more information read our Field Types guide.

Activities support custom Activity types, which allow you to categorise different kinds of Activities (meetings, calls, notes, etc.). The standard Activity Fields capture essential information like date, description, and related Record.

For more information read our Configuring Activities guide.

Use Field Permissions to control visibility. Set the Field's read and write Permissions to a condition that won't be met by regular users (such as a specific admin Role).

The Field remains accessible via the API while staying hidden from the user interface.

For more information read our Configuring Fields guide.

Create a Computed Field to track days until expiry, then use Automations to alert users. Here's how:

1. Create a Computed Number Field with this formula:

diff_days($EXPIRY_DATE, now())

2. Create a scheduled Automation that checks this Field daily and sends Notifications when the value drops below your threshold (e.g., 30 days, 7 days).

This works great for contract renewals, certification expiries, or any date-based reminders.

For more information read our Record Alerts guide.

Customise your Notifications in Settings → Notifications.

You can control:

• Which events trigger Notifications
• How you receive them (in-app, email, or both)
• Priority settings for different Notification types

For more information read our Notifications guide.

Yes, Automations can send targeted Notifications. When setting up an Automation:

• Use the "Send a Notification" action
• Choose recipients based on specified conditions
• Include dynamic content from the Record

For more information read our Automations guide.

Tasks have built-in due date tracking. Users receive automatic reminders for upcoming and overdue Tasks based on their Notification settings.

For more information read our Using Tasks guide.

Navigate to Settings → Import/Export → Import Data and follow the guided process:

1. Select the target Collection

2. Upload your CSV file

3. Choose whether to create new Records or update matching ones

4. Map your CSV columns to Kinabase Fields

5. Review and confirm the Import

The Import wizard shows a preview so you can verify the mapping before committing.

For more information read our Importing & Exporting Data guide.

When importing, select Update matching Records and specify how to match CSV rows to existing Records. You can match on:

• Record ID (if included in your Export)
• Any unique Field like email address or reference number

This is perfect for bulk updates—Export your data, make changes in a spreadsheet, then reimport to apply updates.

For more information read our Importing & Exporting Data guide.

For smooth Imports, verify these points:

• Mandatory Fields – Ensure required Fields have values, or temporarily remove the mandatory setting
• Unique values – Remove duplicate rows if matching on a non-ID Field
• Dropdown options – Ensure values in dropdown/multi-select columns match your configured options
• Date formats – Use consistent date formatting in your CSV

A good tip is to Export the target Collection first, to see the expected structure and make sure your Import aligns with the Field headings.

For more information read our Importing & Exporting Data guide.

Yes, Activity data can be exported by Collection. Navigate to:

Settings → Import/Export → Export Data → Activities

Select the Collections you want to Export Activities from. This is useful for compliance reporting or data analysis.

For more information read our Importing & Exporting Data guide.

Export data from Settings → Import/Export → Export Data. You can Export:

• Records – Export Collection data including all Fields
• Activities – Export the Activity history for selected Collections
• Lists – Export List items separately from main Collection Records

Exports are generated as CSV files that you can open in Excel or other spreadsheet applications.

For more information read our Importing & Exporting Data guide.

Dashboards are configured per Collection. To set up a Dashboard:

Go to Collection → Reports

Add Widgets to visualise your data

Each Widget can be configured to show specific data slices based on your needs.

For more information read our Dashboards guide.

Kinabase supports several Chart types for different visualisation needs:

• Line Charts – Track trends over time
• Bar Charts – Compare values across categories
• Pie Charts – Show proportions and distributions
• Bubble Charts – Display relationships between multiple variables
• Scatter plots – Identify correlations in your data

For more information read our Standard Charts guide.

Records may be excluded from Charts when Computed Fields have empty source values. For example, if a Chart uses a calculated Field that depends on a number Field, Records with blank number values won't appear.

Solution: Enter zero (or another appropriate default) in the source Field rather than leaving it blank.

For more information read our Creating Charts guide.

Yes, Dashboard visibility can be controlled through Role-based Permissions. Create different Dashboard configurations for different teams or user groups, ensuring everyone sees the metrics most relevant to their work.

For more information read our Dashboards guide.

Automations handle repetitive Tasks and streamline your processes. Available actions include:

• Send Notifications – Automated Notifications with dynamic content
• Create Records – Generate new Records in any Collection
• Update Records – Modify Field values automatically
• Create Tasks – Assign follow-up Tasks to team members
• Make an API call – Integrate with external systems
• Generate PDFs – Create documents from templates

For more information read our Automations guide.

Automations can be triggered by various events:

• Record created – When a new Record is added
• Record updated – When any Field changes
• Stage change – When a Workflow Stage transitions
• Scheduled – When a Record becomes due
• Form submission – When a Form is completed
• Right-clicked – Manually triggered by users

For more information read our Automations guide.

Monitor your Automations in Settings → Automations. Click the clock icon next to any Automation to view its run history.

This shows:

• When the Automation ran
• Any errors or skipped runs
• Detailed logs for troubleshooting

Individual Records also show Automation Activity in their history, helping you trace what happened.

For more information read our Automations guide.

Yes, Automations support branching logic. You can add condition steps that check Field values and run different actions based on the results.

For example, create Tasks only when a value exceeds a threshold.

For more information read our Automations guide.

Kinabase integrates with your email in several ways:

• Outlook add-in – Log emails directly from Outlook to the relevant Record
• Email forwarding – Forward or CC emails to inbox@kinabase.email to log them as Activities
• Outbound emails – Send emails directly from a Kinabase Collection

Configure email integration in Settings → Email Integration and also Outbound Emails.

For more information read our Emails guide.

To get started with the Outlook add-in:

1. Ensure you're signed into Kinabase using Microsoft (Sign in with Microsoft)

3. Enable the Outlook add-in in Settings → Email Integration

4. Configure which Collections (e.g., Contacts, Organisations) should be searchable from Outlook

5. The add-in will appear in your Outlook ribbon

For more information read our Outlook Add-in Set-up guide.

Try these steps to resolve Outlook integration issues:

1. Update Outlook to the latest version

2. Use Microsoft sign-in for Kinabase (not username/password)

3. Sync your Microsoft account in Settings → Identity & Provisioning

4. Sign out and back in to both Outlook and Kinabase

5. Remove and reinstall the Kinabase add-in in Outlook

Alternative: While troubleshooting, you can forward emails to inbox@kinabase.email to continue logging them as Activities.

For more information read our Using Outlook Add-in guide.

Tasks can be created in several ways:

• From a Record – Open a Record and add a Task in the Tasks section
• Via Automation – Set up Automations to create Tasks automatically
• From Forms – Form submissions can trigger Task creation

Tasks can be assigned to team members with due dates and descriptions.

For more information read our Using Tasks guide.

Access your Tasks from the Dashboard tab in the sidebar.

Tasks can be grouped by:

• Collection – See Tasks organised by related Collection
• Record – View Tasks grouped by the Record they belong to
• Due date – Organise by when Tasks are due
• Scheduled – View Tasks by scheduled date
• Assignee – Filter Tasks assigned to you

For more information read our Managing Tasks guide.

Activities track the history and interactions for each Record. They include:

• Automatic entries – Field changes, Workflow transitions, and system events
• Manual entries – Notes, calls, meetings, and other logged interactions
• Email logs – Emails logged via the Outlook add-in or email forwarding

View Activities on any Record to see its complete history.

For more information read our Configuring Activities guide.

Yes, you can define custom Activity types to match your business processes.

Common examples include:

• Meeting notes
• Phone calls
• Site visits
• Follow-up reminders

Each type can have its own icon and category, making it easy to report on different interaction types.

For more information read our Configuring Activities guide.

Yes, Kinabase provides a REST API for programmatic access to your data. You can:

• Query and Filter Records
• Create, update, and delete Records
• Manage Activities and Tasks
• Trigger Automations via webhooks

Access API documentation and tools in Settings → API → App Registrations.

For more information read our Automations guide.

Create an App Registration to generate API credentials:

1. Go to Settings → API → App Registrations

2. Click + Add

3. Give it a name

4. Save and copy your API credentials

Use these credentials to authenticate your API requests.

For more information read our Automations guide.

Kinabase integrates with popular business tools:

• Microsoft 365 – Single sign-on, Outlook email logging, and Email sending
• SharePoint – Store and manage files in your SharePoint environment
• Webhooks – Connect to any system that accepts HTTP requests

Configure integrations in the relevant Settings sections.

For more information read our Microsoft 365 guide.

Yes, Automations can call external webhooks when triggered.

This lets you:

• Send data to other applications
• Trigger actions in external systems
• Integrate with services like Zapier, Make, or custom applications

Configure webhook URLs in your Automation actions.

For more information read our Automations guide.

Add a File Field to your Collection to enable file attachments.

You can configure Fields to accept:

• Single file uploads
• Multiple files per Field

Drag and drop files directly onto the Field, or click to browse and upload.

For more information read our Organising Files guide.

Kinabase offers flexible File Storage options:

• Kinabase storage – Files stored securely in our cloud infrastructure
• SharePoint – Connect your Microsoft SharePoint for enterprise file management

Configure storage settings in Settings → File Storage.

For more information read our SharePoint guide.

Yes, Automations can generate PDF documents from templates.

Use this for:

• Invoices and quotes
• Contracts and agreements
• Reports and summaries
• Any document with data from your Records

Create document templates and add a "Generate PDF Document" action to your Automations or simply right-click → print a Record

For more information read our Automations guide.

Files appear in the File Field on the Record. Click to preview supported file types directly in Kinabase, or download to open in your preferred application.

Large files and multiple attachments are handled seamlessly with our file viewer.

For more information read our Organising Files guide.

Computed Fields automatically calculate values based on formulas you define. They update in real-time as source data changes. Available types include:

• Computed Text
• Computed Number
• Computed Date
• Computed Duration
• Computed Select

For more information read our Computed Fields guide.

Yes, when you have Lookup Fields, Computed Fields can use data from linked Records. This lets you:

• Calculate totals from linked line items
• Pull and format data from related Records
• Create complex business logic spanning multiple Collections

For more information read our Lookup Fields guide.

Workflow Stages track where a Record is in your business process.

For example:

• Orders: Draft → Confirmed → Shipped → Delivered
• Projects: Planning → In Progress → Review → Complete
• Leads: New → Qualified → Proposal → Won/Lost

Configure Stages in Configure Collection → Workflow.

For more information read our Workflows guide.

Yes, each Stage can have Permission rules controlling who can move Records to it.

For example:

• Only managers can mark items as "Approved"
• Finance team can move Records to "Paid"
• Anyone can move to "In Progress"

Configure Stage Permissions in the Workflow settings.

For more information read our Workflows guide.

Yes, Stage changes are one of the most useful Automation triggers.

Common examples:

• Create a Task when a project enters "Review"
• Notify the finance team when a deal is "Won"

Set the trigger to "changes Stage" in your Automation.

For more information read our Automations guide.