show values from a related record so you never have to duplicate data manually. You can define specific selection criteria to make sure the exact values are referenced.

Lookup fields enable you to:

Consistently extract specific pieces of information from other collections in your Kinabase system. You can use lookup fields in many ways, here are some examples:

Lastest quotation sent to your client

By linking your project record to a series of quotations, use the selection criteria to specify the latest date, and return the most recent quote reference directly into your project record.

Highlight your bottleneck process

You are putting together a set of build steps for a new product variant. Use a lookup field to return the longest build step in that process, so you have an understanding of the new product's takt time.

Confirm your highest associated risks

You are conducting a project review and reviewing your risk register - use the lookup field to extract the highest associated risk, and make sure your mitigation measures are appropriate.

Identify the most recent order from a supplier

You are assessing which supplier to order from. Use a lookup field to extract the most recent order from each supplier so you can quickly see at a glance how strong the relationship currently is.

How to create a lookup field

Creating a lookup field is straightforward, but you need to have already established a linked collection first.

Setting	Purpose
Target Collection	Where the source data lives (e.g., Contacts).
Link Field	Points to one or many related records in the target collection.
Target Field	The exact field you want to display (e.g., Email).

Lookups work with both singular and plural links:

Singular link - the value is taken directly from that single related record.
Multi-record link - choose a record automatically with Selection Criteria and Mode.

Multi-record link settings

For multi-record links, you must specify how to select which linked record to pull data from:

Option	Description
Selection Criteria	Field to evaluate across the linked records (e.g., Created At, Stage, Budget).
Mode	Determines which record to use: Latest, Earliest, Max, or Min.

A lookup configured like this pulls the Priority Level from the earliest linked Quality Control entry in Schedules - so each stage instantly shows how urgent its first QC step is:

You'll only see Selection Criteria and Mode when the Link Field is a multi-record link (one-to-many). If the link is singular, Kinabase already knows which record to read, so those options are hidden.

Filtering candidate records

When using a multi-record link, you may want to exclude certain records before the lookup applies its Mode selection. For example, a "highest invoice" lookup might pick up an unpaid draft, or a "latest delivery" field might reference a cancelled order.

To narrow which records the lookup considers, use the Filter candidate records option. This appears in the lookup configuration for multi-record links, below the link field settings.

How to add a candidate filter

Open your collection's Configure page and go to the Fields pane.
Select an existing multi-record lookup field or create a new one.
Find the Filter candidate records section beneath the link field settings.
Add one or more filter conditions using fields from the target collection. For example, filter by a status field equalling "Approved" or a date field being within the last 30 days.
Save the field. The lookup will now evaluate only records matching your filters before selecting the value based on your chosen Mode.

Things to keep in mind

Filter candidate records only appears for multi-record links. Singular links reference one specific record and do not need candidate filtering.
Kinabase prevents you from deleting or changing the type of a field that a lookup filter depends on, so your lookups won't silently break.
If you switch the target collection, any existing filters are cleared automatically to prevent references to fields that no longer exist.

Tips for using lookup fields

Make sure you have a proper linked field set up as the connection between the collections before using a lookup field.
For multi-record links, consider adding candidate filters to ensure your lookup returns the most relevant result.

By establishing Lookup Fields, you can connect your collections together and ensure you see the relevant information exactly where you need it.

If you have questions or need further assistance, reach out to your System Admin or search in Help & Support.

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