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 new product's takt time.

Confirm your highest associated risks

You have are conducting a project review & are reviewing your risk register - use the look up 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 look-up 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 - please see our guidance on this.

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.
Plural link - choose a record automatically with Selection Criteria and Mode:

For plural 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, 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 plural link (one-to-many). If the link is singular - it can point to only one record - Kinabase already knows which record to read, so those options are hidden.

Tips for Using Lookup Fields

Make sure you have a proper singular linked field set up as the connection between the collections, before using a Lookup Field.

By establishing Lookup Fields, you can connect your collections together & 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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