Adding Records

Records in Kinabase represent individual data entries, such as a client, project, or inventory item. Creating new records is straightforward - whether you're adding them manually one-by-one or importing them in bulk from a spreadsheet.

Your ability to view, edit, or bulk-edit records depends on your role's permissions

Permission

A specific right to view, edit, delete, or administer parts of Kinabase, granted via Roles.

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For details on assigning or fine-tuning permissions—down to specific collections or fields—see our Assign Roles & Permissions guide.

1. Creating a Record Manually

1. Open the Collection

• From the sidebar, select the collection you want to update (e.g., 'Clients' or 'Tasks').

2. Click 'Add'

• At the top of the collection screen, click the + Add button.

3. Fill Out the Form

• Enter required details in each field (e.g., Name, Status, Due Date).
• If any field is mandatory, Kinabase will prompt you to complete it.

4. Save the Record

• Click Add to confirm. The new record appears in the collection's list.

Toggle Add Another at the bottom to quickly create multiple records in a row.

2. Creating a Record with Scan & Fill (AI-Assisted Data Entry)

Kinabase's Scan & Fill feature lets you create a fully-populated record from a document, image, or spoken description — no typing required.

Upload a receipt, paper form, PDF, screenshot, take a live photo, or dictate details by voice, and the built-in AI will detect the fields, extract the data, and place each value in the correct column.

1. Open the Collection

• Navigate to the collection where you want the new record to go (e.g. Invoices).

2. Start a New Record

• Click + Add, then choose the green Scan & Fill button.

3. Upload, Capture, Paste, or Type

• File: Drag a .jpg, .png, .jepg, .webp, .docx or .pdf (≤ 2 MB) onto the drop zone.
• Camera: Select Camera to snap an image directly from your device.
• Paste: Copy a file or capture a screenshot, then press Cmd+V (Mac) or Ctrl+V (Windows) to paste it directly into the upload area. Pasting automatically switches to File mode.
• Text: Select Text to paste or type a description and let AI extract the fields.

4. AI Extraction

• Click Next. Kinabase highlights each detected field and auto-fills the record form.
• The AI uses the field labels and your collection's field names to match values accurately.
• For line-item lists, each row in the uploaded file becomes a new list item with fields populated from the corresponding columns.

5. Review & Edit

• Check every field for accuracy.
• Make corrections if the source is blurry, skewed, or handwritten.

6. Add the Record

• Press Add. The record appears instantly with "created with AI" note in the Activities tab.

The Scan & Fill feature also works for record lists, allowing you to upload an invoice with line-items or a table image and have each row converted into a list item with the appropriate fields filled in.

Tips for Scan & Fill

• Lighting & Focus – Ensure the entire form is in-frame, flat, and well-lit to maximise recognition accuracy.
• One document per scan – Multi-page PDFs are supported, but avoid photographing multiple forms in a single image.
• Structured data only – For unstructured notes, attach the file instead; Scan & Fill is designed for labelled fields.

3. Voice Input for Scan & Fill

You can also dictate record details by voice instead of typing or uploading a document. When you speak, your words are transcribed and sent to the same AI pipeline as Scan & Fill, which maps your spoken details into the correct fields.

1. Open the Add Record Form

• Open any collection and click + Add to create a new record.

2. Start Recording

• Look for the microphone button in the top-right corner of the form header, next to the Scan & Fill button.
• Click the microphone to start recording. A banner appears with a pulsing indicator showing "Listening…" until it picks up your speech.

3. Speak Naturally

• Describe the record details you want to capture. For example: "New contact, Sarah Chen, email sarah at example dot com, phone 07700 900123."
• A rolling subtitle shows your words as they are recognised.

4. Stop and Review

• Click Stop when you are finished. The transcript is sent to AI, which maps your words into the matching fields.
• To cancel a recording without generating, click the X button on the banner.
• Review the suggested values and click Add to save.

Browser support

Voice input uses speech recognition and requires a supported browser. The microphone button appears automatically in Chrome, Edge, and Safari. It will not appear in browsers that lack speech recognition support, such as Firefox.

Your browser will ask for microphone permission the first time you use this feature.

4. Importing Records (CSV)

For bulk record creation or updates, you can import a .csv file instead of manually adding each record:

1. Prepare Your CSV

• Column headers should match your collection's fields (e.g., 'First Name,' 'Email,' 'Status').
• Make sure they have unique identifiers if you plan to update existing records.

2. Initiate Import

• Either go to Settings → Import / Export → Import → Records or from the collection's … menu, choose Import (.csv).

3. Map Fields

• Match your CSV columns to the collection's fields.
• Optionally select 'Only update existing records' if you're making bulk updates.

4. Confirm & Finish

Click Import to process. A log indicates the number of records created or updated.

Importing tips

For advanced importing tips, see our Importing & Exporting Data guide.

5. Exporting Records (CSV)

You can export records at any time to back them up or analyse them in Excel/Google Sheets:

1. Open the Collection

• Select … → Export (.csv) from the top-right menu.

2. Choose a File Name

• Save the CSV to your local drive.

3. Done

Perfect for offline backups or sharing data with external stakeholders.

Exporting tips

For advanced exporting tips, see our Importing & Exporting Data guide.

Efficiently managing records keeps your Kinabase organised, and makes sure all your critical data is always at your fingertips. Rapid entry methods can be especially useful for teams handling large volumes of data, such as client information or frequent deliveries.

If you need further assistance, our support team is always here to help.