Bulk Operations
Update, merge, delete and email multiple records at once
Sometimes you need to act on many records at once - changing a status, assigning an owner, or updating a date across a batch. Kinabase's bulk operations handle this in one pass, saving you from repeating the same edit one record at a time.
Your ability to view, edit, delete or bulk-edit records depends on your role's Permission
Permissions for this collection. See Assign roles and permissions for how these are configured.The level of access — No Access, View Only, View & Edit or Not Enabled — granted through a Role for a specific area of Kinabase, such as records, tasks or configuration.
1. Selecting multiple records
1. Open the collection
Select the collection you want to work in from the sidebar.
2. Tick the records
Tick the checkbox next to each record you want to include, selecting as many as you need.
3. Open the bulk menu
Right-click any of the ticked records to open the bulk menu: Edit multiple, Merge, Stage, Delete, Add related, Send email, Print multiple, and Export (.csv).
2. Editing multiple records
1. Select Edit multiple
From the bulk menu, select Edit multiple. A window titled "Edit {N} {records}" opens, listing every field.
2. Change only the fields you need
A field showing Multiple values means the selected records currently hold different data for it. Click the pencil icon next to a field to overwrite it with one new value across every selected record - leave any other field untouched to keep its existing values. Click Undo to discard a change before saving.
3. Save your changes
Click Save to apply your changes to every selected record.
Changing a field replaces any existing data for that field on every edited record - there's no way to apply different values to different records in the same bulk edit.
3. Merging records
Merge combines exactly two records into one, keeping only the fields you choose.
1. Select exactly two records
Tick two records that represent the same real-world entity, for example a duplicate contact.
2. Select Merge
From the bulk menu, select Merge. The "Merge Records" window opens.
3. Select which values to keep
For each field, select which record's value to keep in the merged record. A field left without a value from either record shows Blank.
4. Confirm the merge
Confirm to combine the two records into one. This action cannot be undone, so review your choices carefully before confirming.
4. Changing stage in bulk
If the collection has a Workflow
5. Bulk deleting
1. Select the records
Tick the records you want to remove.
2. Select Delete
From the bulk menu, select Delete, then confirm. The records move to Recently Deleted for 30 days.
3. Restore or permanently remove
Open the options menu (⋯) and select Recently Deleted within the collection to restore the records or delete them permanently. See Deleting and restoring records.
Bulk deleting needs the Bulk Delete permission for the collection, in addition to Records edit access - it's a separate permission column from single-record deletion. Ask your System admin if the option is missing.
6. Adding related activities and tasks
Select Add related from the bulk menu to add the same activity or task to up to 20 records at once - useful for logging a single event, like a site visit, against every record it affected.
7. Emailing multiple records
Select Send email from the bulk menu. From me sends a single email with every selected record's contact BCC'd, for up to 20 records. From shared address sends individually to up to 1,000 records, using your organisation's shared outbound address. See Sending emails from records.
8. Printing and exporting in bulk
Select Print multiple to print up to 50 selected records in one batch, or Export (.csv) to export any number of selected records to a CSV file. See Printing and scanning records and Importing and exporting data.
Bulk operations save real time whenever you're touching more than a handful of records - whether that's updating a completion date across project phases, logging a delivery against a batch of orders, or clearing out legacy inventory in one go.
Need more help? Ask your System admin, or contact our support team via Help & Support.