s and the relationships between them as an interactive node diagram. Each record becomes a node, connected to the other records it links to - ideal for exploring hierarchies, parent-child structures, and how records in a collection connect to one another.

Why use Mind Map?

Visualise hierarchies: see parent-child relationships between records at a glance.
Explore connections: follow how records link to one another without opening each one.
Understand structure: make sense of complex, interconnected datasets quickly.
Navigate large datasets: move through hundreds of related records visually instead of scrolling a list.

1. Prerequisites

Your Collection

Collection

A container for records in Kinabase, similar to a table in a spreadsheet or database, used to organise one type of data such as Projects or Contacts.

needs at least one self-referencing record field - a Linked Collection Field

Linked Collection Field

A Field that links a record to one or more records in another Collection; Lookup and Aggregation Fields use this link to pull in or summarise related data.

that links records in the collection back to other records in the same collection.

For example, a Components collection with a record field also called Components, linking each component to the other components it's made from, can be used to build hierarchical relationships in the mind map.

2. Using the Mind Map

1. Open Mind Map

From your collection, click the Mind Map icon in the toolbar to open it in the side pane.

2. Interact with the diagram

Click any node to open that record.
Use the + and - buttons to zoom in and out.
Drag the canvas to pan around.
Click Fit to screen to automatically adjust the zoom and position so every node is in view.

3. Export your Mind Map

Use the download menu in the toolbar to export the diagram as:

SVG - vector format, ideal for resizing.
PNG - image format, perfect for presentations.

3. Example uses

Creative ways to use Mind Map

Organisation charts: show reporting lines and team hierarchies.
Project planning: map tasks, milestones, and linked dependencies.
Product architecture: visualise how components or services connect.
Knowledge mapping: link related topics, documents, and concepts.

4. Tips

Use a clear relationship field: Mind Map works best when your self-referencing record field represents an unambiguous parent-child or dependency structure.
Filters apply: Mind Map respects your current view filters, so you can focus on specific branches or a subset of records.
Empty states: if no records - or no valid relationships - match the current view, Mind Map shows an empty-state message.

5. Enabling Mind Map

Mind Map is turned on by default, but only appears once your collection has a self-referencing record field. If you've added one and still don't see the icon, an admin may have turned the tool off.

Select the collection, click the options menu (⋯), select Configure, then under Display, select Tools and check that Mind Map is switched on. See Enabling tools for the full walkthrough.

Using Kinabase's Mind Map tool helps you explore your data in interactive, visual ways - spotting connections and understanding structure at a glance.

Read our guide on Tools to learn about other ways to explore your collection data.

Need more help? Ask your System admin, or contact our support team via Help & Support.

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