Are you looking for ways to help your field users save time and ensure they have the latest and most accurate data when filling forms?  Lookup tables fit the bill.

Lookup tables are used to display information based on another data source.  For example, when filling a form, a mobile user can select a customer name that is found in a separate file and then other entries such as street address, city, state, zip, phone, email, etc. will be automatically appear in the same form.

A lookup file can be uploaded as often as it changes.  Your form doesn’t need to change even though the data it uses may be updated frequently. This eliminates typos, invalid data, and improves performance.  Auto-populated values from lookup tables can be set to allow users to enter new values or remain static.

We keep it simple, a .csv file serves as the data source.  The first column in the .csv is the Key Field.  This is the field that all other related fields will use as a key.  Once the Key Field and related fields are configured, all of the related fields in a form will be automatically populated with information related to that Key Field from your data source after it is selected.  While the Key Field always has to be unique, data in other columns of your data source can be duplicated.

Lookup tables may be integrated from other systems using Strider’s REST API capability to “fetch” data source updates from other systems. Once available, field users will initially be able to pull data from these sources and updates on a scheduled basis, if any.

We have posted a YouTube video showing how a lookup table can work for a user filling a form after mapping an object in MapItFast.  Let us know what you think of the lookup feature and if you find this information useful.