Connect Reference Data Tables

Connect data between reference data tables to establish data consistency and promote reusability across your organization. Connecting tables is also a prerequisite for building hierarchies, which let you visualize relationships across multiple tables. For more information, see Create Hierarchies.

Overview

You can create connected attributes that populate their values from another table’s attributes. This feature streamlines data entry, ensures consistency, and promotes data reuse by establishing a single source of truth across multiple tables.

Key concepts

Source table: The table that provides the attribute values.
Target table (in context: Current table): The table where the connected attribute is created.
Connected attribute: An attribute in the target table that is connected to a reference table and populates its values from an attribute in that table (or the same table).

Benefits

For data editors: Reference attributes provide a searchable dropdown menu with predefined, valid options during data entry. This simplifies the data entry process and prevents inconsistencies.

For data stewards: Relationships promote data reuse and reduce duplication by allowing multiple tables to reference a single source of truth. This minimizes the effort required to maintain reference data.

How relationships work

When you connect an attribute, the system establishes a link between the target and source tables:

Values in the connected attribute column are selected from a dropdown menu containing values from the source table’s attribute
Published changes to data in the source table (such as renaming or deleting values) automatically reflect in the connected attribute
If a value is deleted from the source table, the corresponding value in the target table becomes null
Self-referencing connections on the same table are supported

Connect an attribute to a reference table

You can connect an attribute to a reference table by using the "Connect attribute" action in the Data structure tab.

Prerequisites

The reference table must be published
You must have edit permissions for the target table

Go to Manage reference data > Reference data.
Select the target table (for example, "Countries").
Go to the Data structure tab.
Select Connect attribute.
In the Target attribute field, select the attribute you want to connect (or create a new one).
In the Reference table to connect field, select the reference table (for example, "Regions").
In the Attribute to connect field, select the attribute from the reference table (for example, "RegionName").
Select Connect.
To apply the changes, select Apply in the Schema changed message.

Result: The connected attribute is added in your target table. When editing records for this attribute, you can select values from a dropdown list of allowed values pulled directly from the attribute in the source table.

Work with connected attributes

Once an attribute is connected, you can interact with it in the following ways:

Add values to connected attributes

When editing a connected attribute column:

Select the record you want to edit.
Select from the searchable dropdown menu containing values from the source table’s attribute.

The dropdown menu displays all published values from the source table, making it easy to find and select the correct option.

Automatic synchronization

Connected attributes automatically synchronize with their source tables:

When values in the source table are updated, changes appear in the connected attribute upon refresh.
When values in the source table are deleted, the corresponding connected attribute values become null.
New values added to the source table become available in the connected attribute dropdown.

Best practices

Follow these recommendations when creating table relationships:

Plan your data model: Design your table structure before creating relationships. Identify which tables should serve as authoritative sources for reference values.

Use descriptive names: Choose clear, descriptive names for reference attributes that indicate their source and purpose.

Maintain source data quality: Ensure source tables contain clean, standardized values. Poor source data quality affects all dependent tables.

Document relationships: Keep track of table dependencies, especially in complex data models with multiple connected attributes.

Test before publishing: Verify that connected attributes work as expected before publishing tables to production.

Limitations

Current limitations for connecting reference data attributes:

Only attributes from published reference tables can be used.
Connections can only be created on new attributes (support for existing attributes planned for future release).
Deleted values in the source table result in blank values in connected attributes.

Troubleshooting

Cause: The source table is not published or contains no data.

Solution: Ensure the source table is published and contains valid data values.

Values not updating in connected attribute

Cause: Changes in the source table may require a page refresh to appear in connected attributes.

Solution: Refresh the page to see the latest values from the source table.

Cannot connect attribute

Cause: The source table is not published or you lack the necessary permissions.

Solution: Verify that the source table is published and you have edit permissions for the target table.

Next steps

Continue building your reference data solution with these topics:

Was this page useful?