Entity Links
PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS
Entity Links let you record a relationship between two records and see it from both sides. A Links tab on every Request, Job, Recurring Schedule and Asset gives you one place to see everything connected to the record you are looking at. The tab sits alongside the record’s other tabs on its edit screen, and appears once the record has been saved.
How links are organized
Links are grouped by relationship type. The first group is All, which lists every link on the record. After that you will see a group for each type of relationship:
Parents — records this one sits underneath
Children — records that sit underneath this one
Predecessors — records that come before this one
Successors — records that come after this one
Related — an association with no implied order or hierarchy
Parent and Child are two ends of the same relationship, as are Predecessor and Successor. If you link record A to record B as a Parent, A shows B under Children and B shows A under Parents. Related reads the same from both records, so use it when neither record sits above the other.
Each link is shown as a card with the record’s reference, status and title. Select a card to open that record.
Adding and removing links
To add a link:
Open the record’s Links tab.
Select Add Link.
Choose the Link Type — the relationship you want to create.
Choose the Entity Type — the kind of record you want to link to.
Search for the record under Target Entity and select it.
Select Add Link.
The search only returns records you have permission to see, so you cannot link to something you could not otherwise open.
To remove a link, select Unlink on the link card and confirm. This removes the link from both records but does not delete either of them.
What can be linked to what
Not every combination can be linked. The Entity Type list only offers the record types that are valid for the record you are on.
From this record | You can link to |
|---|---|
Request | Request, Job, Recurring Schedule |
Job | Request, Job |
Recurring Schedule | Request |
Asset | Asset |
Raising work against an Asset
An Asset’s Links tab also has Requests, Jobs and Recurring Schedules groups, listing the records that have this Asset as their location. These groups are not Entity Links — they come from the Asset being set as the record’s location, which is managed on the other record’s Location tab. From here you can raise new work against the Asset without having to set its location by hand.
Open the Asset’s Links tab.
Select the Requests, Jobs or Recurring Schedules group.
Select New Request, New Job or New Recurring Schedule.
Choose a Form or Job Template and fill in the new record as usual.
The new record’s location is already set to this Asset, and once saved it appears back in that group on the Asset.
Links in the mobile app
Requests, Jobs and Assets have a Links tab in the mobile app, so you can see what a record is connected to while you are in the field. When a record has links, a notice reading Linked to [x] other entities appears on its Overview tab — select it to open the Links tab.
At the top of the Links tab is a dropdown listing each relationship type alongside the number of links it holds, such as All (12) or Parent (3). Choose one to show only those links. Select a link to open that record.
To add a link, select Add Link, choose the link type and the kind of record you want to link to, then search for the record. To remove a link, swipe it to the left, select Remove Link, and confirm. Adding and removing links both need a connection, so neither is available while you are working offline.
When a Job is cached for offline use, its list of links is cached with it, so you can still see what that Job is connected to while offline. Opening a linked record needs a connection.
On an Asset, the Links tab also lists the Requests and Jobs that use the Asset as their location.
Creating a Job from a Request
The Create Job button on an Accepted Request creates a Job and links the two records for you. The Request appears under the Job’s Parents, and the Job appears under the Request’s Children. The Request stays editable afterwards, so you can keep updating it and changing its status.
The Job’s Details tab is prefilled from the Request — priority, client reference, description and duration — along with the Request’s location and media. The Request’s Form answers are not copied onto the Job. Instead, the Job’s Forms tab shows a link through to the Request, where its answers stay up to date.
Common questions
How many links can a record have?
Up to 200, counted across all relationship types together. Once a record reaches the limit, remove some links before adding more.
Who can add and remove links?
You need edit access to both records — the one you are on and the one at the other end. If you only have read access, you can see the links but not change them.
Is there a record of links being added or removed?
Yes. Both actions appear on the Activity tab of both records.
Can links be created automatically?
Yes. Workflow Studio can create, remove and look up links as part of a workflow, so you can build linking into your business processes rather than doing it by hand. See Workflow Reference Guide
Can I report on links?
Yes. Links are available through the OData reporting feed, so you can build Power BI and Excel reports on how your records relate to one another. See OData Reporting Service V5