What Is Lookup?

Article Number:040549

"Lookup" is a feature that allows you to reference and retrieve (copy) data registered in other apps.
For example, it is troublesome to enter the same customer information every time. If you are managing customer information in an app, you can use the Lookup feature to retrieve the information from the app.
This article uses an "Order Management" app as an example to show you the benefits of using the Lookup feature in an app.

Before: When the Lookup feature is not used

The app used in this example:
Image of the Order Management app Order Management

If the Lookup feature is not used, users must manually enter all information, such as product names and unit prices. As the number of orders increases, the following problems may occur:

  • Entering product information eats up time.
  • Data entry inconsistencies occur, with product names and other items being input differently depending on users.

Image: Information on products is entered one by one for each order

After: When the Lookup feature is used

The app used in this example:
Image of the Order Management app Order Management

Using the Lookup feature, users can copy product information from the "Product management" app.

  • Users can speed up data entry.
  • Users can eliminate input errors, and input data is kept consistent.
  • Related information, such as unit prices, can also be retrieved and input together.

Image: Using the Lookup feature to retrieve data from the "Product management" app and input it in the "Order Management" app

For details on the steps to configure and use the Lookup feature, refer to the following pages:

Related features

In addition to the Lookup feature, Kintone also provides other features you can use to link data across apps: the App Action feature and the Related Records feature. The difference between the App Action, Lookup, and Related Records features is as follows:

  • The App Action feature allows you to copy existing record data.
  • The Lookup feature allows you to retrieve data from a different app when you enter data in a record.
  • The Related Records feature automatically displays related record information based on the data entered in a record.

For details, see Kintone Integrating Data Across Apps.