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Link units with relations

A relation links two units, such as “a client has many contracts”. You define it once and it shows in both units, and it opens the way to lookups, rollups and document templates.

6 minUpdated Oct 27, 2026

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Before you start · for owners

The relations permissions (create, view, edit, delete)

You need: The relations permissions (create, view, edit, delete)

Steps

Open the unit in Units settings, press Add Field, and choose Relation on the Relation tab.

Choose the Target unit and the Relation type: Has many or Belongs to.

Enter the name and the label.

Choose the Display fields: the columns shown next to the record’s name (up to 20).

They show in the relation cell and in the record picker, such as a deal’s amount and stage next to its name.

Save.

The relation shows in both units, and a Relations tab shows in the records.

Deleting a relation empties the rollups that depend on it for good. The numbers only come back if you create the relation and its links again.

The two types

Type

Meaning

Example

Has many

A record here links to several records there

A client has several contracts

Belongs to

A record here links to one record there

A contract belongs to one client

A rollup needs a to-many relation. A lookup works with both types.

Display columns

Types allowed as a column: text, number, currency, dates, select, status, priority, tag, multi-select, source, true/false, and more. Sensitive fields, long text, relations and lookups aren’t shown.

Editing from the relation panel

Edit the linked record’s columns right from the relation panel on the record page. You can edit a column if it’s editable and you have the right to edit that record. If a teammate changed it before you, you see an alert with the new value, and your edit isn’t saved.

You can also quickly add a new linked record from the panel.

Deactivating or deleting a relation

You can deactivate a relation without deleting it. Deleting it empties the values of the rollups that depend on it and leaves the lookup fields empty, without deleting the records themselves.

If something goes wrong

What you see

Why

What to do

A message that the two units are already linked

There’s a relation between them, in either direction.

Use the existing relation, since it shows in both units, or rename it.

A message that the unit already has a relation with this name

A repeated name or label.

Choose a different name.

“Can’t create a relation with the same unit”

The target is the unit itself.

Create a separate unit for the other side.

You can’t edit a column in the relation panel

The column is calculated, or you don’t have the right to edit the linked record.

Open the record, or check your level.

A real example

Namaa Academy

The situation

The advisor doesn’t know which course the client signed up for.

What they did

Relation: the client Has many enrollments.
Display columns: course name, start date, amount.

The result

The advisor sees the client’s enrollments right in their record.

A made-up company, to show the idea. The numbers are rounded.

Good to know

Only one relation between any two units, in either direction.

A unit can’t link to itself.

A relation’s name and label are 1 to 100 characters, and can’t repeat among the unit’s relations.

Up to 20 display columns.

Up to 1,000 links in one save.

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