Skip to main content
Single value and multiple values describe whether a cell stores one value or a group of values. After you understand this concept, it is easier to see why links, lookups, rollups, and formulas may return multiple results.

​
Basic Concepts

TypeDescriptionExample
Single valueOne definite piece of information”today’s date”, “John’s phone number”
Multiple valuesA group of values, also understood as an array”all dates this month”, “all of John’s phone numbers”

​
Default Single and Multiple Value States

Field typeDefault state
Single line text, long textSingle
Single select, checkbox, date, number, ratingSingle
Created time, last modified time, created by, last modified by, auto number, buttonSingle
Multiple select, attachmentMultiple
UserOptional
LinkOptional
Formula, rollupDynamic
Here, “default state” means the field’s common state on its own. Optional means you can decide whether the field is single-value or multiple-value through field settings. Dynamic means the result depends on formula logic, rollup functions, and whether referenced fields are multiple-value fields. After a value passes through a link, lookup, rollup, or formula reference, its state may change.
  • Link fields: If a link field is multiple-value, fields referenced through that link may also become multiple-value. For example, if one task can be assigned to several employees, looking up employee phone numbers through that link may return several phone numbers.
  • Formulas and rollups: Formulas and rollups are often single-value, but they may become multiple-value when they reference multiple-value fields.

​
Example

Suppose you manage a company in Teable with two tables: Employee Information and Project Tasks. Employee Information table
NamePhoneEmailTasks
John123456john@company.comTask 1, Task 2
Mary789012mary@company.comTask 3
Project Tasks table
Task nameAssigneeDue dateProgress
Task 1John2023-11-2050%
Task 2John2023-12-0130%
Task 3Mary2023-11-1580%
In this example:
  • The “Tasks” field in the Employee Information table is multiple-value because one employee can be responsible for several tasks.
  • The “Assignee” field in the Project Tasks table is single-value because each task has one assignee.
When you create a new task in the “Project Tasks” table and assign it to an employee, that employee’s “Tasks” field in the “Employee Information” table updates to include all assigned tasks.

​
Number Mini Charts

Number fields sometimes display multiple lines or bars instead of one number. This usually means the field has become multiple-value, often through a link, lookup, rollup, or formula reference.
Last modified on May 26, 2026