Lookup fields are built on Link fields. A Lookup field references a selected field from a linked table, so the current table can display data from another table without entering it again.
Use Cases
| Scenario | Good for |
|---|
| Order line items | After linking a product, show its price, SKU, or category |
| Ticket handling | After linking a customer, show phone number, customer tier, or owner |
| Book management | In a books table, show the author’s birthday, nationality, or bio |
| Project management | From linked tasks, show assignee, due date, or status |
Create a link relationship
Before using a Lookup field, create a Link field between the two tables.
Choose the field type
In the table view, click + to add a field and choose Lookup.
Choose the link field
Choose an existing link field in the current table as the lookup path.
Choose the target field
Choose the field to read from the source table, such as an author’s birth date, a customer’s phone number, or a product price.
Automatic Sync
After setup, Teable fills the lookup result based on the existing link relationship:
- If the linked record changes, such as choosing a different author, the lookup value updates.
- If source data changes, such as editing an author’s birthday, the lookup value refreshes.
Common Uses
- Book management: In a
Books table, use an Author link field to look up Birth date from an author details table.
- Order calculation: In an
Order line items table, look up the product price and then use a formula to calculate the total.
- Customer information sync: In a tickets table, link a customer and look up the customer’s phone number, email, or tier.
Notes
- Read-only field: Lookup fields are read-only. You cannot edit the looked-up value from the current table. To change the value, edit the original field in the source table.
- Single value and multiple values: If the link relationship is one-to-one, the lookup result is a single value. If the relationship is one-to-many, the lookup result becomes a multi-value array and displays values separated by commas.
- Data dependencies: Lookup fields depend on the link field and the source field. If the link field or target field in the source table is deleted, the lookup field stops working.
Last modified on May 26, 2026
