Multi-record Tables & Forms

Tables and Fields are fundamental to creating Forms, Reports, Auto Actions, and Templates. 

Multi-record tables are used when your organization needs to track history or many instances of the same thing, such as background checks, trainings, accounts receivable or progress reports. 

This guide talks about: 

• Multi-record Tables and their Current/Latest Records 
• Multi-record Forms 
• Prefill from Last 
• Prefill Groups 

Multi-record Tables

In order to create a new Multi-record Form, you'll first need a Multi-record Table. There are many available in SAM. They can be identified under Tables & Fields, shown without a tilde (~). 

Create new Multi-record Table

Current/Latest Record

This function displays the most recent record for a Multi-record table. It creates a sibling table of the Multi-record Table. 

Enable a Current / Latest Record 

Current/Latest Table View

Edit Current/Latest Record Settings

Disable Current/Latest Table 

Multi-record Forms 

Forms based on Multi-record Tables can be built to show many records or one record at a time. 

Multi-record Standard Form Setup

This is the simplest way to build Multi-record Forms. This setup is composed of three forms and the connections between them. 

1. Container form (view sub-form on it) 
2. View sub-form (titled Overview) 
3. Add / Edit / Details form (to add, edit, or view one record)

Setup Options 

• Forms Base Name - name your new form(s). Typically, this will be the table name for convenience. 
• Mirror Overview and Details Forms - copies fields on the Add/Edit form to the Overview forms. Great for a quick setup. Forms can be unlinked later. 
• Link to this new Form from - select another form to link this form from. If left empty, no sidebar link will be created. 

Unlink Multi-record Forms 

At the top of Form Customizer screens for linked forms, SAM will show links to the other forms created during this setup. When you access the linked Overview form, an option to unlink the two forms is available.

Build individual forms based on Multi-record Tables 

Multi-record Form Types

• 1-at-a-time - allows entry or visibility of one record at a time
• Multi-record (sub-form) - allows entry or visibility of many records

Form Layout Options

• View / Edit / Both
• Vertical / Horizontal layout

Sub-form Options 

When creating a multi-record (subform), the following options set up where the form's visibility to users and creates a container form to hold the subform (unless you are adding it to another form). 

• Hide if empty - shows sub-form when records have been entered. Hides the form when no records are entered. Requires records to be entered through another form or Auto Action. 
• Create Container Form - All sub-forms must be on another Container/Main Form. 
  • Yes, if you're creating a multi-record view sub-form to be used as a sidebar link
  • No, If you'll be adding this sub-form to another form.

Form Stats 

Like report stats, form stats allow you to quickly sort and filter entries on a multi record form by field criteria. You can enable form stats via Form Customizer, or from any multi record form. Enable Form Stats can only be found when viewing the form from within a client record.

Add Form Stats

Clicking on a stat value will immediately filter the multi record form entries by that criteria.

Prefill Form from Last 

This function allows users to update fields for a new record from the last record entered.

This feature is helpful in situations where the current record is nearly identical to the last record entered, so users can save time completing the form. Example: Progress Reports where a client's progress may not change much from one month to the next.

✏️Notes

• Only works for multi-record tables.
• Prefill from Last link only present on Add or Edit Form types.
• Form sorting must be set using 'Sort Form By' field.
• On setup, future records will be prefilled from the previous record when Prefill from Last is clicked.
• All fields on the form are prefilled.

Enable Prefill

Once the link is clicked, SAM will fill the current record from the previous record. A message will let you know that the record has been prefilled.

If you create a new record > enter data into it > save it > Reopen the record > click the Prefill link, SAM will only prefill the fields that do not already have some data entered. Once a form has been set to Prefill from the Last Record, all future records will be prefilled from the last.

Prefill Groups 

SAM's Prefill Groups function adds a group of sub-records, like Accounts Receivable (AR) or Parent Education, under a Main Entity/Record. This is helpful to have SAM enter required records based on your processes. Prefill Groups can only be found when viewing the form from a client record. 

Prefill Groups require a List Field type on a Multi-record table. If you want more data entry for a record, a series of Auto Actions is a better option.

✏️Note

Prefill Groups cannot be disabled once created, but the groups within the Prefill Group can. 

Examples

• Country/Program Specific Fees from A/R Records 
• Benefit Types common for Birth Mother Services/Benefits 
• Parent Education Requirements
• Groups of Documents (Document Checklists are Prefill Groups under a separate naming convention because everyone deals with Documents)

Enable Prefill Groups

Prefill Groups are enabled through Table Properties.

Create a New Prefill Group

Edit Prefill Group Items

Add Item to Group

Edit Group Name 

Changes the Name of the Group within the Prefill Group. 

Edit List

This allows you to manage the list the Prefill Group is based on. 

Delete Prefill Group

Manually Apply a Prefill Group 

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Multi-record Table Advanced Setups (For SAM Support Team ONLY) 

This is for more complex setups. SAM's support team will assist with these setups if needed on requests. 

Sibling-Table Setup for Refed List-Table

This function allows Big-Search-List fields linked to another Main Entity to include details from the Main Entity's table under another table.

Examples in SAM Case Worker - Person fields available on templates based on the Family table Add the Persons table fields to Family - References, to add new Person records​

Instructions

1. Begin by accessing the form or field that you want. This will only work with fields that are connected to Parent Entities. Example, Case Worker > Person Record or Placing Agency/County > Organization Record.
2. Open the field, then click Advanced Options.
3. Click Sibling-Table Setup for Refed List-Table once. Click Ok, Close on the pop-up and the table associated with the field will be available for reports and templates to pull the details.
4. You can see this table added to the hierarchy from Reports.

Special Connections

Examples: Placements, Adoptions, Placement Referrals, Birth Mother Profile Views

Instructions

1. Create New Table under one of the Entities
2. Create a Field on the Table for the other Entity
3. From the Table, click Advanced Options > Really Advanced Options > Linkup to Another Parent Table by Field
4. Select the field you just created from the options
5. Build forms from each entity's side

Multi-Record Grouping by Field (like Child Sibling Groups)

Record Grouping means that when you add a Multi-Record record which references a Main Record, the record will appear under both of them, just like the "Child Sibling Groups", which link up all the Children together and show all of them on each others forms. (Meaning it doesn't matter whose form the records are entered from.)

This is only for advanced users to setup/enable.

This is enabled by setting the "Advanced | Record Grouping Field" property on the Multi-Record Table. The Field must reference the same Main Entity Type as the Parent-Table, such as the "Organization" or "Child". Only for Multi-Record tables.

For example, to setup a "Branches" Multi-Record table under Organization that links all the Organizations together. Create the Multi-Record table and add a field "Branch" which is a Big-Search List of "Organization", then go to the Advanced Table Properties and set the "Advanced | Record Grouping Field" to use the "Branch" field.

Linking Entity Types with a Shared Multi-Record Table

You can create a shared Multi-Record Table, similar to Adoption or Placement Records, where multiple main entity types are linked together, like Family and Child.

To do this:

1. Create the Multi-Record table under the first Main Entity Type.
2. Copy the table to the Parent table that you want to connect. (From the Table Properties form > Advanced Option > Copy to Another Table)
3. Create a Big-Search List (or Drop-Down List) field for each Main Entity Type, so you can link the records together.
4. Open Field Properties for each Big Search List Field you just created > Advanced Options > Change the DB Column name to the Main Entity Type ID.

SAM's Support Team is needed to modify the DB Column name.

Create Under Case

If you want to organize the records per Case and also under the Main Entity Type, a table can be copied under the Case Table.

Adding records per Case

When you setup the forms, choose the table under the Case table ( which is why its important to name these copies with " per Case" at the end). This will make it so that when you add new records they will be for the case that you are currently viewing.

When you are selecting the second Main Entity Type (via the Big-Search List Field), then it will automatically link that record to their latest case. (The Details forms for Multi-Records under the Case have a special option in the Advanced Options to move them to another Case for the same Main Entity, so you could always move the records to other cases.)

These additional steps for adding records per Case are necessary because the Big-Search List field links to a Main Entity, and not their cases. By having the multi-record table copied under the Case table too, then SAM automatically links the latest Case for the Main Entity selected in the Big-Search List Field.

(This is a default feature for all multi-record tables copied under the same Main Entity Type, so if you have a table like "Incidents" under Placements and copied under the Child, then it will automatically link to the latest Placement record, even if its added through a form based on the Child, and vice-versa, so you could see all the "Incidents" for a Child on one form without having to include the "Placements" table on the form.) 

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This default feature applies to all multi-record tables copied under the same Main Entity Type. For example, if you have a table like "Incidents" under Placements and copied under the Child, it will automatically link to the latest Placement record. Consequently, you can view all incidents for a Child on one form without needing to include the "Placements" table.