Records can store information about associated relationships, such as parents, spouses, or company contacts. These associations are stored as relationship records and are managed on the Relationships subtab of the Profile tab. Relationship records function similarly to other records. They can store interactions, contact information, and relation-scoped fields.

Relationship records are owned by a single record. However, they may be linked to an existing constituent or dataset record in the database.

A relationship record linked to an existing database record is referred to as a linked relationship. A relationship record that exists only within the owning record and is not connected to another database record is referred to as an unlinked relationship.

Relationship Management

Relationships are managed on the Relationships subtab of the Profile tab. You can add new relationships to a record through data import, form submissions, and administratively by selecting the New Relationship link on the relationship table display. 

Select New Relationship on the table to administratively add a new relationship.

When creating an unlinked relationship, the First Name, Last Name, and Relationship Type fields are required. Creating a linked relationship requires an existing record in the database, along with a Relationship Type and an Inverse Relationship Type.

Selecting a relationship from the relationship table opens the relationship record. Links at the top of the record allow navigation back to the owning record.

A standard relationship record includes three tabs: Dashboard, Timeline, and Profile.

• Dashboard: The Dashboard tab displays the relationship’s name and contact information. Institutions may configure a custom relationship dashboard.

• Timeline: The Timeline tab displays a chronological history of interactions associated with the relationship record.

• Profile
  The Profile tab contains the following subtabs:

  • Overview – Displays a summary of the relationship record.

  • Contact / Address – Displays address and contact information for the relationship.

  • Edit Relationship – Provides data entry for standard and custom relationship fields.

  • Schools – Displays the educational history associated with the relationship.

  • Jobs – Displays the employment history associated with the relationship.

  • Edit Restricted Access – Provides access control and permission settings for the relationship.

  An Edit button is also available in the upper-right corner of the relationship record and provides a shortcut to the Edit Relationship tool.

Unlinked Relationship

An unlinked relationship is a relationship record that exists only on the owning record. All information for the relationship is managed within the relationship record on the Profile tab.

Unlinked relationships cannot be associated with materials or giving (for example, soft credits).

The Relationship Record field, located on the Edit Relationship subtab of the Profile tab, controls whether a relationship is linked to a database record. This field includes the following options:

• Relation does not have a record
  The default value for an unlinked relationship. Leaving this value unchanged maintains the relationship as unlinked. Selecting this option for a linked relationship will convert it to an unlinked relationship.

• Relation exists as record
  Links the relationship record to an existing record in the database.

• Create a new person record with data from this relationship upon save
  Creates a new constituent record in the database using the relationship data and links it to the relationship record upon saving.

Linked Relationships

A linked relationship is a relationship record associated with an existing record in the database. Linked relationship records include the standard Dashboard, Timeline, and Profile tabs, along with navigation links at the top of the page. The relationship record also includes a link to the associated database record.

When a relationship is linked to an existing record, a corresponding relationship record is automatically created on the linked record. For example, if Alexander Hamilton creates a linked relationship to Elizabeth Hamilton’s existing record, a linked relationship record for Alexander is created on Elizabeth’s record.

Linked relationships share data with the associated database record. Information stored on the linked record is reflected in the relationship record, and updates made in either location are synchronized. This shared-data behavior is indicated by a callout displayed on the relationship record.

Linking a Relationship

To link an existing relationship record to a record in the database:

• Navigate to the relationship record that exists as its own person record.

• Select the Profile tab on the relationship record.

• From the right-hand sidebar, open Edit Relationship.

• In the Relationship Record field, select Relation exists as record.

• In the Lookup Record field, search for and select the corresponding person record.

Relationship Settings

What if we want to create a new record from a relationship record and link them?

Once a relationship has been established, a new option appears for the Relationship Record field under a relationship's Profile > Edit Relationship tab.