Relationship records allow person records in Slate to store information about associated individuals (e.g., parents, guardians, spouses, siblings).

Each relationship record represents a connection between two individuals and can store its own data, including contact information, biographical details, interactions, and custom relation-scoped fields.

Access relationship data

Relationship data can be viewed and managed in two primary ways:

Via a person record

1. Open a person record.

2. In the right-hand panel under Overview, select the Relationships tab.

3. Click New Relationship to add a new relationship record.

This will open a modal where relationship details can be entered or linked.

Via queries

Relationship data can also be accessed using queries:

1. Navigate to Queries / Reports.

2. Create a new query with:

   • Type: Configurable Joins

   • Category: Related

   • Base: Relation

3. Add desired exports and filters.

Relationship record fields

Relationship Record

Indicates whether the related individual already exists as a person record in Slate.

Lookup Record

If the individual exists, use this to link to their existing person record.

Type

The relationship type (e.g., Parent, Sibling). Custom relationship types can be created/modified by configuring standard fields and prompts.

Inverse Relation Type

The relationship type from the perspective of the related record (e.g., Child).

Prefix

A name prefix (e.g., Mr., Dr.).

Name Information

First, last, and additional name fields for the related individual.

Email

Email address of the related individual.

Phone

Phone number of the related individual.

Birthdate

Birthdate of the related individual.

Age

Age of the related individual.

Deceased

Indicates whether the individual is deceased.

Resides with Record

Indicates whether the individual resides with the primary person record.

Via the profile tab of a person record

1. Click the Relationships tab in the right pane under Overview.

2. A new relationship can be added administratively by clicking on 'New Relationship', which displays a pop-up screen such as the following:

   

Relation-scoped queries

Relation-scoped queries return one row per relationship.

As a result, relation-scoped queries may return a different number of rows than person- or application-scoped queries, even when using similar filters.

Collecting relationship data with forms

Relationship data can be collected on person- or application-scoped forms. Collecting this data during the applicant stage is recommended.

Field Mapping

Map form fields to the appropriate relationship categories:

• Relationship

• Relationship Job

• Relationship School

Multiple Relationships in One Form

When collecting multiple relationships on a single form:

• Add a Section Break between each relationship

• Assign a unique Form Field Group number to each set of relationship fields

Failure to group fields correctly may result in data being overwritten on submission.

Matching and Duplicate Prevention

Relationship records will only match an existing record when all of the following are present:

• First Name

• Last Name

• Relationship Type

If a relationship type is not included (e.g., on a form), duplicate relationship records may be created.

Safe vs. Unsafe Behavior

By default, most forms are Safe. Safe forms will not update certain data if a record has an active application.

This may prevent relationship data from being updated.

Set Form to Unsafe

1. Open the form and select Edit Properties

2. Set the form to Unsafe

3. Save

Override Safe Behavior for a Field

1. Edit the field

2. Enable Unsafe Override

3. Save

Troubleshooting

Why isn’t my form updating relationship data?

If the record has an active application, Safe behavior may prevent updates.

To allow updates:

• Set the form to Unsafe, or

• Enable Unsafe Override on specific fields

    📖 Further reading

Explore our Safe / Unsafe documentation to learn more about how safe and unsafe behavior can affect your records.