|
Sales > Accounts > Managing Accounts > Linking Records to Accounts
Linking Records to Accounts
You can link the new records you create from the Detail page, such as contacts and activities, to the account record. Linking associates records to each other so that you and others who have access rights to the record get a full view of the information.
New records are added to the database at the same time they are linked to the selected account. For example, a contact you create from the Account Detail page is linked to the account and then appears on the Contacts pages.
An account record contains information that, after linking to another record, is inherited. For example, some opportunity reports display the records by Region or Industry. Since Region and Industry are not part of the opportunity records, the system looks to linked account records to determine which group the opportunity belongs to. Therefore, whenever possible, you want to link records to the account record.
You can also link other users to an account record to allow them to view the record. For example, you might need to share an account record with a team of colleagues you are working with to close a deal. Based on each role, a team member might have different access requirements for the account record, and the contact and opportunity records that are linked to the account.
To link information to an account
- Select the account.
For instructions on selecting accounts, see Finding Records.
- On the Account Detail page, scroll to the appropriate section, and link records to the account, as necessary.
NOTE: Your company administrator determines the type of related information that can be displayed on your Account Detail page. You can change the order of the related information sections that are available to you or hide any related information that you are not using. For information about personalizing Detail page layouts, see Changing Your Detail Page Layout.
The following table lists some of the record types that you might be able to link to an account.
Record Type
|
Information
|
Opportunities
|
To link a new opportunity, click New, enter the required information in the Edit form, and save the record. For field descriptions, see Opportunity Fields.
|
Service Requests
|
To link a new service request, click New, enter the required information in the Edit form, and save the record. For field descriptions, see Service Request Fields.
|
Notes
|
To link a new note, click New, enter the required information, and save the record.
NOTE: You can also add notes by clicking the note icon at the top-right of the page, if this feature is enabled for your company.
For more information about notes, see Adding Notes.
|
Open Activities (Appointments and Tasks)
|
To link a new task or appointment, click New Task or New Appt. Then enter the required information in the Edit form, and save the record. For field descriptions, see Activity Fields.
You can link several activities to an account. If an activity has a time associated with it, the activity appears in the Activities list and Calendar.
Users that have visibility to an account can also see the activities linked to the account, including those activities owned by or assigned to others.
|
Contacts
|
To link a new contact, click New, enter the required information in the Edit form, and save the record. For field descriptions, see Contact Fields.
TIP: To avoid duplicating contact records, you can also click Add, and then click the Lookup icon next to the New Contact column. In the Lookup window, enter the First Name, Last Name, or email address, and click Go. If the application doesn't find the contact, click New to create the contact record.
If you know the contact record exists, click Add to link it to this record.
To open the Contact Detail page to update information about the contact, click the Name link. For more information about linking contacts to accounts, see Tracking Relationships Between Accounts and Contacts.
|
Account Team
|
To allow this record to be visible to other employees, click Add Users. In the Account Team Add User window, select the employee's name and specify the access level. For more information on sharing records, see Sharing Records (Teams).
|
Account Partners
|
To link an account and track it as your partner with this account, click Add. Then enter the required information in the Edit form, and save the record. For field descriptions, see Tracking Partners and Competitors of Accounts.
|
Account Competitors
|
To link an account and track it as your competitor for this account, click Add. Then enter the required information in the Edit form, and save the record. For field descriptions, see Tracking Partners and Competitors of Accounts.
|
To remove or delete a linked record
- Select the account.
For instructions on selecting accounts, see Finding Records.
- On the Account Detail page, scroll down to the appropriate section.
- In the row whose link you want to remove or delete, choose Remove or Delete from the record-level menu.
- Remove. This disassociates the records without deleting either record.
- Delete. This deletes the linked record. A deleted record is moved to the Deleted Items page and is permanently removed from the database after 30 days.
Related Topics
See the following topics for related information:
|
