Overview of Table Relationships in Reports

You can link tables in different reports so that they function like a single report.

When you use fields from different database tables in a report’s columns or filters, the fields’ tables are automatically added to the report, and the tables are joined by their fields that are linked together in the database. Tables such as incidents and contacts are tied together with a single field in each table, specifically the incidents.c_id and contacts.c_id fields. Since there is only one way to link these tables together, Analytics links them in the report automatically using a table join. By joining the tables, information from both tables can display together.

Note: When viewing a report, you can see the report’s tables in the report definition. See View a Report Definition. When editing a report, you can see and manage the report’s tables by clicking the Tables button on the Home tab of the report designer’s ribbon. See How to Change Table Relationships.

Some reports you create may need to reference numerous tables with different relationships. For example, you may need to use fields from tables that aren’t linked together in the database, or you may need to use fields from tables that can be linked together in more than one way. In these instances, you will need to select the fields you want to use to join the tables.

In addition, if you require a high degree of control over the tables used in a complex report, you can manually add them to the report instead of having the tables added automatically. See Add Tables to a Report Manually.

Note: In general, we recommend using as few tables as possible in a single report to help the report run efficiently. If you need to reference numerous tables in a report to return a wide array of information, you can instead create multiple reports, each with a minimum of tables that are focused on one area of the information you’re interested in. You can then link the tables together so they function like a single report. See Overview of Linked Reports.