You have created an application with several collections that are linked together by link widgets and now you are ready to import your data. Wouldn't it be nice if you could import the linked relationship between records instead of having to set the link widgets manually? This section will focus on the preparation and process needed to import linked relationships.

One main misconception when importing data to link widgets is the confusion of the value that is stored inside the link widget is the value that the link widget displays. The value that is stored within the link widget itself is the Record ID of the linked record, seen in the field on the left, while the value that is seen by users is the Display Value, seen in the field on the right.

Notice that these two values are very different. If you import a Display Value into a link widget the link will NOT be set, you need to import a Record ID value into the field for the link to be set.

Importing data into two empty Linked Collections

These steps will describe how to import data into two separate collections that are related through a Link Widget. In the parent collection we will set the Record ID to a unique value that we select and then import the linked relationship based on that value. These steps require that both collections do not have imported data in them yet.

1. To start off this example we will be looking at an application with two Collections, Items and Orders.
   
   The Orders collection is the child collection and contains a link to the Items collection called Item Name.
   
   The Items collection is the parent collection and contains two fields, an Item Name field which is what the link will display and an ID Number field which is a unique value for each record.
2. For our import we will have two .csv files, one for the Items collection and the other for the Orders collection.
   
   The Items .csv file contains the name of the item and a unique identification number for each item.
   
   The Orders .csv file will contain the unique identification number for the item and the quantity ordered. To make it easier to visualize, the item name is also displayed in this .csv file.
3. The first thing we will do is import the data into the parent collection. In this example it is the Items collection. Click on the wrench icon to the right of the last collection tab and under Items select Import CSV File.
   
4. Click on Browse... to select the location of the .csv file from your computer and click Import.
   
5. A mapping window will appear allowing you to determine the data fields that your .csv document's columns will be imported to. Map the Item Name column from the .csv file to the ItemName data field and the ID Number from the .csv file to the IDNumber data field. Finally, map the unique ID Number column from the .csv to the Name field in Properties section, this will set the Record ID of the record to be the unique ID Number.
   
   Before you continue double-check to make sure the ID Number field is mapped to the Name field under the Properties section. This will be used to set the Record ID of the imported records to a value we define. The reason it is important to set the Record ID to a known value is so that we can import the same value for the link widget to establish the linked relationship. IMPORTANT: The Name field for a record's Properties MUST be a unique value, if you have an existing record with the same Record ID it will overwrite the existing record.
6. Click Ok to import the data. When the import is complete you will receive a notification message.
   
   Notice that the Document Name property or RecordID now matches the ID Number we imported.
7. Now that our first import is done go to the Orders tab and click on the wrench icon to the right of the last collection tab. From the menu select Orders and then click on Import CSV File.
   
8. Click on Browse... to select the location of the .csv file from your computer and click Import.
   
9. From the mapping window be sure to import the ID Number field to the Item Name link field. Remember that in our previous import we set the Record ID to be the unique ID Number from the .csv file.
   
10. A message will appear when the import is complete. Notice how the Item Name link is set with the import. Look at the Document Name column, notice how a default Record ID is given to these records.
    
    If your parent collection already had data imported into it you will need to look up the Record ID for the existing records and add it to your .csv file to import the linked relationship.