Bulk Data Form

About the Bulk Data Form

The Bulk Data Form lets you view the details of multiple records which belong to the same family. This can be useful if you want to compare data for multiple entities without having to switch between records and remember the information in each record.

You can open the Bulk Data Form from the Related Families section in the Record Manager to display all the records in the selected entity family which are linked to the record you initially opened in Record Manager (that is the root record) through a single relationship family.

Using the Bulk Data Form, you can add new records, modify existing records, delete records, and unlink existing records. You can also search, filter, and sort the list of records.

To create, modify, unlink, or delete records in the Bulk Data Form, you must have the necessary privileges to create, update, or delete the relevant entity and relationship families.

The Bulk Data Form is used to display the list of related records in a master/detail datasheet.

Note: If a master/detail datasheet is designated as the default datasheet for a family, at least one non-custom form datasheet must exist for a family before that family can be opened in the Bulk Data Form. If a master/detail datasheet is specified as the default datasheet for a family and you try to open that family in the Bulk Data Form, the Bulk Data Form will display the family using the first non-custom form that appears after the default datasheet in that family's list of datasheets.

You can also open the Bulk Data Form from Global Search, Advanced Search, or using the bulk data form URL, to display any records belonging to the same family. In these cases, you can create new records that are not linked to a root record, modify existing records, or delete records from the database.

You can modify the settings for a Bulk Data Form using the Table Settings window and then select the rows per page. The following settings are retained as a user preference for the selected family and datasheet:
  • Freeze columns
  • Show or hide columns
  • Change the order of columns
  • Sort columns
  • Rows per page
Note: If, however, you change the order of columns using the drag-and-drop method, the changes are not saved as a user preference.

About Freezing and Unfreezing Columns on the Bulk Data Form

When you view records in the Bulk Data Form, more columns may be available than the number of columns that can be displayed on one screen. In this case, you will need to scroll to the right to view all the columns. In some cases, the first column or the first few columns in the grid may contain information that you need to reference while you view information that appears in subsequent columns. In this case, you can freeze the columns that should remain visible as you are scrolling. When you freeze a column, that column and any column that appears to the left of it will remain in their current positions on the screen, even as you scroll through subsequent columns that appear to the right of the frozen column(s).

After a column or set of columns is frozen, if you want to freeze different columns, you will need select the columns to freeze. You can freeze a maximum of four columns on the Bulk Data Form page. Also, if you change the page setting to view a different page for the records, any columns that were frozen will be unfrozen automatically. Additionally, after you navigate away from the Bulk Data Form, the next time that you view records in that family in the Bulk Data Form, the settings for the column are saved as a user preference for the user, and will be frozen the next time the user accesses the form.

Access the Bulk Data Form from Record Manager

Procedure

  1. Access Record Manager.
  2. In the Record Explorer pane, in the Related Families section, select a family to expand its contents.
  3. Select , and then select Manage All Related Records.

    If there is more than one possible relationship family between the related records and the first record you opened, the Select Link Family window is displayed.

  4. Select the relationship for which you want to display the related records.
  5. Select Select Link Family.

    All records from the selected link family are related to the record you initially opened appear on the Bulk Data Form.

Freeze and Unfreeze Columns on the Bulk Data Form

Procedure

  1. Access the Bulk Data Form page.
  2. On the upper-right corner of the page, select .
    The Table Settings window appears.
    Note: If available, the Site and State columns are always frozen.
  3. In the Freeze Column Left column, select the check boxes for the columns that you want to freeze in the Bulk Data Form. Similarly, clear the check boxes for the columns that you do not want to freeze.
    The column is frozen, and the scroll bar moves from that column to the next column.
  4. Select Apply.
    The columns are now frozen or unfrozen, as applicable. The settings are saved as a user preference.

Choose Columns on the Bulk Data Form

Procedure

  1. Access the Bulk Data Form.
  2. On the upper-right corner, select .
    The Table Settings window appears.
  3. Depending on the columns that you want in the Bulk Data Form datasheet, select or clear the check boxes in the Show Column column.
  4. Select Apply.
    The columns now appear as selected in the datasheet. The settings are saved as a user preference for the user.

Reorder Columns on the Bulk Data Form

Procedure

  1. Using the Bulk Data Form grid:
    1. Access the Bulk Data Form.
    2. Place the cursor on the heading of the column that you want to reorder.
    3. Drag the column header to the desired location.
      Tip: A vertical line appears between the columns, where the selected column will be moved when the pointer is in a valid drop location.
      Note: If available, the Site and State columns cannot be reordered.
      The columns are reordered. The column order settings are not saved as a user preference.
  2. Using the Table Settings window:
    1. Access the Bulk Data Form.
    2. On the upper-right corner, select .
      The Table Settings window appears.
    3. Place the cursor in the row containing the column that you want to move.
      Arrows appear in the Re-order column.
      Note: If available, the Site and State columns cannot be reordered.
    4. Use the arrows to reorder the columns as needed.
    5. Select Apply.
      The columns are reordered in the Bulk Data Form. The column order settings are saved as a user preference.

Define the Sort Order on the Bulk Data Form

Procedure

  1. Access the Bulk Data Form.
  2. Select .

    The Table Settings window appears.

  3. In the Sort Order column, select the Ascending or Descending option for the columns that you want to sort in the Bulk Data Form. Similarly, select the Clear Sorting option for the columns that you do not want to sort.
  4. Select Apply.

Results

The columns are now sorted in ascending or descending order, as applicable. The settings are saved as a user preference.
Note: You can also click in the column headings in the Bulk Data Form to sort ascending and click again to sort descending, however, this setting is not stored as a User Preference.

Configure Column Width to Fit Content

Procedure

  1. Access the Bulk Data Form.
  2. On the upper-right corner, select .
    The Table Settings window appears.
  3. Select the Enable Auto-Fit Columns check box.
  4. Select Apply.
    When you click or resize a table cell, the column fits the content, and this setting is saved as a user preference.

Modify an Existing Record on the Bulk Data Form

Procedure

  1. Access the Bulk Data Form.
  2. As needed, enter values directly into the cells for the record that you want to modify.
    Tip: You can use the Tab key after entering a value to move to the next cell. You can use the Tab key +Shift key to move back.
  3. Select .

    The changes are saved.

Add Reference Documents to a Record on the Bulk Data Form

Procedure

  1. Access the Bulk Data Form page.
  2. On the Bulk Data Form datasheet, in the grid, select the check box next to the record for which you want to add the reference document.
    Note: You can add a reference document to one record at a time.
  3. Select , and then select Reference Documents.

    The Reference Documents window appears.

  4. Select .

    The Add Reference Document datasheet appears.

  5. As needed, enter the values for ID and Description.
  6. In the Document Path field, select .

    The Edit Document Path window appears.

    Note: You can either upload a file from the local network by selecting , and navigating to the path of the file or you can link to an external network file.
  7. Select Save.
  8. In the Edit Reference Document window, select .
  9. In the Reference Document window, select Close.

    The Reference Document is added to the selected record on the Bulk Data Form.

Copy a Record on the Bulk Data Form

Procedure

  1. Access the Bulk Data Form page.
  2. On the Bulk Data Form datasheet, in the grid, select the check box beside the record which you want to copy.
  3. On the upper-right corner of the page, select , and then select Copy.
  4. On the upper right corner of the page, select , and then select Paste.

    A copy of the record appears at the bottom of the list.

  5. Select .

    The copied record is saved and linked to the root record.

Delete Records on the Bulk Data Form

Procedure

  1. Access the Bulk Data Form page.
  2. On the Bulk Data Form page, in the grid, select the check box beside one or more records which you want to delete.
  3. On the upper-right corner of the page, select , and then select Delete.

    The Alert dialog box appears, asking you to confirm that you want to delete the record.

  4. Select Yes.

    The selected records are deleted from the database.

Export a Bulk Data Form

Procedure

  1. Access the Bulk Data Form page.
  2. On the upper-left corner of the page, select .
    • Select Export All Data to export all records.
    • Select Export Selected Data to export selected records.
    The Bulk Data Form is exported and appears in .xlsx format.

Define the Print Format of a Bulk Data Form

Procedure

  1. Access the Bulk Data Form page.
  2. Select , then select Print Options.
    The Print Options dialog is displayed.
  3. Enter or select values for the following print options:
    • Number of rows per page
    • Number of columns per page
    • Output file name
    • Show row numbers (checked or unchecked)
    • Orientation (portrait or landscape).
  4. Select OK.
    The settings are saved as a user preference for the current bulk data form.

Manage the State of Records in the Bulk Data Form

Before You Begin

To manage the state of one or more records in the Bulk Data Form, State Management should be enabled for the family.

Procedure

  1. Access the Bulk Data Form for records in a family where State Management is active.
    On the Bulk Data Form page heading, Select Items to Manage State is displayed.
  2. In the Bulk Data Form grid, select the check box beside one or more records for which you want to modify the state.
    Note: All the records that you select must be in the same state.
    The state management control appears, displaying the current state of the record.
  3. Select .
    The valid successor states for the records are displayed.
  4. Select the state to which you want to transition the selected records.
  5. Select Done.
    The records are transitioned to the selected state.

Results

For more information, refer to State Management Overview.

Bulk update records on the Bulk Data Form

Procedure

  1. Access the Bulk Data Form page.
  2. Select the rows to be updated.
  3. On the upper-right corner of the page, select (Bulk Edit).
    A window appears with all visible fields in the grid.
  4. Select the fields to be updated.
    The Use Fields button gets enabled.
  5. Select Use Fields to access the input fields for entering values.
    Note:
    • The Delete option enables you to remove a field and reselect fields
    • The Clear All checkbox enables you to clear previous values in the fields
    • For the Boolean field, select Check All to set all values to true, or select Uncheck All to set all values to false.
  6. After making the required changes, select Apply, to update the values in the grid and then click Save.
    The changes for the bulk update of the records are saved.
    Note:
    • The bulk edit functionality supports a maximum of 250 records per operation. Applying changes may take a few minutes to complete.
    • Save your changes after performing a bulk edit before navigating to another page or taking additional actions in BDF.
    • If you are on slower networks may experience timeouts when opening 500 records at once in BDF.

Keyboard Shortcuts for Bulk Data Form Navigation

Use the following keyboard shortcuts to efficiently navigate and interact with the Bulk Data Form:

ActionWindows ShortcutMac ShortcutNotes
Add a new recordAlt + '+'Option + Shift + '='
Move to adjacent cellAlt + Arrow KeysOption + Arrow KeysNavigation skips read-only cells
Toggle checkbox selectionSpacebarSpacebar
Open pick list dropdownDown ArrowDown ArrowPress Enter to select an option
Show date in date fieldsDown ArrowDown ArrowUse Arrow Keys to modify the date

Limitations

Keyboard controls have limitations for cells that open pop-up windows for selecting values. This applies to fields such as:

  • JS-triggered fields
  • UOM (Unit of Measure) selectors
  • Multiple value fields
  • Text areas with extended input

These fields require mouse interaction to select values, as keyboard navigation may not trigger the necessary pop-up dialogs.