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How to create a Lookup column in SharePointPosted on June 16, 2020 | SharePoint Show
Lookup Column Metadata Though I am a huge advocate of metadata, one column type that I have never blogged about previously is the Lookup column in SharePoint. The reason for this is that it is a unique type of column you would only use in very rare scenarios, and it does come with limitations. But it can become handy in some instances, and I would like to use this opportunity to explain it to you and provide some tips on how to use it efficiently in your SharePoint environment. What is a Lookup columnA Lookup column is a column type that allows you to connect a list or a library to a column from another list or library you have on your site and also pull in other information from that other list and display it the list you are connecting from. If I just confused you, let me give you an example. Say, you have two lists in SharePoint. One list for Client contacts with names, emails and phone numbers, and another for Client Company names with company address, company industry, etc. What you can do is associate Contacts with Company names by creating a Lookup column from Contacts list to a Company list. By doing this association, you will be able to bring in the Company information such as a company address, company industry, etc. into the contacts list, thus having all the information in one giant list. Hopefully, this makes sense now. How to create a Lookup column in SharePointLets go ahead and use the above example and build this together. Step 1: Build the custom lists (or document libraries)Just to be clear, you can connect not just the SharePoint lists, but also the document libraries. In our case, we are going to connect the Contacts List (with individuals names and contact info) with a Clients List (with company names and addresses). The quickest way to dot his would be to create Custom Lists and add appropriate columns on both. I described how to do this here. This is what it looks like in my case: Contacts List Clients/Company List Step 2: Create a Lookup ColumnNow we are going to build a Lookup Column from Contacts List to the Client List.
Step 3: Tag the entries
Step 4: One to Many Lookups (Optional)It is important to note that you can also do a Lookup column in SharePoint to multiple entries at once. In the example above, I did a Lookup from the Contact List to Company List. You can also do it the other way around and link from Company List to multiple Contacts at once.
Lookup column limitationsBefore you get too excited, I want you to be aware of several significant Lookup column limitations:
Lookup Column alternativesTerm StoreIf you need a quick ability to link columns on lists/libraries, the Lookup column is definitely a life-saver! However, if you just need a list of metadata (drop-down choices) to be centrally accessible by various sites and site collections, consider using Term Store. It allows for much easier metadata management and mitigates the many limitations mentioned above. Power AppsThis is not an out of the box feature by any means, but if you are into Power Apps, you can easily do Lookups there while addressing all the limitations mentioned above. Please reference these excellent instructions by Shane Young. Tweet Share Share Tweet Share Share Gregory Zelfond Your SharePoint Expert*protected email*Need help?Applications
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