---
title: "Relationships between records"
canonical: https://syncek.com/docs/core-concepts/relationships
locale: en
author: "Syncek"
---

# Relationships between records

A **Relationship** in Syncek is an attribute that links records of two objects
in both directions. Set a contact's **Account** and that account lists the
contact under **Contacts**, because the two fields are the two sides of one
relationship. Creating a relationship always creates both sides, one attribute
on each object, so a link made from either record shows on the other.

## Creating one

**Settings, then Data, then Objects**, pick the object, open **Attributes** and
click **New Attribute**. Choose **Relationship** as the **Attribute type**, then
fill in:

- **Related Object**, the object on the other side.
- **Relationship type**: **Many to One**, **One to Many**, **One to One** or
  **Many to Many**, read from the object you started on. A contact has one
  account and an account has many contacts, so from Contacts that link is Many
  to One.
- **Target attribute**, the name of the attribute Syncek creates on the related
  object, pointing back.

The related object and the type cannot be changed later, only the names and
descriptions. Deleting either side deletes both, with every link between them.

## Linking records

Click the attribute on a record page, or its cell in a table, and search.

- Where a record can link to only one other (Many to One, One to One), pick it.
  Pick it again to clear the link.
- Where it can link to many (One to Many, Many to Many), each record has a
  checkbox, and every click links or unlinks straight away.
- On a One to Many side, linking a record that already belongs elsewhere moves
  it: add a contact to a second account's **Contacts** and it leaves the first.
- On a new record, the side that holds many can be filled only once the record
  is saved.

## Linked records as a tab

An account's **Team** tab lists its contacts with their job title, department,
email and phone. To add a tab like it, open a record, then **More options**,
**Configure page**, **Add tab** and **Relationships**, and pick the attribute.
You can rename the tab and choose up to five columns before you **Save**. Only a
side that holds many can become a tab, and a tab lists the first 50 records.

## Reference or Relationship

A **Reference** points one way. The record holding it shows the link, the record
it points at does not list it back, and a Reference can point at records of
several objects. Choose a Relationship when both records should show the link.

Which records belong together is
[a question about how you manage company contacts](https://syncek.com/blog/manage-company-contacts-crm)
before it is a setting. Links can also be made during an import, see
[Linking records on import](https://syncek.com/docs/your-data/linking-on-import).