---
title: How to set up a lookup table
description: Keep your reference data in Stratum Track, then have a technician pick one value on a step and let the rest of the fields fill themselves in.
published: 2026-08-25
updated: 2026-08-25
---

# How to set up a lookup table

Most workshops keep a sheet of numbers everyone has to look up. Torque figures. Cable
ratings. Coating systems. Acceptance limits by size. A lookup table puts that sheet
inside Stratum Track, so your technician picks one value on the job and the rest of
the row fills itself in.

This guide builds one from scratch. It takes about ten minutes. The example is a bolt
torque sheet: the technician picks the bolt size, and the specified torque and the
lubrication fill in on their own.

## What you need

- A manager login. Lookup tables live in Settings, which only managers can open.
- A job template with a step you want to add the fields to. If you do not have one yet, we build it with you first.

## How it works

A lookup table is a grid, the same as a spreadsheet. Each column holds one kind of
value. Each row is one set of matching values.

One column is the **key**. That is the column your technician picks from. Every other
column can be linked to a field on the step, and those fields fill in from the row
that matches the pick.

| Bolt size (key) | Torque (Nm) | Lubrication |
|---|---|---|
| M16 | 214 | Dry |
| M20 | 418 | Dry |
| M24 | 720 | Anti-seize |
| M30 | 1450 | Anti-seize |

The technician picks M20. The torque field fills in 418 and the lubrication field
fills in Dry.

## Step 1: Open Lookup Tables

Go to **Settings**, then find the **Reference Data** section, then press **Manage
lookup tables**.

![The Lookup Tables card in Settings](/assets/screens/lookup-tables-01-settings.webp)

## Step 2: Create the table

Give the table a name and a short description, then press **Create table**. The name is
what you will pick from later, so name it after the sheet it replaces.

![Naming a new lookup table](/assets/screens/lookup-tables-02-new-table.webp)

Stratum Track takes you straight to the columns screen.

## Step 3: Add the columns

Add one column for every column on your sheet. Type the name, choose what it holds,
then press **Add column**.

![Adding a column called Bolt Size](/assets/screens/lookup-tables-03-add-column.webp)

**Holds** is what kind of value goes in the column: text, a number, a decimal, a date,
a time, or yes and no. Text is right for most reference data, including part codes and
sizes. Add all your columns before you move on.

## Step 4: Choose the key column

Tick **Key** beside the column your technician picks from, then press **Save key
columns**. Leave the other columns unticked. Those are the ones that fill themselves in.

![The Bolt Size column ticked as the key](/assets/screens/lookup-tables-04-key-column.webp)

This step is the one people miss. A table with no key column is not offered when you go
to link a field, because there is nothing for a technician to pick.

## Step 5: Add the rows

Go back to the table and type your first row into the boxes at the bottom, then press
**Add row**.

![Typing the first row of the table](/assets/screens/lookup-tables-05-add-row.webp)

Keep going until the sheet is in. Each row has to be different in its key column, so
you cannot have two rows for M20.

![Four rows in the finished table](/assets/screens/lookup-tables-06-rows-added.webp)

If the sheet is long, press **Upload** instead and give Stratum Track the spreadsheet.
It reads the headings and builds the columns for you.

## Step 6: Add the picker to your form

Now put the picker on the step. Go to **Manage Templates**, open your template with
**Actions**, then **Review**, then switch to the **Preview** tab.

Find the step you want, press **Add row**, give the field a label, and set **What goes
in it** to **Lookup**. Press **Add row**.

![Adding a field called Bolt size, set to Lookup](/assets/screens/lookup-tables-07-new-lookup-field.webp)

## Step 7: Point the picker at your table

Click the new field on the form. Its settings open on the right. Under **Where this
answer comes from**, press **Link to a lookup table**.

Choose your table. Leave **Set of pickers** on **Start a new set of pickers**. Choose
the key column. Press **Save link**.

![Linking the picker to the Bolt Size column](/assets/screens/lookup-tables-08-link-picker.webp)

The field now reads "Picks from Bolt Torque Specifications, Bolt Size". That is your
selector.

## Step 8: Set a field to fill itself in

Add a second field the same way. Give it a label, choose what it holds, and press **Add
row**. This one is an ordinary field, not a lookup field.

Click it, press **Link to a lookup table** again, and this time choose the column you
want it filled from. The set of pickers is already selected, because there is only one
on this step.

![Linking the torque field to the Torque column](/assets/screens/lookup-tables-09-link-fill.webp)

Press **Save link**. Repeat for every field you want filled from the same row. Nothing
else to do: the form saves as you go.

## Step 9: Check it on a job

Open a job that uses the template and go to the step. The picker offers the values in
your key column.

![The technician picking a bolt size on the job](/assets/screens/lookup-tables-10-technician-picks.webp)

Pick one, and the linked fields fill in from the matching row. Stratum Track says where
each value came from, so the technician can see it was not typed by hand.

![The torque and lubrication fields filled in](/assets/screens/lookup-tables-11-filled-in.webp)

That is the whole thing. Change the sheet once, in Settings, and every job that runs
after it picks up the new numbers.

## Worth knowing

- **Your technician can still type over a filled value.** Stratum Track shows what it was changed from, and offers to put the table's value back.
- **Answers already recorded on a job stay as they are.** Updating the table changes what fills in from then on, not what your crew has already signed off.
- **A table can have more than one key column.** Tick two, and the technician is asked for both, in the order you set. The fields fill from the row that matches both answers.
- **A step can carry more than one set of pickers.** Each set has its own table and fills its own fields, so one step can read from two different sheets.
- **Renaming a column is safe.** The link is held on a fixed reference, not on the name, so a rename changes what you see and nothing else.

## Common questions

#### Why is my table not offered when I try to link a field?

The table has no key column yet. Open it in Settings, press **Columns**, tick **Key**
beside the column your technician picks from, then press **Save key columns**.

#### Can a technician change a value that filled in automatically?

Yes. They type over it like any other field. Stratum Track notes what it was changed
from and offers a one press reset back to the table's value.

#### What happens to old jobs when I update the table?

Nothing. Values already recorded on a job stay exactly as recorded. The new numbers
apply to picks made from then on.

#### Can I load a table from a spreadsheet?

Yes. Open the table and press **Upload**. Stratum Track reads the headings and builds
the columns, so a sheet you already keep in Excel goes in as it is.

#### Who can create and change lookup tables?

Managers. The tables live in Settings, and only a manager seat can open it. Your
technicians pick from the tables on the job but cannot change them.