Lookups menu

Lookups menu provides access to the functions that are used to set up RefTracker Dynamic Lookups. The menu item will only appear in your system if your organisation is licensed for the Dynamic Lookups module, and details of how to use these functions are provided in the separate Dynamic Lookups Module documentation.

The optional RefTracker Dynamic Lookups module allows you to have information automatically and dynamically passed into your RefTracker Request forms from external SQL databases/applications using SQL views or a Web service.

Common uses for this function are:

  • automatically identifying the client submitting a question;
  • automatically adding client contact information from an externally provided source (such as your Human resources system or your Library Management system), when the client completes a request using a RefTracker request form;
  • allowing staff to select a client and have the client’s contact information automatically inserted when they enter a request on behalf of the client;
  • automatically adding client contact details to questions created via imported emails;
  • validating that data entered into specific fields, such as matter numbers as used in the legal industry, are correct;
  • allowing selection of an entry from a list that would otherwise be too long to simply select from a drop down list;
  • and much more.

Reasons why you would purchase the Dynamic Lookups Module when RefTracker already includes (see parameter 6.9) a cookie-based method of having client contact details inserted in Request forms completed by the client include:

  • if your clients cannot use cookies, or you do not want your clients to have to enter their contact details on the first time that they complete a form using a computer that they have not used before (one that does not already have a cookie saved for them), such as if they use public computers to submit requests;
  • if you want your staff to be able to retrieve client contact information when they enter a request on behalf of the client;
  • if the client contact information that is automatically inserted in a form is to be as defined for that client in a separate computer system (like your Human resources system or library management system);
  • if you want the client contact information hidden in the form;- if you want to automatically insert information into a form that will not be stored in the RefTracker client table;
  • or if you want contact information automatically brought in about the client when emails are imported.