Tables

  A Designer role or higher is required to create tables. For information, see User roles.

Workflow designers can create tables to store, retrieve, and manage data, which can be used in both workflows and forms.

You can create a table in Nintex Automation Cloud and organize data into rows and columns. Each row in the table represents a unique record and each column is a property of that record. Workflow and form designers can reference data from the table in a workflow using Tables actions and in forms using a data variable. For more information, see Tables actions and Table data.

By default, the user with a Designer role or higher who created the table is the table owner. For more information, see Tables permissions.

Important: 

  • The maximum number of tables that can be created per tenant is 5000.

  • The maximum number of columns per table is 25.

  • The maximum number of rows per table is 50,000.

Jump to:

Access the Tables page

  1. On the top navigation bar, click Automate.

  2. On the left, click Data.

    The Tables page is displayed and lists all the existing tables created in the tenant.

To access the Nintex Data Console from the Apps workspace, click Data in the Apps navigation bar.

Create a table

You can create a table and add rows and columns.

  1. On the top navigation bar, click Automate.

  2. On the left, click Data.

  3. Click Create table.

  4. In the Table name field, enter a name for the table.

  5. (Optional) If you want to add more information to identify the table, add a Description.

    Note: A maximum of 255 characters can be entered in the Table name and Description fields.

  6. (Optional) To store date in a language that is not English, select the The data stored in this table will not be in English check box.

  7. If the language check box is selected, select the language from the What language will be used? drop-down. The language you choose has an impact on how data is stored, filtered, and sorted.

    Important: The language cannot be changed after the table is created.

  8. Click Create.

    The table is created and displayed on the Tables page.

Within the Nintex Data Console in Apps

  1. Click + New table or use the hotkey Control + Shift + O (Windows) / Command + Shift + O (macOS).
  2. Enter the table’s basic details:
    • Label: The name of the table.
    • Description: Additional information to identify the table.
  3. Click Create.

View table usage

Use the Table data usage panel to view the table count in the tenant and the total row count of tables in the tenant.

  1. On the top navigation bar, click Automate.

  2. On the left, click Data.

  3. On the top right, click Table usage.

Tables permissions

Table permissions determines which users can access tables and data.

  • Table owner: By default, the user with a Designer role or higher who created the table is the table owner. The table owner has full access to manage the table and its data.

  • Users: Can view and access tables when creating workflows and forms. Users have read-only access to the table and can't edit or add rows.

  • Global and Automation administrators: Can view and access all tables in the tenant and have the same privileges as the table owner.

You can assign permissions to restrict access to table data.

  1. Open the Permissions window.
    • On the Tables page, to the right of the table you want, click and select Permissions.
    • Open the table you want and on the toolbar, click Permissions.
  1. In the Permissions window that appears, follow these steps to assign permissions to individual users or groups:
    • To assign permission to a group of users:
      1. Click in the Table owner or Table user field. A drop-down menu appears listing the groups and users in the tenancy.
      2. Select the Group you want to assign permission to from the GROUPS list.
        • Hover over the name of the group and click Show members to see the list of members in the group.

      Note: The GROUPS list is shown only if there are groups created in the tenant. For information about adding and editing groups, see Create, edit, and manage user groups.

    • To assign permissions to a individual users:
      1. Click in or type the names of users in the Table owner or Table user field. A drop-down menu is displayed with users related to your search query.
      2. Select the users you want to assign permissions.
  2. To enable form users to access data variables configured using data in this table, under Data access, select the Allow authenticated users to access data from this table when it is referenced in forms check box.
  3.  Click Confirm.

Add columns to a table

Each table is created with default metadata columns. After it's created, you can add new columns to the table.

Important: 

  • The maximum number of columns per table is 25.

  • To display the scroll bar in Tables, ensurethe setting to show the scroll bar is enabled in your browser. For example, in MacOS, go to Preferences > Appearance and turn on the Always toggle. In Microsoft Edge, go to settings and turn on the Always show scrollbars toggle located under Appearance.

  1. On the Tables page, click the table you want to add columns to.

    Note: You can also click to the right of the table you want to edit and select Open.

  2. Click to the right of the table header.

  3. Select the column type. For more information, see Data types of columns.

  4. In the Name field, enter a name for the column.

  5. Complete the fields as required to create the column.

  6. Click Add.

Within the Nintex Data Console in Apps

  1. Within the table’s details, click the Columns tab
  2. Click + Add column or use the hotkey Control + Shift + F (Windows) / Command + Shift + F (macOS).
  3. Complete the fields as required to create the column.
  4. Click Create.

Add a Display column to a table

A display column in a table is a column that holds data that is displayed when referenced from another table using a Reference type column. When a table is selected as the source table in a reference type column of another table, it shows the data from the display column that is configured for the source table. For information about Reference columns, see Reference.

Note: 

Columns with the following data types can be used as a display column:

  • Text - short

  • Single-select

  • Integer

  • Decimal

  • Date

  • Date/Time

  1. Open the table you want to add a display column to.

  2. Click next to the table name to open the Table details panel.

  3. In the Display column field, select the column you want to set as the display column.

  4. Click Save.

Data types of columns

The following configuration fields are available based on the column data types.

Column data type Description Configuration fields
Text - short

Text strings. This can be used for information such as a name or description.

Maximum character limit is 500.

  • Name: The name for the column.

  • Default value: The default value for the column.

  • Description: A description for the column.

  • Enable column sorting: Switch the toggle on to enable sorting based on the column. A table can only have a maximum of 10 sortable columns.

Text - Long

For long text strings that have multiple lines of text. You can configure the column to hold plain or rich text formats. When rich text format is selected, the rich text editor is opened when you double-click the column to enter row data.

Maximum character limit is 10000.

  • Name: The name for the column.

  • Text format: Text formatting that the field can accept. Available options:

    • Plain text

    • Rich text: The rich text editor allows rich formatting of text. When you select Rich text, the rich text editor becomes available in the Default value field and the rich text editor is opened when you double-click the column to enter row data.

      Button

      Tooltip

      Description

      Bold

      Apply bold formatting to the selected text.

      Italic

      Apply italic formatting to the selected text.

      Underline

      Apply underline formatting to the selected text.

      Strikethrough (Displays only in the larger panel that's displayed when Full screen is selected.)
      Apply strikethrough formatting to the selected text.
      Subscript (Displays only in the larger panel that's displayed when Full screen is selected.)
      Convert the selected text into a subscript.
      Superscript (Displays only in the larger panel that's displayed when Full screen is selected.)
      Convert the selected text into a superscript.
      Block quote (Displays only in the larger panel that's displayed when Full screen is selected.)
      Highlight selected text quoted from another source.

      		Font family

      (Displays only in the larger panel that's displayed when Full screen is selected.)
      Apply a font style to the selected text. The default font name is Open Sans.

      Font size

      Select the size of the font for the selected text.

      Font color Change the text color for the selected text.
      Font Background color Apply a background color for the selected text.

      Insert/Remove Numbered List

      Convert the selected text into one or more numbered list items.

      Insert/Remove Bulleted List

      Convert the selected text into one or more bulleted list items.

      Paragraph Formatting styles Apply formatting styles from h1 to h6 to the selected text.
      Text alignment Align the selected text to left, right, center or justify. When justified text is distributed evenly between margins when this is selected.

      Link

      Add a hyperlink to selected text. When you click the Link button, the Message body window presents two additional fields relating to the hyperlink: URL and Text. Type the URL and amend the Text if necessary. Click OK to confirm the hyperlink for the text.

      Unlink

      Remove a hyperlink. The unlink button becomes available after you click a hyperlink in the message body.

      Decrease indent

      (Displays only in the larger panel that's displayed when Full screen is selected.)

      Decrease indentation for the selected list items.

      Increase indent

      (Displays only in the larger panel that's displayed when Full screen is selected.)

      Increase indentation for the selected list items.
      Remove format

      (Displays only in the larger panel that's displayed when Full screen is selected.)

      Removes the formatting on the selected text.
      Table

      (Displays only in the larger panel that's displayed when Full screen is selected.)
      Opens a dialog to insert a table. Click inside the table to access the contextual toolbar, where you can add or remove columns, merge cells, or split cells.
      Image via URL

      (Displays only in the larger panel that's displayed when Full screen is selected.)

      Opens a dialog to add the image URL. Click on the image to access the contextual toolbar, where you can include alternative image text, caption, and styles.
      Source View or edit the HTML version of the message body.

      Expand editor

      Display the field and toolbar buttons in a larger panel with additional toolbar buttons available.

  • Default value: Default value for the column. The text formatting available in this field depends on the option selected in the Text format field.

    • When Plain text is selected, only plain text formatting is allowed.

    • When Rich text is selected, the rich text editor becomes available in the Default value field allowing rich formatting for text entered in this field.

  • Description: Description for the column.
Single-select Display values in a drop-down to select from.
  • Name: The name for the column.
  • Options (newline-separated): Option to display in the drop-down. Enter each option in a new line.

  • Default value: Default value for the column.

  • Description: Description for the column.

    • Enable column sorting: Switch the toggle on to enable sorting based on the column. A table can only have a maximum of 10 sortable columns.

Multi - select Display values in a list to allow selecting one or more options from the multiple options you define.
  • Name: The name for the column.
  • Options (newline-separated): Option to display in the list. Enter each option in a new line.

    Note: You can have a maximum of 50 options.

  • Default value: Default value for the column.

  • Description: Description for the column.

Decimal

Numerical values with a decimal point. Must be a numeric value with or without a decimal point.

  • Name: The name for the column.
  • Number of decimal places: The maximum number of decimal places allowed for the value. The decimal places must not exceed this number.
  • Range validation: Toggle to enter maximum and minimum value of the range allowed in the column. When Range validation is enabled, the data must be within the specified range.

  • Default value: Default value for the column.

  • Description: Description for the column.

    • Enable column sorting: Switch the toggle on to enable sorting based on the column. A table can only have a maximum of 10 sortable columns.

Integer

Numerical with no decimal point. If range validation is enabled, the value of data must be within the specified range.

The number of decimal places of the data must not exceed what is configured for the column.

If range validation is enabled, the value of data must be within the specified range.
  • Name: The name for the column.
  • Range validation: Toggle to enter maximum and minimum value of the range allowed in the column. When Range validation is enabled, the data must be within the specified range.

  • Default value: Default value for the column.

  • Description: Description for the column.

    • Enable column sorting: Switch the toggle on to enable sorting based on the column. A table can only have a maximum of 10 sortable columns.

Date

Date only.

Format is DD MMM YYYY

Note: Date type columns can only be referenced by an app in Nintex Apps and can't be referenced from workflows and forms.
  • Name: The name for the column.

  • Default value: Default value for the column.

  • Description: Description for the column.

    • Enable column sorting: Switch the toggle on to enable sorting based on the column. A table can only have a maximum of 10 sortable columns.

Date/Time Date that's combined with the time. Format should be DD MMM YYYY, HH:MM AM/PM.
  • Name: The name for the column.

  • Default value: Default value for the column.

  • Description: Description for the column.

    • Enable column sorting: Switch the toggle on to enable sorting based on the column. A table can only have a maximum of 10 sortable columns.

Yes/No The value can be Yes or No.
  • Name: The name for the column.

  • Default value: Default value for the column.

  • Description: Description for the column.

    • Enable column sorting: Switch the toggle on to enable sorting based on the column. A table can only have a maximum of 10 sortable columns.

Reference

You can use a reference type column to create a link between tables and display data from another table. The data from the display column in the source table is displayed in the reference type column. The display column must be configured from the Table details panel of the source table. For instructions, see Add a Display column to a table.

An example of when a reference type column can be used is with a Customers table and Orders table. You can create a reference for the CustomerID column in the Orders table to reference data from the Customers table, creating a connection that links each order to a particular customer.

Note: Reference type columns can only be referenced by an app in Nintex Apps and can't be referenced from workflows and forms.
  • Name: The name for the column.

  • Source table: The source table to get data from to display in this column. The data from the display column is shown. To configure the display column, open the Table details panel of the source table. For instructions, see Add a Display column to a table

  • Description: Description for the column.

Add rows to a table

You can add rows manually or import data from a CSV file. For information about importing, see Import data from a CSV file.

Important: The maximum number of rows per table is 50,000.

  1. On the Tables page, click and open the table you want to add rows to.

    Note: You can also click to the right of the table you want to edit and select Open.

  2. Click .

  3. Enter the values for the row. When you have entered a value for one column, press Enter and then double click in the next cell.

  4. Click , or click anywhere in the row grid to save the row.

Rows cannot be created within the Nintex Data Console in Apps.

Import data from a CSV file

After you create a table you can add data manually or import data to the table from a CSV file. If the table has existing data you can choose to keep the existing data when you import new data or delete the existing data.

Important: The maximum file size is 10MB and the maximum number of rows that can be imported to the table is 10000.

Note the following important requirements about the import file and the data:

  • The file must be a CSV file with a comma as the data separator.

  • The CSV file must have a header row defining each column.

  • The columns must match the columns in your table. You can download a template of the file with the required columns if required.

  • The data types in your file must match those in your table. For more information about the data types of columns, see Data types of columns.

  • Choice - single columns are not supported and cannot be imported.

  • Boolean columns must contain only Yes or No values.

  • To import data into a Multi-select data type column, use ;# as delimiters to separate the values. For example, Blue;#Reg;#Green

  • If there are multiple sheets in the Excel file, only the first one is imported.

To import data

  1. Open the table you want to import data to.

  2. On the toolbar, click Import.

    The Import dialog is displayed with the required steps.

  1. (Optional) Click download a template of the csv file if want to download a template with the required columns.

  2. Drag or select a file to upload the CSV file.

    Important: To delete the existing data in the table when importing data from the file, clear the Keep existing data in the table check box. The check box is selected by default and if you don't change it, the existing table data is left unchanged and kept in the table and the imported data is added to the table.

  3. Click Import.

Data cannot be imported within the Nintex Data Console in Apps.

Manage tables

After a table is created, you can edit the table name and content and delete columns or the table, as required.

Edit the table name

You can edit the name of your table after you create it. Changing the table name will not impact published workflows using the table.

  1. Open the table you want to edit.

  2. Click next to the table name.

  3. Edit the name and description, as required.

Within the Nintex Data Console in Apps

  1. Within the table’s details in the tab selection panel, click More Options beside the table name.
  2. Click Configure.
  3. Edit the details you want and click Save.

Edit columns

After you add a column to the table, you can edit the column details if required.

  1. Find the column you want to edit and click next to the column heading.

  2. Select Edit from the options menu.

  3. Edit the details you want and click Save.

    Note: You cannot edit the column type.

Within the Nintex Data Console in Apps

  1. Within the table’s details in the tab selection panel, click Columns. The columns screen appears.
  2. Click More options on the desired column.
  3. Click Configure.
  4. Edit the details you want and click Save.

Delete a table

The owner of the table can delete a table.

Caution: All data saved in the table will be lost and any associated workflows or forms referencing the table may fail.

  1. Click to the right of the table you want to delete.

  2. Select Delete.

Within the Nintex Data Console in Apps

  1. Within the table’s details in the tab selection panel, click More Options beside the table name.
  2. Click Delete.
  3. If necessary, resolve any dependencies before deleting.
  4. Click Delete to confirm deletion.

Delete a column

  1. Open the table you want to edit.

  2. Click next to the column header of the column you want to delete.

  3. Select Delete.

Within the Nintex Data Console in Apps

  1. Within the table’s details in the tab selection panel, click Columns. The columns screen appears.
  2. Click More options on the desired column.
  3. Click Delete.
  4. Click Delete to confirm deletion.

Copy the row ID, edit a cell value, and delete a row

  1. Open the table you want to edit.

  2. Click the row you want to edit.

  3. Select the required action:

    • Edit: Edit the value of the table cell. You can also double-click on a cell to edit the value.

    • Delete row: Deletes the entire row.

      Caution: The data in the row is lost and can't be recovered after you delete it.

    • Copy row ID: Copies the ID of the row.

Column sorting

By default, the data in a table is sorted based on the date it was created. You can sort the data in the table by one or more columns. You can sort by the Created date and Modified date columns, or by columns with sorting enabled. Column sorting can be enabled when creating the column or by editing the column settings after it has been created. For information, see Add columns to a table and Edit columns.

Note: The maximum number of columns you can sort in a table is 10.

To sort the table by a column

  • Hover over the column header of the column you want to sort and click .

Edit rows displayed per page

You can customize the number of rows to display on a single page. BY default, the table is set to display 100 rows per page.

  1. Open the tablet.

  2. Open the Rows per page drop-down and select your required option.