> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://fillout.com/help/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Add a record picker to your form

> Allow users to select Zite database records from a Fillout form by linking to existing records.

## How it works

You can add a dropdown to your Fillout form that lets respondents pick existing records from your Zite database. This record picker **only links to the selected record**. It does not update existing records.

If you want respondents to edit records without database access, see [this article](https://www.fillout.com/help/update-with-forms).

### Common use cases

* **Employee Onboarding:** Let HR select a manager, department, or mentor
* **Equipment Checkout:** Allow staff to select equipment or devices from a database
* **Course Enrollment:** Let students pick existing courses or programs in an enrollment form
* **Vendor Requests:** Link purchase requests to existing suppliers or vendors
* **Content Management:** Let authors select an existing category, project, or campaign

## Add a record picker

<Steps>
  <Step title="Link records">
    On your Zite database, link tables by following [these quick steps](https://www.fillout.com/help/database/link-records).

    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/fillout-005a867b/2io3nM7N8DECHcnE/images/Screenshot2026-03-31at5.53.59PM.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=2io3nM7N8DECHcnE&q=85&s=566dcbf0990ad5d5e34e4dcec470c8eb" alt="Screenshot 2026 03 31 At 5 53 59 PM" width="2642" height="840" data-path="images/Screenshot2026-03-31at5.53.59PM.png" />
  </Step>

  <Step title="Connect your form">
    Open your Fillout form. Go to `Integrate` on top and choose `Zite Database`. Then, set your preferences.

    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/fillout-005a867b/2io3nM7N8DECHcnE/images/Screenshot2026-03-31at5.54.52PM.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=2io3nM7N8DECHcnE&q=85&s=2ca9bff7b0c8775dfaa3fbcf18e0374f" alt="Screenshot 2026 03 31 At 5 54 52 PM" width="2650" height="691" data-path="images/Screenshot2026-03-31at5.54.52PM.png" />

    Zite [automatically maps](https://www.fillout.com/help/map-columns#automatic-column-or-field-mapping) matching fields when available. If not, you can [manually drag](https://www.fillout.com/help/map-columns#automatic-column-or-field-mapping) your database columns (on the left-hand panel) into the form.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Insert record picker field">
    For example, let's allow our employees to request for budget approval through a form. They can select their name from the Employees table. Their response is recorded in the Budget Requests table and linked to them.

    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/fillout-005a867b/2io3nM7N8DECHcnE/images/Screenshot2026-03-31at5.50.55PM.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=2io3nM7N8DECHcnE&q=85&s=ab91a099b18fab91e191df43399bb9b0" alt="Screenshot 2026 03 31 At 5 50 55 PM" width="2639" height="1393" data-path="images/Screenshot2026-03-31at5.50.55PM.png" />

    Drag the `record picker` into your form. This becomes your dropdown for selecting records.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Publish and share">
    Click `Publish` on the top right to reflect the changes.

    That's it! Respondents can now select records from your database.

    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/fillout-005a867b/2io3nM7N8DECHcnE/images/Screenshot2026-03-31at5.53.16PM.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=2io3nM7N8DECHcnE&q=85&s=428119d4c2c27e4936ffc42cce0ab5f2" alt="Screenshot 2026 03 31 At 5 53 16 PM" width="2229" height="1291" data-path="images/Screenshot2026-03-31at5.53.16PM.png" />
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Advanced features

Open the record picker's settings by clicking <Icon icon="gear-complex" iconType="solid" /> to show **Advanced** on the right-hand panel.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/fillout-005a867b/-RTw_yfx1BL354th/images/Screenshot2026-03-31at6.24.30PM.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=-RTw_yfx1BL354th&q=85&s=b75a1be5218037ac0f07caa458608e20" alt="Screenshot 2026 03 31 At 6 24 30 PM" width="1908" height="747" data-path="images/Screenshot2026-03-31at6.24.30PM.png" />

Here, you can set:

* **Fields to show** - choose which database fields are visible instead of showing all record details
* **Field to search by** - allow lookup using a field other than the primary field
* **Filters** - show only selected records based on conditions you set

## Related articles

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Link records" color="#FFC738" icon="files-medical" iconType="regular" href="/database/link-records">
    Link records across tables to assign or reference.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Update with forms" color="#FFC738" icon="money-check-pen" iconType="regular" href="/guides/update-with-forms">
    Edit existing Zite database records with a Fillout form.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>