column-field-management

name	column-field-management
description	Column/field types, relations, lookups, rollups, formulas. This skill should be used when the user asks to add columns, configure field types, set up relations, lookups, rollups, or formulas.

Column & Field Management

This skill covers column operations in NocoDB — creating fields of all types, setting up relations (Links), Lookups, Rollups, and Formulas.

Available Tools

Tool	Description
list_columns	List all columns in a table
create_column	Create a new column
update_column	Update column configuration
delete_column	Delete a column

Listing Columns

Tool: list_columns
Input: { "table_id": "tbl_abc123" }

Returns: Array of columns with id, name, type, and configuration.

Field Types Reference

Basic Fields

Type	Description	Example Input
SingleLineText	Short text	{ "name": "Title", "type": "SingleLineText" }
LongText	Multi-line text	{ "name": "Description", "type": "LongText" }
Number	Integer	{ "name": "Quantity", "type": "Number" }
Decimal	Float	{ "name": "Score", "type": "Decimal" }
Currency	Money	{ "name": "Price", "type": "Currency" }
Percent	Percentage	{ "name": "Discount", "type": "Percent" }
Email	Email address	{ "name": "Email", "type": "Email" }
URL	Web link	{ "name": "Website", "type": "URL" }
PhoneNumber	Phone	{ "name": "Phone", "type": "PhoneNumber" }
Checkbox	Boolean	{ "name": "Active", "type": "Checkbox" }
Date	Date	{ "name": "Birthday", "type": "Date" }
DateTime	Date + Time	{ "name": "CreatedAt", "type": "DateTime" }
Duration	Time span	{ "name": "TimeSpent", "type": "Duration" }
Rating	Star rating	{ "name": "Rating", "type": "Rating", "max": 5 }
Attachment	Files	{ "name": "Files", "type": "Attachment" }

Selection Fields

Tool: create_column
Input: {
  "table_id": "tbl_abc123",
  "name": "Status",
  "type": "SingleSelect",
  "options": ["New", "In Progress", "Done", "Archived"]
}

Tool: create_column
Input: {
  "table_id": "tbl_abc123",
  "name": "Tags",
  "type": "MultiSelect",
  "options": ["Urgent", "Feature", "Bug", "Documentation"]
}

Relation Fields (LinkToAnotherRecord)

Has Many (hm):

Tool: create_column
Input: {
  "table_id": "tbl_contacts",
  "name": "Company",
  "type": "LinkToAnotherRecord",
  "linked_table_id": "tbl_companies",
  "relation_type": "hm"
}

Many to Many (mm):

Tool: create_column
Input: {
  "table_id": "tbl_deals",
  "name": "Products",
  "type": "LinkToAnotherRecord",
  "linked_table_id": "tbl_products",
  "relation_type": "mm"
}

Lookup Fields

Show a field from a related table. Requires a LinkToAnotherRecord column.

Tool: create_column
Input: {
  "table_id": "tbl_deals",
  "name": "Contact Email",
  "type": "Lookup",
  "relation_column_id": "cl_company_link",
  "lookup_column_id": "cl_email"
}

Rollup Fields

Aggregate values from related records. Requires a LinkToAnotherRecord column.

Tool: create_column
Input: {
  "table_id": "tbl_contacts",
  "name": "Total Deal Value",
  "type": "Rollup",
  "relation_column_id": "cl_deals_link",
  "rollup_column_id": "cl_amount",
  "rollup_function": "sum"
}

Rollup functions: sum, count, avg, min, max, count_distinct

Formula Fields

Tool: create_column
Input: {
  "table_id": "tbl_deals",
  "name": "Deal Category",
  "type": "Formula",
  "formula": "IF({Amount} > 10000, 'Enterprise', 'SMB')"
}

Formula Reference:

Pattern	Formula	Use Case
Conditional	IF({Amount} > 10000, "Enterprise", "SMB")	Categorization
Multi-condition	SWITCH({Status}, "Active", "🟢", "Inactive", "🔴", "⚪")	Status icons
Display name	CONCAT({First Name}, " ", {Last Name})	Combine text
Substring	LEFT({Code}, 3)	Extract prefix
Right substring	RIGHT({Phone}, 4)	Extract last digits
Due date	DATEADD({Created}, 30, 'days')	Calculate future date
Duration	DATETIME_DIFF({End Date}, {Start Date}, 'days')	Days between
Day of week	WEEKDAY({Date})	Get weekday (0=Sun)
Percentage	ROUND({Completed} / {Total} * 100, 1)	Calc percentage
Rounding up	CEILING({Price} * 1.1)	Round up
Rounding down	FLOOR({Score} / 10) * 10	Round to nearest 10
Null check	IF({Email} = "", "Missing", {Email})	Handle empty fields
Nested IF	IF({Amount} > 10000, "High", IF({Amount} > 1000, "Medium", "Low"))	Multi-level categorization
Text contains	IF(FIND("urgent", LOWER({Title})) > 0, "Yes", "No")	Search in text
Record age	DATETIME_DIFF(NOW(), {Created}, 'days')	Days since creation

Formula syntax: Reference fields with {field_name}. String literals in "quotes" or 'quotes'.

Common Workflows

Add Relation + Lookup + Rollup

1. list_tables() -> Get table IDs for both tables
2. list_columns(table_id) -> Check existing columns
3. create_column(type=LinkToAnotherRecord) -> Create relation
4. list_columns(linked_table_id) -> Get column IDs for lookup/rollup
5. create_column(type=Lookup) -> Show related field
6. create_column(type=Rollup) -> Aggregate related values

Add Select Field with Options

1. list_columns(table_id) -> Check if field exists
2. create_column(type=SingleSelect, options=[...]) -> Create with options

Add Formula Based on Existing Fields

1. list_columns(table_id) -> Verify referenced fields exist
2. create_column(type=Formula, formula="...") -> Create formula

Important Rules

1. Creation order matters:

   • Basic fields → Relations → Lookups/Rollups → Formulas
   • Each type depends on the previous

2. Use table_id, not table_name — always resolve via list_tables

3. Use column_id for Lookup/Rollup — get IDs from list_columns

4. Relation creates columns in BOTH tables — a Link in table A auto-creates a reverse link in table B

5. Formula field names are case-sensitive — {Amount} not {amount}

Best Practices

1. Name columns clearly — "Contact Email" (lookup) vs "Email" (native field)
2. Set primary display first — affects how linked records appear
3. Use SingleSelect for statuses — enables Kanban views
4. Plan formulas on paper — complex formulas are hard to debug
5. Test Lookups/Rollups — add sample data to verify they resolve correctly