BIKA Form | Match to Update Record, not create new

[Andria_D_Baunee]

I have a form. I want it to update a record NOT create a new record. Matching field name = DOT.

In my automation, I start with TRIGGER = FORM SUBMITTED and select my form.

Action 1 is Get Records but I cannot pull the data from the form because I think it all comes through as an array. I tried to pull even just the DOT variable with JSON RUN SCRIPT but I m

1. Not exactly sure which pieces are supposed to be selected from the “/” menu
2. Not sure which options to select because nothing shows DOT
3. Not sure how to parse the data do to the “/” requirements

Any help would be appreciated.

[Thea]

Hi @Andria_D_Baunee ,

Based on your description, I set up an automation that should meet your needs.

Here’s how you can configure it:

1. Get Records

• Data source: select the database you want to match against.
• Condition: choose the field you want to compare (DOT) and set it equal to:
  trigger/form submitted/record/fields/_your_field_name/field value

2. Update Records

• Then add an Update Records action and configure it to update the matched record from the previous step.
• You can refer to the screenshot below for guidance:

Let me know if this helps or if you need more details.

[glenmarkaquatic]

@Thea & @Andria_D_Baunee - Thank you for this excellent solution! I’m facing a very similar workflow challenge with my swimming academy management system.

My Use Case: Swimming Athlete Onboarding & Coaching Workflow

I’m building a system for a swim club with 900+ swimmers across multiple centers. Here’s my workflow:

Flow:

• Swimmer Applies → New Record Created (Parent Form)
• Coach Informed (based on center & batch selection)
• Coach Schedules Test
• Coach Updates Test Results (Update Existing Record)

Current Challenge

My “Swimmer Application Form” has 22 fields, of which the last 3 are coach-only:

1. Completed Test
2. Date of Trial
3. Swimmer Selected

Parents shouldn’t see or fill these fields. Coaches need a separate interface to update only these 3 fields on existing swimmer records.

Question

Following Thea’s solution (Get Records + Update Records automation), should I:

1. Keep my current form and hide the 3 coach fields from parents somehow?
2. Or create a completely separate “Coach Test Results Form” with just those 3 fields + matching automation?

I prefer Option 2 (separate form) for clean separation, but want to confirm it’s the right architectural approach for a large-scale academy system.

I’m not confident about Grid Access for coaches, so an edit form is preferred.

Thanks in advance!

[Thea]

Hi @glenmarkaquatic , this is a very real workflow. Here are two approaches you might want to consider:

Option A (cleaner for scale): use a Mirror to isolate coach access.

Parents submit the main form into your primary table, and each coach works in a mirrored view scoped to their center or batch. This way, coaches only see their own swimmers and can update just the test fields without touching the rest.

Mirror guide:

Mirror | Bika.ai

Option B (form based for coaches): use two tables plus an automation.

The parent form writes to Table A (including a unique identifier such as student ID).

The coach form writes the 3 test fields to Table B with the same identifier.

An automation then matches the record in Table A and updates it with the values from Table B.

Hope this helps!

[glenmarkaquatic]

Hi
In my use case there are multiple centers. (Stored as a separate table) Now I wish to only expose the mirror to a coach from a specific location, Howver that is not available as a filter. Pls assist

[Thea]

Hi @glenmarkaquatic,

This works very similarly to view permissions.

You can add a Center field to the swimmer datasheet (a single select field works well), then create different views filtered by Center.

Each mirror can point to a specific view, so each coach only sees swimmers from their own center.

You can then share the corresponding mirror link with each coach. From their side, they’ll only see data for that center and won’t need to worry about filters at all.