---
title: "Creating a Bucket in Ontraccr"
url: "https://help.ontraccr.com/en/article/creating-a-bucket-in-ontraccr"
language: "en"
last_updated: "2025-06-08T18:51:39.991Z"
---

# Creating a Bucket in Ontraccr

## **🛠️ Creating a Bucket in Ontraccr**  
 

Buckets allow you to create custom databases linked to customers, projects, equipment, and even other buckets. This article walks you through the full setup process.

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## **🔧 Where to Create Buckets**

To begin:

1.  Navigate to **Settings** → **Customization** → **Buckets**
2.  Click the **➕ Add** button to create a new bucket

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## **🧱 Step 1: Name Your Bucket**

-   **Name** is the only required field
-   Example: `New Bucket`, `Highway Segment A`, or `Contract Group Alpha`

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## **🧭 Step 2: Define Upstream Relationships (Parent)**

These are entities that can link *to* this bucket.

### Options include:

-   Single customer
-   Multiple customers
-   Any previously created buckets

✔ You can link to **multiple parents** — both customers and other buckets.

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## **🔗 Step 3: Define Downstream Relationships (Children)**

These are entities that this bucket will link *to*.

### Options include:

-   Single/multiple projects
-   Single/multiple equipment
-   Other buckets you've created

✔ You can mix and match child types as needed.

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## **🖥️ Step 4: Enable “Show Page”**

Enable this option to:

-   Make your bucket appear in the left-hand menu
-   Access and manage its items directly from the sidebar

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## **🧩 Step 5: Add Sections & Custom Fields**

Use this step to design the form that will appear when users add items to the bucket:

1.  Click **Add Section**
2.  Click **Add Field** to insert custom questions
    -   Optional/mandatory
    -   Attachments
    -   Default Ontraccr form field types

📌 You're creating a form-like interface for structured data input.

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## **🔄 Step 6: Choose Link Type for Upstream Entities**

When linking to entities like multi-site inspections, choose whether each item:

-   Links to a **single** bucket
-   Links to **many** bucket instances

This setting governs the one-to-one or one-to-many nature of upstream connections.

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## **✅ Final Step: Submit**

Once you’ve configured everything:

-   Hit **Submit**
-   The new bucket becomes available in the sidebar (if Show Page is enabled)

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### **🔒 Permissions Reminder**

If you can’t see the Buckets option:

-   Go to **Roles & Permissions**
-   Scroll to the bottom under your **Admin role**
-   Enable both:
    -   ✅ View Buckets
    -   ✅ Manage Buckets

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## 🧾 **Summary**

-   Buckets are created in **Settings → Customization → Buckets**
-   You must define a **name**, **upstream (parent)**, and **downstream (child)** entities
-   **Custom fields** let you define the data collected for each item
-   Enabling **Show Page** adds the bucket to the sidebar
-   **Permissions** must be enabled to access and manage buckets

Buckets are the foundation for creating structured, nested data layers in Ontraccr.