---
title: "Smart Filtering with Buckets"
url: "https://help.ontraccr.com/en/article/smart-filtering-with-buckets"
language: "en"
last_updated: "2025-06-08T18:55:05.672Z"
---

# Smart Filtering with Buckets

## **🔍 Smart Filtering with Buckets**  
 

**Smart Filtering** is by default enabled when using buckets in forms and boards. It allows users to see only the relevant entries in a dropdown based on prior selections — dramatically reducing clutter and confusion in large datasets.

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## **🧠 What Is Smart Filtering?**

Smart filtering ensures that when a user makes a selection (e.g. a customer, bucket, or parent item), only the items that are **linked downstream** appear as options in the next field.

This behavior is built-in — you don’t need to configure it manually.

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## **🔗 How It Works (With Buckets)**

### Example Scenario: Roadbuilding

You’re managing several **highways** as part of a project. Each highway has:

-   A **bucket** for the highway itself
-   Many **checkpoints** linked to that highway as downstream entries (another bucket)
-   Checkpoints have GPS data and might be linked to equipment

Now, imagine using a form or board:

1.  The user selects a **highway stretch**
2.  Only the **checkpoints linked to that stretch** are displayed in the next dropdown
3.  After selecting a **checkpoint**, the user sees only the **equipment at that checkpoint**

This is smart filtering — driven by the **parent-child relationships** defined when you created your buckets.

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## **🔄 Filter Cascade Example**

Here's how selections narrow down options:

-   **Customer** → shows only relevant **buckets** (e.g. contracts, highways)
-   **Bucket** → shows only relevant **child items** (e.g. projects, checkpoints)
-   **Checkpoint** → can trigger filtered lists of **equipment** (if also bucketed)

No need to sift through 1,000+ items — only what's linked upstream is shown.

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## **✅ When Is It Enabled?**

Smart filtering is:

-   **Enabled by default** for all bucket-linked fields and can be toggled on or off when editing the choose one or more field type by selecting the “Enable Smart Filtering” checkbox.
-   Triggered any time you:
    -   Use a "Choose one or more" field with a **choose one or more** data type
    -   Select from an upstream entity (e.g. a customer or parent bucket)

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## 🧾 **Summary**

-   **Smart Filtering** shows only relevant options based on previous field selections
-   It’s built into the choose one or more field type and is a checkbox that is selected by default
-   Helps users avoid scrolling through massive datasets
-   Based on the upstream/downstream relationships defined when creating your buckets

Smart Filtering ensures that forms and boards remain clean, accurate, and efficient for users navigating complex data.