---
title: "Understanding Buckets in Ontraccr"
url: "https://help.ontraccr.com/en/article/understanding-buckets-in-ontraccr"
language: "en"
last_updated: "2025-06-08T18:49:38.948Z"
---

# Understanding Buckets in Ontraccr

## **📚 Conceptual Guide: Understanding Buckets in Ontraccr**  
 

In complex operational workflows — whether you're managing field projects, tracking contracts, or organizing equipment — you often need a way to structure information **between** core entities like customers, projects, and equipment.

That’s where **Buckets** come in.

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## **🧠 What Are Buckets?**

**Buckets are custom databases** that allow you to model the way your business data connects, flows, and filters across multiple layers.

Think of a bucket as a flexible “middle layer” between your standard entities like customers and projects. It stores structured records that act as *bridges* or *containers* — such as contracts, highway segments, inspection zones, or any other logical grouping relevant to your operations.

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## **🔗 Buckets Are About Relationships**

Buckets don’t just hold data — they define relationships.

Each bucket can be:

-   **Linked upstream** to one or more customers (or other buckets)
-   **Linked downstream** to projects, equipment, or even other nested buckets

This structure lets you build **custom hierarchies** of information, enabling better visibility, reporting, and automation across teams.

For example:

-   A **Contract** bucket might sit between customers and projects.
-   A **Highway Segment** bucket might sit above GPS Checkpoints and Equipment.
-   A **Zone** bucket might link inspections, locations, and staff teams together.

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## **⚙️ Why Use Buckets?**

Here’s why Buckets are a core part of Ontraccr’s data model:

### 1\. **Structured Data Management**

You can define exactly what fields and sections are tracked in each bucket using a form-style builder — tailoring the database to your real workflows.

### 2\. **Smart Filtering**

Buckets enable **automatic filtering** in forms and boards. When a user selects an upstream value (like a customer or bucket), only the **relevant downstream options** are shown — no more scrolling through irrelevant lists.

### 3\. **Dynamic Forms & Boards**

You can pull bucket data into forms and boards using:

-   Dropdowns that show real-time entries
-   Attribute fields that auto-fill based on prior selections

This reduces manual input and improves accuracy in the field.

### 4\. **Multi-Layer Nesting**

Buckets can link to each other in multiple layers. This lets you model real-world relationships like:

**Customer → Contract → Project → Equipment**

Or:

**Highway → Checkpoint → Equipment**

Each layer stays cleanly separated and automatically filters the next.

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## **💡 When Should You Use a Bucket?**

Use a bucket when you need to:

-   Track a **custom entity** that doesn’t fit into core categories like “project” or “equipment”
-   Create **nested relationships** between entities
-   **Filter selections** in forms or boards based on prior inputs
-   Store **custom data fields** specific to a group, region, contract, or operational unit
-   Keep a **database view** of items with a dedicated page in the Ontraccr sidebar

If you're thinking, “I need a table to track this in a structured way, and it connects to something else,” — you're probably looking at a use case for a bucket.

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## 🧾 **Summary**

Buckets are:

-   Custom, structured databases
-   Designed to model and connect operational data
-   Built with upstream/downstream logic
-   Usable in forms and boards
-   Automatically filtered for better UX
-   Nestable and multi-relational

They’re not just a convenience — they’re how you **build your operational data model** inside Ontraccr.