What is a "summary field" in Quickbase?

A summary field in Quickbase is a powerful feature that allows you to aggregate data from related records. This means it takes data from multiple records and provides a collective metric or summary, such as a total, average, count, or other calculations. For example, if you have a parent table that records orders and a child table with individual order line items, a summary field could be used to display the total amount of all line items associated with each order.

This capability is particularly useful for reporting and analysis, as it enables users to see high-level insights derived from detailed data. By summarizing related records, users can make informed decisions based on comprehensive data views without accessing each individual record separately. This enhances the functionality of applications built on Quickbase by providing efficient data analysis capabilities directly within the user interface.

In contrast, options that describe a field limited to displaying text, a temporary storage area, or a field specifically for formatting dates do not reflect the purpose and versatility of summary fields in Quickbase.