Data Lookup

Can be one of the following types:

The 'Lookup' property specifies the Lookup Specification that determines how external data is queried and mapped to Data Elements in Grooper. This configuration controls which external data source is accessed, what criteria are used for the query, and how the results are applied to fields or collections.

Purpose

Use this property to validate or enrich document data by referencing authoritative records from external systems, such as databases or web services. The lookup can be used to:

• Confirm that extracted or user-entered values match external records.
• Populate additional fields or tables with data returned from the external source.
• Enforce data integrity and reduce manual entry.

Configuration

• Select or create a Lookup Specification that matches your data source and requirements.
• Configure the lookup's criteria fields, target fields, trigger mode, and error handling as needed.
• The lookup can be attached to a Data Model, Data Section, or Data Table, depending on the desired scope.

Impact

• When the Data Lookup action runs, the specified lookup is executed using values from the current data context.
• Results are mapped to the configured target fields or collections.
• Errors or conflicts (such as no results or multiple results) are handled according to the lookup's settings.

Example

To validate a "Customer ID" field against a database:

• Assign a Lookup Specification that queries the customer table using the "Customer ID" as criteria.
• Map returned fields (such as "Customer Name" or "Address") to Grooper fields for enrichment.

For more information, see the documentation for Lookup Specification.

The 'Target Collection' property designates a Data Table or multi-instance Data Section to receive the results of the lookup operation. This enables the Data Lookup action to populate entire tables or repeating sections with multiple rows returned from the external data source.

Purpose

Use this property when the lookup is expected to return multiple records, such as line items, transactions, or repeating data. The results will be added as new rows or section instances in the specified collection.

Configuration

• Select a compatible Data Field Container (such as a Data Table or repeating Data Section) as the target.
• Ensure the structure of the target collection matches the columns or fields returned by the lookup.
• If the target is a collection, you may also enable the 'Clear Existing' property to remove previous data before adding new results.

Impact

• If set, all rows returned by the lookup are copied into the specified collection.
• If not set, results are applied to the current data context (single instance).
• When used with 'Clear Existing', the target collection is emptied before new data is added, ensuring only the latest results are present.

Example

To populate a "Line Items" table from an external source:

• Set 'Target Collection' to the "Line Items" Data Table.
• Configure the lookup to return multiple rows matching the table schema.
• Enable 'Clear Existing' if you want to replace all previous line items with the new results.

The 'Clear Existing' property controls whether all existing data in the target table or collection is removed before new lookup results are added.

Purpose

Use this property to ensure that only the latest lookup results are present in the target container, preventing old or duplicate data from persisting.

Configuration

• Set to true to clear all existing entries in the target container before adding new results.
• Set to false to append new results to any existing data.
• This property is only visible and applicable when the 'Target Element' is a collection (such as a table or repeating section).

Impact

• Enabling this option ensures the target contains only the most recent lookup results.
• Disabling allows accumulation of results, which may be useful for audit or multi-source scenarios.

• If set, this value will be shown in UIs and logs instead of the default action type name.
• Useful for providing a user-friendly or context-specific label for the action.

Example:
DisplayName = "Normalize Phone Number"

• Use this property to provide additional context, instructions, or documentation for the action.
• The remarks are visible in property grids and can help clarify the intent or configuration of the action.

Example:
Remarks = "This action trims whitespace and converts the value to uppercase."

This property provides a concise description of what the action does.