Joins and Relates
Joins and relates describe logical relationships between different attribute tables. In iXGIS, they are mainly implemented through two methods: join and relate.
Join
A join is usually used for a one-to-one or many-to-one relationship. It physically appends fields from an external table to the attribute table of the target layer, so the result looks like one expanded table.
Common scenario: you have a province layer and want to attach population data from an Excel table.
To create a join:
- In the project management panel, open the options menu for the target layer.
- Select Open attribute table.
- In the top toolbar of the attribute table, open Table.
- On the tab bar, select Join.
- Choose the common field in the input table and the matching field in the join table, then apply the settings.
Relate
A relate is usually used for a one-to-many or many-to-many relationship. It does not merge fields into one table. Instead, it creates a dynamic query link between two tables. When you select a record in the primary table, iXGIS can find the corresponding records in the related table.
Common scenario: one parcel record in the primary table corresponds to multiple historical monitoring records in a related table.
To create a relate:
- In the project management panel, open the options menu for the target layer.
- Select Open attribute table.
- In the top toolbar of the attribute table, open Table.
- On the tab bar, select Relate.
- Choose the source field and the related table field, then apply the settings.
After adding a relate, select records in the primary table and use the related data view in the attribute table to inspect matching records from the related table.
Join or Relate
| Method | Typical relationship | Table update | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Join | One-to-one or many-to-one | Adds fields from the join table to the input table | Appending attributes such as population, codes, or statistics |
| Relate | One-to-many or many-to-many | Does not add fields; creates a query relationship | Viewing multiple related records such as monitoring history or inspection logs |