Auto-Create Records from Submissions

Auto-Create Records from Submissions

NexusRMS can automatically create database records when a form is submitted. This eliminates manual data entry and ensures that leads, booking requests, and vendor applications flow directly into your system the moment they arrive.

How It Works

When a visitor submits a form, the auto-create feature maps form field values to record fields in your database and creates the appropriate record instantly. The created record is then linked back to the original submission for full traceability.

Supported Record Types

Record Type	Use Case
Client	Lead capture — automatically create a client record from contact forms
Project	Booking requests — create a project from event enquiry forms
Equipment	Inventory intake — add equipment records from registration forms
Supplier	Vendor applications — create supplier records from application forms

Setting Up a Mapping

The FormRecordMapping model links individual form fields to the corresponding fields on the target record. Follow these steps to configure a mapping.

1. Open the form settings and navigate to the Auto-Create tab
2. Select the target record type (Client, Project, Equipment, or Supplier)
3. Map each form field to the corresponding record field
4. Set default values for any record fields that are not mapped to a form field
5. Save the mapping configuration

Field Transformations

Transformations clean and format field data before it is written to the database record. Apply one or more transformations to each mapped field.

• lowercase — converts the value to all lowercase characters
• uppercase — converts the value to all uppercase characters
• trim — removes leading and trailing whitespace
• parse_date — converts a date string into the standard database format
• parse_phone — normalises a phone number to a consistent format
• parse_email — validates and normalises an email address

Duplicate Detection

When a submission matches an existing record, NexusRMS uses one of four strategies to handle the conflict. Configure the strategy per mapping to suit your workflow.

Strategy	Behaviour
skip	Ignore the submission and do not create a duplicate record
update	Merge the new data into the existing record
error	Fail the submission and display an error to the visitor
create_anyway	Create a new record regardless of duplicates

Conditional Auto-Create

You can restrict auto-creation so that records are only generated when specific conditions are met. This uses the same conditional logic system available throughout the form builder. For example, only create a project record when the submitter selects "Equipment Hire" as the enquiry type.

Tracking & Linking

Each mapping tracks its activity with a total_created count and a last_created_at timestamp. When a record is created, its ID is stored on the submission for direct linking.

• created_lead_id — links to the auto-created lead record
• created_project_id — links to the auto-created project record
• created_client_id — links to the auto-created client record

Common Use Cases

• Contact form — auto-create a client record with name, email, and phone number
• Booking form — auto-create a project with event details, dates, and requirements
• Vendor application — auto-create a supplier record with company details and certifications

Tips for Auto-Create

• Use duplicate detection to prevent creating multiple records for the same person or organisation
• Set sensible default values for unmapped fields so records are complete from the start
• Apply the trim transformation to text fields to keep data clean
• Use conditional auto-create to avoid generating records from irrelevant submissions
• Review the total_created count periodically to confirm the feature is working as expected