Choosing the right data-sharing method in Apps

When building sophisticated applications in Kissflow, you'll often need to share data between them. Kissflow offers two powerful methods for this: Component referencing and App-to-app lookup through linking. While both enable data sharing, they are designed for different scenarios.

This guide will help you decide which method is the best fit for you.

At a glance: The key differences

Feature	Component referencing	App-to-app lookup
Primary use	Consume data to visualize and manipulate.	Consume data for read-only purposes.
What is shared?	Views, reports, and workflow steps.	Data fields.
Use case	Embedding a live sales report in a management dashboard.	Looking up employee details for a leave request.
Data flow	Two-way read and write.	One-way data lookup.
Best for	Complex, interactive workflows spanning multiple apps.	Maintaining a single source of truth for data.

Which method should you use?

To find the right method for your use case, answer the questions below.

What is your primary goal?

A) To look up and refer data from one application into a form in another application.
If this is your goal, you want to avoid duplicating data and ensure a single source of truth is maintained. For example, you have a Clients app and want to select a client in a Projects app without duplicating all the client details.

Your likely answer is: App-to-App lookup. Go to the second question to confirm.
 

B) To consume, manipulate, and visualize the data used in the components of another application.
If you need to embed a live view, report, or even trigger a process from another app, this is your path. For instance, you want to show a real-time inventory report from your "Inventory" app inside your "Sales" app.

Your answer is: Component referencing.

Where do you want to use the data?

• For app-to-app lookups, add a Lookup step within the Process.
   

• For component referencing, use the Page builder to add views, forms, reports, or workflow steps.

Summary and examples

App-to-app lookup

• You want to maintain a master list of data (for example, employees, products, customers) and reference it in other applications.

• You need to populate fields in a form with data from another app.

Example: A Leave management application looks up employee details (name, department, manager) from the Employee Management application.

Component referencing

• You want to embed a live, interactive report or data view from one app into another.

• You need to allow users to initiate or act on workflow steps from a different application.

• You are building a complex, integrated solution that involves multiple applications working together in real-time.

Example: A manager in a Project management app can view a real-time report of team availability from the HR app and approve leave requests without leaving the project view.

By following this guide, you can confidently choose the right data-sharing method in Kissflow and build more efficient and powerful applications.