Use the doc map feature to navigate among the objects in your doc and understand table connections.
As your docs grow, you may need an easier way to navigate the building blocks quickly. That's where the doc map comes in. The doc map shows you all the tables, views, and other building blocks currently in your doc. You can use it to quickly jump to specific objects and to understand the connections between tables and views in your doc. You can also sort the tables in your doc by size, last modified, row count, and more.
Within this article, you’ll find...
Navigate with the doc map
To access your doc map, just click on the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner of your doc, select Doc settings, then select Doc map.
Here you’ll see a high-level view of all the tables, views, formulas, buttons, and controls in your doc. At the bottom of the doc map, you can also see who last edited the doc and when.
From this list, you can click on any of the objects names, and you will jump right to their location in the doc.
Understand your table connections
At the very top of the doc map, you’ll also see a total count of the number of tables and views in your doc. This is helpful for understanding the size of your doc. But you can also use the doc map to learn even more about your tables and views.
ℹ️ If you need a refresher on tables and views, check out this article.
Your doc map can help you understand how tables and views are connected. In the main view of the doc map, you’ll see a list of all the base tables in your doc. To the right of each table name, you’ll see the number of views that table has. Click on Details to the right of a table name to open up a detailed list of the connected views.
Towards the bottom, you’ll also see any other objects in the doc (tables, controls, automations, formulas, etc.) that reference this table and its views. This is helpful to understand the full web of connected data in your doc.
Sort your tables
Not only can you see a full list of all your tables, you can also sort this list by a few different variables. This allows you to quickly gain insights about the tables in your doc.
When looking at the list of tables, simply click on the sort icon in the upper right corner of the list, and then select which variable you'd like to sort by. Currently, you can sort by any of the following:
Views: The total number of views that each table has
Size: The size, in MB, of the table. This is useful for understanding which tables may be contributing most to your overall doc size.
Last modified: Shows the most recently modified tables at the top. This allows you to understand which tables are frequently used by your team, and which might be stale and no longer needed.
Rows: The total number of rows in that table.
Name: Sort alphabetically by the table name.
Sort your columns
For any given table, you can also sort the columns within that table by several different attributes, including size, references, and rows with values. From the list of tables in the doc map, find the table you want to examine and click on Details. Next to the list of columns, click on the sort icon, and select an attribute from the list. The columns will then be sorted in descending order.
FAQs
Why don't my updates appear in the Last Edited section of the doc map?
If you were offline at the time of edits, your time stamp will not appear. Otherwise, all doc edits should be reflected here.
Who can access the doc map?
Anyone with edit access to the doc can open up and use the doc map.
When should I use the doc map?
So, what does this mean for you? You and any of your doc collaborators can use the doc map to:
Quickly understand a new doc that's been shared with you
Navigate an existing doc easily and efficiently
See the structure of your doc
See who last edited your doc
Troubleshoot views and tables
Understand the implications of your changes
Plan for doc expansion at a glance
See where your table is referenced or utilized in controls and formulas
Compare the sizes of your tables and views
Understand the sizes of columns within your table
Why do I see a table in my doc map that doesn't appear anywhere in my doc?
On rare occasions, you see a table listed in your doc map that you can't find anywhere in your doc. If you click on this table from the doc map, it will not bring you to that table, as that table doesn't "exist" anywhere in your doc.
This is most often due to a glitch when the table was deleted, which prevented the table from being fully deleted from the back end of the doc. To resolve this, click on Details next to the table's name in the doc map. Then click on the vertical three-dot menu in the upper right corner, and select Delete orphaned object. Alternatively, you can choose Restore orphaned object if you'd like this table to be added back to the canvas.
Can I use the doc map to understand which automations, formulas, and buttons reference a given table?
Yes - by exploring the doc map, you can see which other tables, automations, buttons, and formulas reference a given table. To do so, open the doc map, find the table in the list, and click on Details to the right of that table. This will open the detailed panel for that table, including a Referenced by section.
This is especially useful if you are considering deleting a table. If a table is referenced by other tables, automations, buttons, or formulas, then deleting the table would break those other setups.