Actions - Primary & Secondary Linking

Link an Action to Multiple Records

How to link an action to one or more records using primary and secondary links

Contents

• 1. Introduction & Context
• 2. Key Features & Functions
• 3. Requirements
• 4. Step-by-Step Guide
• 5. Common Issues & Troubleshooting
• 6. Related Articles

1. Introduction & Context

Linking lets you connect a single action to one or more records across the Clew Platform, so the action shows up against every record it relates to and your team can see the full picture in one place.

There are two types of link:

• Primary: a single link to the original record the action was created from. An action can only ever have one primary link.
• Secondary: one or more links to other records that are relevant to the action or that the action applies to. You can add as many secondary links as you need.

Who is it for? Any user who works with actions and needs to associate them with related records, such as risks, controls, or obligations, across different modules.

What does it impact? Linking changes how an action is connected to your records. Because an action can hold only one primary link, applying a new primary link replaces the existing one. Secondary links can be added freely without affecting the primary link.

2. Key Features & Functions

• Primary link: keeps a single, clear connection back to the record the action originated from.
• Secondary links: connect the action to any number of additional records that are relevant to it.
• Multi-module linking: link an action to records in different modules, for example Risk, one module at a time, repeating the process for each.
• Bulk selection: pick multiple records within a module in a single pass before confirming the links.

3. Requirements

• You need permission to update the action you wish to link to other records.
• You need permission to update the records you are aiming to link the action to.
• Because an action can have only a single primary link, applying a new primary link replaces the existing one. Take care when using the primary link type.

4. Step-by-Step Guide

Linking an action to multiple records

1. Navigate to the action you want to link.
2. Once the action loads, click the Link button at the top of the platform.

The Link button at the top of the platform.

3. This opens the link pop-up box.

The link pop-up box.

4. Select the module you want to link first, for example Risk. The Link Type field then appears. Select Secondary. This loads the record selector for that module, where you can select as many records as needed. In this example, three risks are selected.

Selecting the Risk module, choosing the Secondary link type, and picking three risks.

5. Click Link once you are ready to establish the links.
6. Repeat these steps with any other module available and with as many records as you need.

5. Common Issues & Troubleshooting

Best practices:

• Use the primary link only for the single record the action genuinely originates from.
• Use secondary links for every other relevant record, so you never overwrite the primary link by accident.
• Link one module at a time and confirm each set of links before moving on to the next module.
• Review the action's links after saving to confirm every intended record is connected.

6. Related Articles

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