Which is better, virtual columns or separate view?

AppSheet AppSheet Q&A
1

Hello

I am working on an inventory app. One of my primary views is to add stock to inventory. The way I have it set up now is when someone enters the product number on the primary view, the product name and the product size appear below the product number. I did this by creating 2 virtual columns with SELECT formulas to pull the data.

My question is is this the best way to do it as far as speed is concerned? Would it be better to have a separate view triggered once the product number is entered, and on that separate view one could see the product name, size, etc. and the user could input the quantity on that view.

Thank you

2

In general, virtual columns that involve SELECT() or LOOKUP() expressions are likely to hurt performance, with the hurt growing as you data does. Instead, you might be able to use normal columns.

As for whether to display the additional information on the same or a different view, that’s probably more a question of user experience than performance.

2 Likes