Our team uses a template for a specific project type. We link the project boards to an overview board. Each project template has around 200 main tasks. We link all the tasks to an overview board which has a single line item for each project. Using the Connect Boards column requires us to select each individual task from the project board. Having a “Select All” function would save a lot of time clicking through these items.
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Hi Ben,
One alternative would be to structure this as a two-way connection. That way you can select all the task items and then link them all to the project item at once.
Does this help?
You may have a reason for not using a two-way connection here, but in most cases, that would be what I recommend.
Having said that, more options when linking as you suggest would also be very welcome!
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Hi Francis,
I have tried this again to ensure a 2 way connection and the Overview board (single record per project) still requires me to select all tasks in the new project board.
Hi Ben,
My suggestion is to go on the tasks board and select all tasks there (using monday.com’s multi select function). Then with all those tasks selected, you can use the two way connection column to connect just one of those items to the project board (overview). This will connect all of those items to that project item.
Does that make sense?
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Hi Francis,
Yes, I am following and was able to test as you have described.
The issue I see here though is a new column is added to the Overview Board when I connect a detail board.
When I ran a second test it added a second connection column to the Overview Board.
Is there a way around that?
Unfortunately, a two way connection cannot be created from an existing connection. So you will need to relink all your items if you want to use this solution.
Fortunately, it’ll be a lot quicker this time!
The alternative is to play around with the connection automations:
Or to engage a third party tool like make.com in order to automate this process somehow (or have someone do it for you).
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I just want to make sure we’re on the same page for this example.
The Overview Board has 1 line per project.
I am trying to get a singular connection column that will allow us to rollup detail board data.
Detail Boards are where we actually manage our projects with line items.
I created 2 test Detail Boards.
On each board I added a Connect column.
When I connected the 1st Detail Board to the Overview board (2 way connection) a new column was added on the Overview Board named “Link to Test 1”.
When I connected the 2nd Detail Board to the Overview board (2 way connection) a new column was added on the Overview Board named “Link to Test 2”
Ideally I would like for a singular connection column to be on the Overview board as we will have over 100 projects running at one time and that mane columns would be very difficult to manage.
Ah I see. I’d usually recommend keeping your “Detail” board items in a single board. You can use the connection as the separator to create views or dashboards for slicing and seeing only tasks for specific projects.
You’ll run into problems when you want to use mirrored status columns as triggers from columns that source from multiple boards.
However, what you’re trying to achieve can be done. You just need to do it from the Overview board. Connect from the overview board to the detail boards and you can have a two-way, multi-board connection. Hope that helps!
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I think we’re on the same page now.
I have been doing what you just recommended here, Francis. Using a 2 way connection from the Overview Board to the corresponding Project board, but it leads me back to the main request.
Having to click through so many tasks to roll up on the Overview board gets very tedious and a “Select All” button would eliminate the headache of this.
Hi Ben,
Seems like we’re going round in circles a bit here.
I’ve created a video to illustrate a way to use the two-way connection.
Perhaps something will click here. Let me know if I’m off base.
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Hi Francis,
For some reason the video is not playing.
Can you try to reupload it?
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How is this?
Hi Francis,
I recorded a short video showing how my tests have gone and to highlight how a new column is added to our Overview board when connecting a Detail board to it each time.
Let me know if this video works and if there is something I am overlooking here.
Thanks again,
Hi Ben,
Please refer to this reply.
I can see you’re going onto the Detail board and connecting to the Overview board. I’m saying do it the other way around. Go to the Overview board and create two way connections to the Detail boards. This will allow you to connect to both boards via the same column.
Then you can use that two way connection to connect the items on the Detail board to the item on the Overview board.
i.e.: Connect the boards from the Overview board. Connect the items from the Detail boards.
Additionally, I would reiterate that my recommendation would be to keep all detail tasks in a single board. But this is not relevant to the solution above. Especially if you’re planning on having ~100 projects running simultaneously.
Hi @bmauch ,
I did something similar. I created an overview board and multiple boards for each project.
First I created a template for the details, on this board you can create the 2-way connection with the Overview board.
Once you create a new project from this template, the connect board column will add the new connection to the column on the overview board.
Then to link all task you have to go to the detail board, select all tasks (up to 500) and link it to the related task on the overview board.
But as @FrancisElliott said before, you will run into problems with the mirror columns
I created a video with an example: