# Lookup Field in Baserow: Display Data from Linked Rows

> Configure a Lookup field to mirror a value from a linked table automatically, learn why it stays read-only, and how chaining across tables works.

Source: https://opennix.org/en/docs/baserow/field-types/lookup-field/


A Lookup field automatically pulls and displays a specific piece of data from a linked row - a customer's email address, say - without any manual copying; this article covers how the field differs from a Link to table field and a Rollup field, how to create one, and how to read looked-up values across a chain of tables.

![Creating a Lookup field in Baserow](/images/baserow/field-types/lookup-field-configure-new-field.jpg)

## What a Lookup field is

A Lookup field works on top of an existing [Link to table field](/docs/baserow/field-types/link-to-table-field/). While the link field creates the relationship between rows, the Lookup field pulls in and displays a specific piece of data from the linked row, such as a customer's email address stored in another table.

A key feature of Lookup fields is that they are read-only. You cannot edit the data in a Lookup field directly. To change the value, go to the original row - for example by clicking the link in the Link to table field - and edit the data in its own cell.

For details on setting a description, filtering, and sorting by a Lookup field, see [Field Configuration](/docs/baserow/fields/field-customization/).

## How to create a Lookup field

### Prerequisite

You need an existing [Link to table field](/docs/baserow/field-types/link-to-table-field/) in the table before you can create a Lookup field.

### Steps

1. In the table, click the `+` icon to [add a new field](/docs/baserow/fields/adding-a-field/).
2. Select **Lookup** from the field type dropdown.
3. In the configuration panel, set two options:
   - **Link row field**: pick the [Link to table field](/docs/baserow/field-types/link-to-table-field/) you want to use for the lookup;
   - **Field to lookup**: pick the specific field from the linked table that you want to display.
4. Click **Create**.

The new field is populated immediately with data from the linked rows and stays read-only from then on.

### Example: customers and orders

This field is the perfect way to avoid re-typing data and reduce errors. Say there are two tables:

1. **Customers**: holds "Customer Name", "Email", and "Address" fields.
2. **Orders**: holds "Order ID", "Order Date", and a [Link to table field](/docs/baserow/field-types/link-to-table-field/) called "[Link] Customer".

**Goal:** show the customer's "Email" and "Address" directly on the Orders table without copying and pasting them manually.

**Solution:** on the Orders table, create two Lookup fields:

- **Lookup 1 (Email)**: looks at the "[Link] Customer" field and pulls the "Email" field;
- **Lookup 2 (Address)**: also looks at the "[Link] Customer" field and pulls the "Address" field.

Now, linking an order to a customer automatically populates their email and address on the Orders table. If the customer's address changes on the Customers table, the change propagates to Orders automatically.

## Frequently asked questions

**What's the difference between Link to table, Lookup, and Rollup?** This is a common question, and all three work together: [Link to table](/docs/baserow/field-types/link-to-table-field/) is the first step - it creates the relationship between rows, for example linking an order to a customer; Lookup displays a specific piece of data from the linked row, such as a customer's email, and is read-only; [Rollup](/docs/baserow/field-types/rollup-field/) runs a calculation across the linked rows, such as counting a customer's orders or summing the amount they spent.

**Why can't a Lookup field be edited?** It is read-only by design - it is simply a window that displays data from another table. To change the value in a Lookup field, edit the original data in the linked row instead.

**Can I look up a value from another Lookup field?** Yes. If table B has a Lookup field pulling data from table C, table A can link to table B and look up the value from that Lookup field. Lookups can be chained together across several tables.

## What's next

Read up on the [Link to table field](/docs/baserow/field-types/link-to-table-field/) to see how relationships between tables are built, and the [Rollup field](/docs/baserow/field-types/rollup-field/) for running calculations across linked rows instead of just displaying a value. The [Count field](/docs/baserow/field-types/count-field/) covers counting linked rows, [Field Types Overview](/docs/baserow/fields/baserow-field-overview/) compares Lookup against every other computed field type, and [Field Configuration](/docs/baserow/fields/field-customization/) covers sorting and filtering by looked-up values.