Project Database
Pivot a project's field tabs to show its linked contacts, companies, tasks, and projects as editable rows - a spreadsheet of records with automatic money-flow rollups and one-click export.
A project starts as a single record with custom fields. The Project Database lets each field tab change what its rows represent. Instead of one row for the project, a tab can show one row per linked contact, company, task, or project, where every cell edits that record directly.
Same project, several lenses. One tab shows the project's own budget and totals. Another lists the customers linked to it, each with their own payment. Another lists the tasks, each with their own effort and status. The data is never copied - a contact's payment lives on the contact and is the same number everywhere - the Project Database simply gives you a focused grid to read and edit it in the context of this project.
This is the same surface as the Project Fields Tab - start there for adding fields, organising tabs, the Cost Summary, and the Field Setup Wizard. This article is about the Show As pivot and working with records as rows.
The Project Database is Pro
Custom fields, the database view, the Show As row sources, rollups, and relationship fields all require Pro. See License Settings.
Link first, then pivot
Rows come from records already linked to the project. Link your contacts, companies, or projects (or let a Field Setup Wizard preset link them for you), then switch a tab's Show As source to see them.
What you can do
Pivot any field tab
to show this project, or one row per linked contact, company, task, or project
Edit each record's own values
a cell on a contact's row updates that contact, not the project
Sort, search, and filter
the rows
Reorder columns
by dragging, with each tab keeping its own order
Read column totals
along the bottom - Sum, Average, Min, Max, or Count, per currency where relevant
Bulk-edit
a field across several selected rows at once
Watch money roll up
record what customers pay or what you pay suppliers and the project totals update themselves
Export the tab
to a spreadsheet in one click, entirely on your computer
Show As: choosing what a tab's rows represent
Every field tab has a Show As setting. Open a tab's menu (on the open tab, or by right-clicking any tab) and choose Show As, then pick the source:
- This project (the default) - one row, the project itself, with your project-scoped fields. This is the classic view; every tab behaves this way until you change it.
- Linked contacts - one row per contact linked to the project, editing each contact's own fields.
- Linked companies - one row per linked company, editing each company's own fields.
- This project's tasks - one row per task in the project, editing each task's own fields.
- Linked projects - one row per other project linked to this one (sub-projects, client projects, dependencies), editing each linked project's fields.
When a tab is set to anything other than the project, the columns automatically narrow to the fields that belong to that kind of record - a contacts tab shows contact-scoped fields, a tasks tab shows task-scoped fields. Fields that don't apply simply don't appear as columns. Nothing is deleted, and switching the source back brings every column into view again.
Where the rows come from
Contacts and companies appear when they're linked to the project. Tasks appear when they belong to it. Projects appear when connected through a relationship field. There's no separate "add to the database" step - link the record and it shows up as a row.
Keep one tab on the project for the totals
Budgets, the Cost Summary, and rolled-up numbers live on the project view. Use entity tabs for per-row detail and the project tab for the big picture.
Editing a record's own values
In an entity tab, every cell belongs to that row's record. Type a contact's payment on their row and it saves to that contact. Open the slide panel from a row and it scopes to that single record, showing only its fields and writing only to it. Each person, company, task, or project's data stays cleanly separated while you work across all of them in one grid - and the same value shows wherever that record appears elsewhere in PrimeTask.
Working with rows like a spreadsheet
When a tab shows records, the table becomes a full spreadsheet, with the familiar controls working across the rows:
- Sort by any column. Click a header to sort, click again to reverse. Empty cells fall to the end.
- Search by name. The box matches the record's name and adapts to what you're viewing - "Search contacts", "Search companies", "Search tasks".
- Filter the rows, including showing only rows that have values filled in.
- Reorder columns by dragging a header. Each tab remembers its own column order, so the same field can sit in different positions on different tabs.
- Read column totals along the bottom. Each footer offers Sum, Average, Min, Max, or Count, and currency columns total per currency.
- Paginate long lists, with a generous default so most projects fit on one page. Your items-per-page choice is remembered.
- Bulk-edit - select several rows, pick a field, set a value, and apply it across the whole selection at once. Totals and selection span every row, not just the page you're on.
Sort by a payment column to see who still owes
Switch a tab to contacts, add a payment field, sort by that column, and the smallest payments rise to the top.
Money that adds itself up
The Project Database is at its strongest with money. Two Field Setup Wizard presets wire the fields, the link, and the rollup in one pass so totals update on their own:
- Pay Schedule - a contract value on the project plus an amount-paid field on your customers. As you record what each customer pays, the project's revenue rises and Remaining to Pay falls.
- Contractor Costs - a contract cost on the project plus an amount-paid field on your suppliers or contractors. As you record what you pay out, the project's expenses rise and your margin updates.
Run a preset from the Fields tab header, link the records, then pivot a tab to that record type and enter the amounts. The Cost Summary on the project view reflects every change automatically. For the financial metrics in depth - Remaining to Pay, percent collected, profit, ROI - see Project Financial Tracking.
A value lives on its record, not on the tab
Editing a contact's payment in a Project Database row edits the contact. The same number appears on the contact's detail page, in any other project they're linked to, and anywhere a rollup reads it. The Project Database is a lens onto shared data, not a separate copy.
Linked projects as rows
A project can list other projects as rows. Add a relationship field on the project, link the related projects (sub-projects, client projects, dependencies), then set a tab's Show As to linked projects. Each linked project becomes a row with its project fields, so you can compare a whole programme of work in one grid. See Relationship Fields & Connections.
Export to a spreadsheet
Any tab exports to a spreadsheet (CSV) in one click from the Fields tab header. The export matches exactly what you're viewing:
- Columns are the visible fields for the tab, in the order you arranged them
- Rows are the records in the tab - the project on the project view, or every linked record on an entity tab
- Values come through cleanly: amounts keep their currency, dates use a standard format, and linked records export by name
Everything runs on your computer - nothing is uploaded - so your data stays yours to open in any spreadsheet tool or hand to an accountant.
Putting it together: common scenarios
Track what each customer has paid
Step 1
From the Fields tab header, run the Field Setup Wizard and pick Pay Schedule.
Step 2
Link your customers to the project (from the project's CRM, or via the relationship field the preset created).
Step 3
Create a tab and set its Show As to linked contacts.
Step 4
Enter each customer's payment on their row. The project's revenue total and Remaining to Pay update on their own.
Manage a roster of contractors or suppliers
Step 1
Run the wizard and pick Contractor Costs.
Step 2
Link your contractors (as contacts or companies) to the project.
Step 3
Set a tab's Show As to that record type and record what you pay each one.
Step 4
The project's expense total rises automatically and the Cost Summary shows your margin against the contract value.
Review every task's data side by side
Step 1
Add task-scoped fields for what you track per task (effort, platform, reviewer, and so on).
Step 2
Set a tab's Show As to this project's tasks.
Step 3
Sort, filter, and read column totals across every task at once, and bulk-edit a field across several tasks in one step.
Compare a programme of linked projects
Step 1
Add a relationship field on the project and link the related projects.
Step 2
Set a tab's Show As to linked projects.
Step 3
Each linked project becomes a row with its project fields, ready to compare in one grid.
Things worth knowing
Rows are linked records, not new ones
The Project Database doesn't create contacts, companies, or projects - it shows the ones already linked to the project. To add a row, link the record (the Field Setup Wizard's money presets can do this for you). To remove a row, unlink the record.
Columns follow the record type
A contacts tab shows contact-scoped fields, a companies tab shows company-scoped fields, and so on. A field only appears as a column when it applies to that record type. Add the field to the right scope from Category Management Settings if a column you expect is missing.
The project view owns the totals
The Cost Summary, task rollups, and the Connections zone appear on the project view, not on entity tabs - entity tabs stay focused on their rows. Switch a tab back to "this project" to see the rolled-up picture.
Changes save automatically
Editing a value in a row or the slide panel saves immediately. There's no Save button.
Common questions
"How do I turn a tab into a list of contacts?"
Open the tab's menu (on the open tab, or by right-clicking it), choose Show As, and pick linked contacts. The tab then shows one row per linked contact, each editing that contact's own fields.
"Nothing shows up after I pivot a tab. Why?"
The rows are the records linked to the project. If a contacts tab is empty, no contacts are linked yet - link them first, or run a Field Setup Wizard money preset that links them for you.
"If I edit a contact here, does it change them everywhere?"
Yes. The value lives on the contact, so it's the same on their detail page and in any other project they're linked to. That's the point - one source of truth, many views.
"Can I export just the customers and their payments?"
Yes - pivot a tab to contacts, add your payment field, and use the export action in the Fields tab header. You get a spreadsheet of who paid what, on your computer.
"Where do I set up the fields and totals?"
On the Project Fields Tab - that article covers adding fields, organising tabs, the Cost Summary, and the Field Setup Wizard. The Project Database is the pivot on top of it.
Where to go next
| If you want to… | Read this |
|---|---|
| Add fields, organise tabs, and read the Cost Summary | Project Fields Tab |
| Track Remaining to Pay, profit, ROI, and burn rate | Project Financial Tracking |
| Scaffold money-flow presets in one pass | Field Setup Wizard |
| Understand per-record custom field values | Custom Fields Overview |
| Link records across entities | Relationship Fields & Connections |
| Work with rollups from child tasks | Rollups & Financial Tracking |
| Return to the Projects hub | Projects Overview |