🔄 CRUD Operations — The Four Basic Operations

Create, Read, Update, Delete: everything you can do with data

What Is CRUD?

CRUD is an acronym for the four basic operations on any data:

Operation	What It Means	What You Do
Create	Add a new record	☰ Actions → Create New, fill form, save
Read	View existing records	Open table, sort, filter, view details
Update	Change existing data	Select row, ☰ Actions → Edit, modify, save
Delete	Remove a record	Select row, ☰ Actions → Delete, confirm

Every application does these four things. This one is no different.

C — Create (Add Records)

How It Works

1. ☰ Actions → Create New
        ↓
2. Form opens in a popup window, fields empty
        ↓
3. You fill in information
        ↓
4. Click [Save]
        ↓
5. Popup closes, new record appears in table

Step by Step

1. Start the form

[☰ ▼] ← Open the Actions menu above the table
  └─ ➕ Create New  ← Click this

2. See the empty form

Field Name *
[_________________________]

Another Field
[_________________________]

[Save] [Cancel]

3. Fill in your information

Field Name * ← Required (must fill)
[John Smith_______________]

Another Field ← Optional
[Extra info________________]

4. Click Save

[Save] ← Click
[Cancel]

5. Your record is created

The popup closes itself and the new record appears in the table:
ID | Name | Info
1  | John | ...   ← Your new record

Important Notes

Required fields (red *): Must be filled in before saving
Optional fields: Can be left blank
Validation: Form checks that information is correct format
Confirmation: You see success message after saving

R — Read (View Records)

How It Works

1. Open the application
        ↓
2. See table with all records
        ↓
3. Scroll, search, or filter
        ↓
4. Click a record for details

Different Ways to Read

View all records in a table

┌────┬──────────┬──────────┬────────┐
│ ID │ Name     │ Email    │ Status │
├────┼──────────┼──────────┼────────┤
│ 1  │ John     │ john@... │ Active │
│ 2  │ Jane     │ jane@... │ Pending│
│ 3  │ Bob      │ bob@...  │ Active │
└────┴──────────┴──────────┴────────┘

Search for a specific record

☰ Actions → Filters
Quick Search: [John........]  ← searches across all fields
Click [✓ Apply]
→ Table shows only matching records

View relationships (parent → child)

Parent Record (selected)
  ↓
Child Records appear below (automatically)

View details of one record

Click the record's row (it highlights)
☰ Actions → View → Inline, Modal, or Slider
Details view:
  Field 1: Value
  Field 2: Value
  Field 3: Value

Important Notes

Table view: See all records at once; click column headings to sort
Search: ☰ Actions → Filters finds specific records quickly
Pagination: If many records, navigate pages at the bottom
Details view: Select a record, then ☰ Actions → View
Relationships: Related records show below the selected parent, in tabs

U — Update (Edit Records)

How It Works

1. Find the record and click its row to select it
        ↓
2. ☰ Actions → Edit
        ↓
3. Form opens in a popup with current information
        ↓
4. Change what you need to change
        ↓
5. Click [Save]
        ↓
6. Popup closes, changes are saved

Step by Step

1. Find your record and select it

Search via ☰ Actions → Filters if needed, then
click the record's row — it highlights:
ID | Name
1  | John   ← selected (highlighted)

2. Open ☰ Actions → Edit

[☰ ▼]
  ...
  SELECTED RECORD
  ✏️ Edit    ← Click (only shown when a row is selected)
  🗑️ Delete

3. Form shows current information

Name
[John Smith____________]  ← Current value

Email
[john@example.com______]  ← Current value

Status
[Active ▼]             ← Current value

4. Change what you need

Name
[Jane Smith____________]  ← Changed

Email
[jane@example.com_____]  ← Changed

Status
[Inactive ▼]           ← Changed

5. Click Save

[Save] ← Click to apply changes
[Cancel]

6. Changes appear immediately

ID | Name | Email | Status
1  | Jane | jane@ | Inactive ← Updated!

Important Notes

Only change what's needed — Leave other fields as they are
Required fields still required — Can't delete data from required fields
Validation applies — Changes must still be valid format
Confirmation: You see updated record immediately
No version history — Only latest version is kept (old version lost)

D — Delete (Remove Records)

How It Works

1. Find the record and click its row to select it
        ↓
2. ☰ Actions → Delete
        ↓
3. Confirmation dialog appears
        ↓
4. Confirm
        ↓
5. Record is removed from view (soft-deleted)

Step by Step

1. Find your record and select it

ID | Name
1  | John   ← click the row so it highlights

Then open ☰ Actions → Delete (in the "Selected Record" section).

2. Confirmation dialog appears

┌──────────────────────────────────┐
│ Are you sure?                    │
│ This will delete "John Smith"    │
│ This action cannot be undone     │
│                                  │
│ [Confirm Delete] [Cancel]        │
└──────────────────────────────────┘

3. Click Confirm Delete

[Confirm Delete] ← Click to remove

4. Record is removed

Before:
ID | Name | Status
1  | John | Active
2  | Jane | Inactive

After Delete:
ID | Name | Status
2  | Jane | Inactive  ← John is gone

Important Notes

Confirmation required — You must confirm before deleting
Soft delete — Record is marked deleted (kept in database for safety)
Not truly removed — You can restore it yourself: in ☰ Actions → Filters, tick Include soft-deleted records, apply, select the deleted record, then ☰ Actions → Restore
Relationships — Deleting a parent might affect children (ask admin)

⚠️ Be Careful

Double-check before confirming — Make sure it's the right record
Consider children — If deleting a parent, check if children are affected
Ask if unsure — Check with your administrator before deleting important records

The Four Operations in Practice

Example: Managing a Contact List

CREATE: Add a new contact

☰ Actions → Create New
Name: Jane Smith
Email: jane@example.com
Phone: 555-1234
Click [Save]
→ Popup closes, Jane appears in your contact list

READ: Find a contact

☰ Actions → Filters → Quick Search: "Jane" → ✓ Apply
→ Table shows Jane Smith
Click her row, then ☰ Actions → View
→ See all her details

UPDATE: Change information

Click Jane's row to select it
☰ Actions → Edit
Email: jane.smith@newcompany.com (changed)
Phone: 555-5678 (changed)
Click [Save]
→ Jane's information is updated

DELETE: Remove a contact

Click Jane's row to select it
☰ Actions → Delete
Confirm in the dialog
→ Jane is removed from the contact list

Common Workflows

Workflow 1: Add a New Record with Relationships

1. Click a Parent row (READ) — its related tabs load below
2. In the child tab: ☰ Actions → Create New (CREATE)
3. Fill in child information (the parent link is pre-filled)
4. Save
→ New child appears under the parent

Workflow 2: Correct Incorrect Information

1. Find the record via ☰ Actions → Filters (READ)
2. Click its row, then ☰ Actions → Edit (UPDATE form appears)
3. Change the incorrect field
4. Click [Save]
→ Information is corrected

Workflow 3: Clean Up Old Records

1. Find old records via ☰ Actions → Filters (READ)
2. Click a row to select it
3. ☰ Actions → Delete (DELETE), confirm
4. Repeat for each record
→ Old records are removed (and restorable if needed)

Why These Four Operations Matter

Create: Get new data into the system
Read: Find and see the data you need
Update: Keep information accurate and current
Delete: Remove data that's no longer needed

Every application you use does these four things. Once you understand CRUD, you understand how to use most applications.

Next Steps

Learn about forms: Forms & Validation
Learn about field types: covered in Forms & Validation
Learn about relationships: Hierarchical Navigation

Key Takeaway: Every data operation is one of these four. Learn CRUD and you can use any application like this one.