As part of yesterday’s update to support complex relationships between data types in Fulcrum, we also added another new powerful capability that makes offline fieldwork even easier for teams.
Offline editing of forms and data presents a challenge with multi-user organizations, particularly in environments when field staff are working closely together as a group. Previously in Fulcrum, if two users edited the same record at the same time offline (even different fields on the same record), then each synced their changes, the last one to sync would take precedence–similar to how a word processing document on a network drive would behave if two users made simultaneous changes. We aimed to make multi-user collaboration much more powerful in with “auto-merge” support.
With this latest update, when multiple users make changes to different areas of the same record and sync independently, Fulcrum will merge the results into a finished copy containing all of the changes. Combining this new capability with one-to-many sub-records, this enables powerful new workflows that were not previously possible.
How auto-merge works
Let’s walk through an example of how auto-merge works.
Certain building inspections require inspectors to visit each room to conduct safety audits, check fire protection, or inspect utilities. Large commercial buildings may have hundreds of rooms, making it difficult for one person to complete an inspection alone. Splitting the workload among two or three inspectors allows teams to finish audits faster and more efficiently.
A customized Fulcrum app enables inspectors to design surveys using repeatable fields to create subtypes for floors and rooms. Each inspector can inspect a different floor, ensuring complete coverage without duplication or missed areas. When inspectors sync their data, all collected information merges into a single, finalized building inspection report. This streamlined process saves time and improves the accuracy of recorded data.
Teams can apply this method to census surveys, property inspections, park asset inventories, and countless other data collection needs. Auto-merging functionality makes fieldwork easier, improving reliability and data integrity while maintaining an intuitive mobile experience.