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Records are the individual data entries that live inside your Apps and Elements. Elementum provides several ways to create records depending on whether you need manual input, automated processing, or high-volume data ingestion.

Create Record Button

Manually create records from the UI with a single click

Forms

Capture structured input through custom create forms

Automations

Automatically generate records in response to system events

Agents

Let AI Agents create records during conversations and tasks

Bulk Import

Import large volumes of records from spreadsheets and files

API

Create records programmatically through the REST API

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Create Record Button

The most direct way to create a record is through the Create Record button available in the toolbar of any App or Element view. Clicking this button opens the create form configured for that object, allowing you to fill in field values and save a new record. You can also place a Create Record Button widget on a record’s detail page. This allows users to create a new related record directly from the context of an existing one, linking the two records automatically. To configure a Create Record Button on a detail page:
  1. Navigate to the record detail layout settings
  2. Add a Button Widget and select Create Record
  3. Choose the target object (App, Element, or Task)
  4. Customize the button name, icon, and style
  5. Save the layout
The Create Record Button on detail pages pre-populates the relationship to the parent record, so users don’t need to manually link the new record back.
For more on configuring buttons and related items on detail pages, see Showing Relationships.

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Create Button in Layouts

The Create Button field type can be added to Layouts to provide a dedicated action trigger for record creation within specific views. This is useful when you want to surface record creation in a particular context or workflow stage.

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Forms

The Create Form Builder provides a drag-and-drop interface for designing custom record creation forms. Forms give you control over which fields users see, how they are organized, and what validation is required when creating a new record.

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How Forms Work

When a user clicks the Create Record button, the system presents the create form configured for that App or Element. The form determines:
  • Which fields appear and in what order
  • Which fields are required before the record can be saved
  • Default values that pre-populate automatically
  • Validation rules that enforce data quality at the point of entry
  • Conditional logic that shows or hides fields based on other selections

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Designing a Create Form

  1. Navigate to Apps → Create Form Builder
  2. Add sections to organize related fields (e.g., “Basic Information”, “Details”)
  3. Drag fields from the field library into sections
  4. Configure field properties such as required, helper text, and defaults
  5. Preview the form to verify the user experience
  6. Save and publish
Place required fields at the top of your form and group related fields together. This helps users complete record creation quickly and with fewer errors.

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Integration with Workflows

Records created through forms can automatically trigger downstream processes:
  • Automations fire on the Record is Created trigger
  • Approval processes route the new record for review
  • Notifications alert relevant team members
  • Assignment rules assign ownership based on record data

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Automations

The Automation System can create records automatically in response to system events using the Create Record action. This eliminates manual data entry for repetitive processes and ensures records are created consistently.

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How It Works

Automations follow a trigger → action model. When a triggering event occurs, the automation executes a sequence of actions that can include creating one or more records with pre-defined field values. 
Trigger Event → Evaluate Conditions → Create Record → Continue Workflow

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Common Triggers for Record Creation

TriggerUse Case
Email ReceivedCreate a support ticket from an incoming email
Record is CreatedGenerate related records when a parent record is added (e.g., onboarding tasks for a new customer)
Record is UpdatedCreate a follow-up record when a field changes to a specific value
Attachment is AddedProcess an uploaded document and create a record from its contents
On-DemandCreate records when a user clicks an Automation Button
SurveyGenerate records from submitted survey responses

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Configuring the Create Record Action

  1. Open an automation in your App
  2. Add a Create Record action to your automation
  3. Select the target object (App, Element, or Task)
  4. Map field values using variables from the trigger, prior actions, or static values
  5. Save the automation
The Create Record action outputs the new record’s ID and field values, which can be referenced by subsequent actions in the same automation using the new_record.record_id variable.
For a full list of available actions, see the Actions Reference. For trigger details, see the Triggers Reference.

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Example: Support Ticket from Email

Email Received
  → Search Records (find existing customer)
  → Create Record (Support Ticket)
      - Title: email.subject
      - Description: email.body
      - Customer: search_result.record_id
      - Priority: "Medium"
  → AI Classification (set priority based on content)
  → Make Assignment (route to appropriate agent)
  → Send Email Notification (confirm receipt)

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Agents

AI Agents can create records as part of their interactions with users. Agents use the Create Record Tool to add new records during conversations across channels like Microsoft Teams, Slack, and phone.

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Create Record Tool

The Create Record Tool is configured within an Agent’s toolset and allows the Agent to create records in a specified App, Element, or Task based on information gathered during a conversation. To configure the Create Record Tool for an Agent:
  1. Open the Agent’s configuration and navigate to Tools
  2. Add a Create Record tool
  3. Provide a name and description so the Agent understands when to use it
  4. Set the Tool Start Message (what the Agent says when it begins creating the record)
  5. Choose the Run As mode to determine whose permissions are used
  6. Select the target App, Element, or Task
  7. Define required fields and optional fields with descriptions to guide the Agent
  8. Choose which return fields are sent back to the Agent after creation
Field descriptions are important — they help the Agent understand what information to collect from the user before creating the record. For example, a “Priority” field description might say “The urgency level: Low, Medium, High, or Critical.”

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Automatic Record Creation via Integrations

Some Agent integrations create records automatically when conversations begin:
  • Microsoft Teams: When a user starts a conversation with an Agent in Teams, a record is automatically created with user information, conversation metadata, and Teams context. See Teams Integration.
  • Slack (Full Conversations mode): In Full Conversations mode, a record is created when a Slack conversation starts, capturing user info and channel context. Quick Answers mode does not create records. See Slack Integration.

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Bulk Import

When you need to create many records at once, Elementum supports bulk import through file-based processing and direct data upload.

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Bulk Import on Apps and Elements

You can import records directly into an App or Element by uploading a spreadsheet file. The platform maps columns in your file to fields in the target object and creates records for each row.
For Snowflake-backed objects, the Snowflake role associated with the connection must have CREATE and UPDATE permissions on the underlying table. Missing permissions can cause silent import failures. See Troubleshooting for details.

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File Reader Automations

For more control over the import process, use File Readers within automations. The Table File Reader processes Excel and CSV files row by row, allowing you to transform, validate, and deduplicate data before creating records. Example: Bulk Import Workflow 
Attachment Added (Excel file)
  → Table File Reader (extract rows)
  → Repeat For Each row:
      → Transform Data (format fields)
      → Search Records (check for duplicates)
      → IF no match found:
          → Create Record (new entry)
        OTHERWISE:
          → Update Record (merge data)
  → Send Email Notification (import summary)
This approach gives you the ability to handle deduplication, data transformation, and error handling as part of the import process.

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API

For programmatic record creation, the Elementum REST API provides a dedicated endpoint to create records in Apps, Elements, and Tasks. 
POST /{recordType}/{alias}
The API is useful for integrating external systems, building custom applications, or scripting batch operations. See the Create a Record endpoint documentation for request format and authentication details.

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Choosing the Right Method

MethodBest For
Create Record ButtonOne-off manual record creation by users
FormsStructured manual entry with validation and guided input
AutomationsEvent-driven record creation without user intervention
AgentsConversational record creation via Teams, Slack, or phone
Bulk ImportLoading large datasets from spreadsheets or external files
APISystem-to-system integration and programmatic creation