Pros and cons of using smart sections

Because multiple-record smart sections and query sections (described in "Query sections") are similar in a number of ways, we thought it would be helpful to summarize their differences to help you decide which is most appropriate for a need.

If you need to be able to explicitly add or remove records from a smart section to keep an historical record of what the values of the referenced record were at the time it was added, use a multiple-record smart section. Otherwise, if merely having an association with the containing record is sufficient for inclusion in the section, a query section is usually the better choice.

A multiple-record smart section contains exactly those records that have been put in the section. A query section contains the results of a query.

Users and workflows may explicitly add records to a multiple-record smart section or remove them. There is no explicit add or remove operation for a query section. Records appear in a query section because of the values they contain or the associations they have.

When the content of a multiple-record smart section is to be based on the values or associations of the records it contains, using a query section is the better choice. It results in a simpler and faster application.

If you want to use a field from an associated business object, in a business object's mapping properties (Name, Cost, Quantity, Prefix, or Suffix), you must include it in a single-record smart section that references the associated business object.

Locator fields are similar to fields in smart sections because a locator field's value can be populated with the value of a field from another record. If your situation calls for a need for a live link to the referenced record's most up-to-date value, you may want to use a smart section. Locator fields are beneficial if a record containing a locator field needs to retain the original value of the referenced record as it was when the locator field was populated with the referenced record. Locator fields are discussed in "Locator fields".