How to Associate Opportunities, Companies, and Custom Objects

By Sparkforge Support Team ·Last reviewed May 3, 2026

Associations connect Opportunities, Companies, and Custom Objects so you can mirror real business relationships and view linked records from any side. One-to-one through many-to-many is supported.

Associations let you link records across object types so the CRM mirrors how your business actually works. Connect a deal to its company and to the property or policy it is about, then view all of it from any record.

What you can link

  • Opportunities to Custom Objects
  • Companies to Custom Objects
  • Companies to Opportunities

Relationship cardinality: one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-one, and many-to-many.

Create an association

  1. Open Settings > Custom Objects > [Your Object].
  2. Click the Associations tab.
  3. Click Create Association.
  4. Pick the object to associate with (Opportunities or Companies).
  5. Name the association. Use a single label like Deal, or a pair like Buyer / Seller.
  6. Choose the relationship type: One-to-One, One-to-Many, Many-to-One, or Many-to-Many.
  7. Optionally set a record limit (up to 1,000 per side).
  8. Review the preview and click Save.

Link records from a record page

From an Opportunity

  1. Open the Opportunity.
  2. Open Associated Objects.
  3. Click + Associate.
  4. Pick a Company or Custom Object record.

From a Company

  1. Open the Company.
  2. Open Associations or Related Objects.
  3. Link Opportunities or Custom Objects.

From a Custom Object

  1. Open the Custom Object record.
  2. Add associated Opportunities or Companies.

Where associations show up

  • Record details: All linked records appear in the Associated Objects panel. Click any to open it in a side panel.
  • Kanban view: In Opportunities, open Manage Fields and add Association Label to cards.
  • List view: Add association fields as columns for filtering, bulk actions, and exports.

Limits and behavior

  • Up to 10 association labels per object pair.
  • Up to 1,000 linked records per side per label.
  • Deleting a record automatically removes its associations.
  • Renaming a label changes only the display; existing associations stay intact.
  • Bulk import of associations is not yet supported.
  • API and automation support is on the roadmap.

Example use cases

  • Real estate: Link Properties (Custom Object) to Opportunities and Companies to track buyers, listings, and brokerages in one view.
  • Events: Connect Events (Custom Object) to Companies and Sponsorship Opportunities.
  • Insurance: Tie Policies or Quotes (Custom Object) to Opportunities and Companies for full lifecycle tracking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I cap how many records can be linked through an association?
Yes. Pick One-to-One for a hard cap of one, or set a custom record limit up to 1,000 per side.
If I rename an association label, will existing links break?
No. Only the display label changes. Existing associations stay intact.
Can I bulk import associations from a CSV?
Not yet. For now, associations must be created from record pages or via Create Association in settings.
Can I use association data in reports and exports?
Yes. Add association fields via Manage Fields to include them in reports, list view columns, and exports.
What happens to associations when a record is deleted?
They are removed automatically. The other side of the association no longer shows the deleted record.

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