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Posted November 09, 2018
A DAT Query allows you to pull data from multiple tables. The Connecting Tables mechanism allows you to connect (join) different tables in your DAT Query. To connect one of the tables in your DAT Query to a new table, navigate to DAT Query - Step 1 (DAT > Queries > Query).

1. Click the [+] icon next to the table you are connecting to.

2. Choose whether you will connect “with” or “with or without”.
    - If you choose “with”, the newly connected table must have data for the original table's record to show up. 
    - If you choose “with or without”, the original table's records will always show; however, the newly connected table might not have any data for a particular record - and those columns are empty.

Example:  Your initial table is students, and you choose to join to actions.  For the actions, you are going to include DAT Field Conditions only for Enrolled actions in 2014/2015.  If you choose “with”, only students who have such an action appear in the result set.  If you choose “with or without”, then all students appear in the result set, but action fields are empty for students who do not have an Enrolled action for 2014/2015.

Note: If you link to a table “with or without”, and additional tables connected to that table will also be linked as “with or without”.

Note: Tables that are connected as “with or without” show as italicized.

Note: It is entirely possible to add the same table multiple times.  Suppose you want to see all your applicants for the 2014/2015 school year.  You also want to see their inquiry action date, apply online date, and copied date.  Many of your inquiry records for the year may or may not have apply online or copied dates.  So, you connect Inquiry Actions to your inquiries three times:   Once for action types of Inquiry for academic year 2014/2015; once for action types of Applicant; once for action types of Copied.  Each of these links would be made with the “with or without” option.
Update

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1 min read · Updated April 26, 2026

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