Multiple cases in your system may be related or connected incidents. You can indicate a connection between two cases by linking them. There are three methods to link cases in Case IQ:

1. Manual links are added directly by a user.
2. Suggested links are automatically generated recommendations by the system to users, based on similarities between the cases' records, like their parties, notes, and to-dos. However, a user must confirm the suggestion before the cases are linked.
3. Similar to manual links, automatic links are added directly by a user. However, the user selects the case to link using a "Case Selection" field when adding or editing a case.

You can review all the case's links from the Links tab on a case's page. The Cases sub-tab will be select by default. 

You can create links between other record types in Case IQ as well. See the Link a Case's Records article for details on linking a case's records, such as parties, notes, files, and to-dos. To link a case with a profile, see Link a Profile to a Case. 

Manually Link a Case

To add a link between two cases:

1. On a case's page, click the Links tab. Then, select the Cases sub-tab. 
2. Click the Link Case button.
3. In the Linked Case Search pop-up, search for and select another case to link with the original case. You can use the "Search grid..." bar and grid filters to narrow down the results displayed in the grid.
4. After selecting a case, you can enter an explanation for linking the cases in the “Reason for Link” field. 
5. To link to cases, click the Add Link button. If you need to return to the search results and choose a different case, click the Back button.
6. The case you linked to the current case will be displayed in the Links grid under the Cases sub-tab.

Approve a Suggested Case Link

When you click the Links tab, Case IQ automatically looks for other case's records with similar details. Use the steps below to approve a link between cases based on suggestions from Case IQ: 

1. On a case's page, navigate to the Links tab. If the system has already found a possible case link, you can click the View Now button in the banner. Alternatively, you can click the Link Suggested Case(s) button.
2. The “Link suggested case” pop-up will display some information about the potential case link that the system found. 
   1. If you have access to the other case, you will see any matching fields or records that the system found between both cases.
   2. If you do not have access to the other case and would like more details on it, you can use the icons beside the case owner's email to copy the email address or send an email to them.
3. To link the cases, click the Approve Link button. If the suggestion is not relevant to the original case, click the Dismiss Link button instead. If there are multiple potential links, the pop-up will display the next potential link after you click either button.
4. For any links you approved, you may add an explanation for linking cases in the "Reason for approving this link" field. 
   1. This text may be visible to users with access to one of the cases involved in this link. Avoid including sensitive information in this field.
5. Click Link Cases with [#] record(s) to link the cases.
6. All the case links you approved will now be displayed in the Links grid under the Cases sub-tab. 

How Case IQ Searches for Links

As records fields contain different kinds of data, Case IQ reviews fields for matching values in two ways when looking for connections between cases. 

1. The system searches short text fields, called “search fields”, for an exact match in the same field on another record. For example, Case IQ will suggest a link between two cases if their party records have the same text entered in their “Address” fields.
2. Case IQ will check if long text fields on records, called “narrative fields”, contain keywords entered in another record’s search fields. It will not look for an exact match of text in both the narrative and search fields, nor will it search for similar text in another narrative field. For example, if a note’s “Details” field contains the phone number entered in a party’s “Home Phone Number” field, Case IQ will suggest a link between the cases with which the note and party records are associated.

The chart below outlines the record fields Case IQ uses to make case link suggestions.   

Add an Automatic Link

You can add an automatic link for a case if your application's case form contains a case selection field that is set up for case linking. If a case selection field is available on the case form, you can add an automatic link when adding a new case or editing an existing case using the following steps.

1. On the New Case form or a case's page in edit mode, click the case selection field, which will appear as a text box containing "Search cases...". In the example below, the case selection field is called "Related incident". 
2. Begin typing in the field to search for cases and click the case with which you want to create a link. 
3. Click the Save button on the New Case form or a case's page to create the automatic case link.
4. The automatic case link you added will be shown on the case's page in the case selection field and the Links tab under the Cases sub-tab. The “Reason” field will be populated with the text set by your System Administrator.

System Administrators can read the Edit a Standard Record Type article for details on adding a case selection field to your application's case form.

Contact Owner of Linked Case

For any case link, you can quickly email the owner of the other case. In the Links grid under the Cases sub-tab, hover your cursor over the case link and click the Options () button in the row. If you have permissions to send emails in Case IQ, you can select the "Email case owner" option to send a message via Case IQ. Otherwise, you can click "Copy case owner email" and send an email to the case owner using your email client, such as Microsoft Outlook or Gmail.

Edit a Case Link

After adding a manual or suggested case link, you can edit the "Reason". Click the case link's row in the Links grid under the Cases sub-tab. Then, you can enter a new reason in the pop-up.

Delete a Case Link

You can unlink cases by deleting a case link. In the Links grid under the Cases sub-tab, select the checkbox in a case link's row. Then, click the Delete button that appears in the grid header.