---
title: "Terms and concepts"
slug: "exact-forms-plus-key-terms"
description: "Explore Exact Forms Plus documentation, covering data sources, setup wizard tables, and document template components for efficient document management."
tags: ["Quickbase Extension", "Document Generation", "Exact Forms Plus"]
updated: 2026-10-09T16:04:59Z
published: 2026-10-09T16:04:59Z
canonical: "help.quickbase.com/exact-forms-plus-key-terms"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.quickbase.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Terms and concepts

This page explains the terms used throughout the Exact Forms Plus documentation: where the data in a document comes from, the tables the setup wizard adds to your app, and the pieces of a document template.

## Where the data in a document comes from

Every document Exact Forms Plus creates combines up to three kinds of data.

| Term | What it means | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Master record** | The main record the document is about. Exact Forms Plus reads its fields and puts them into the template. The table that holds master records is the **master table**. The button that runs Exact Forms Plus (by default **Generate EFP Document**) is added to this table. | A record in a *Purchase Orders* table. |
| **Related data** | Records in another table that are connected to the master record through a relationship, also called *child records* or *line items*. They appear in the document as an embedded report. | The *Purchase Order Details* records that belong to the purchase order. |
| **Supporting data** | Records from another table that are *not* connected to the master record through a relationship. They also appear as an embedded report, using a query or saved report that doesn't depend on the master record. | A list of all active products, or the company's standard terms stored in a settings table. |

## Tables and fields the setup wizard adds

This section explains the main tables and fields. For everything the wizard adds in each kind of setup, see [Set up Exact Forms Plus with the installation wizard](https://help.quickbase.com/quickbase-extensions/docs/en/exact-forms-plus-setup-with-wizard)

### Document Templates table

Holds your templates. Each record is one template, and its record ID is the template ID the button uses. Main fields:

- **Name**: the template's name.
- **Template File**: the Word file (.docx or .doc). All versions are kept, so you can go back to an earlier one.
- **Master table dbid** and **Master table name**: the table the template is used with.
- **MSG_DetailsNotFound**: the text shown in place of an embedded report that returns no records. If it's blank, the document shows *No detail records found.*
- **EFP Configurator**: a button that opens the Exact Forms Plus configurator for the template.
- **Add New Exact Forms Plus Subtable**: a button that adds an embedded report to the template.
- **Copy this Document Template**: copies the template record together with its embedded reports.

### Document Subtables table

Holds the settings for each embedded report. Each record is listed under one template (through the **Related Document Template** field), but any template in the app can use it; see [Use one embedded report in several templates](https://help.quickbase.com/quickbase-extensions/docs/en/efp-embedded-reports#reuse). Main fields:

- **Configuration Name** and **Notes**: your description of the embedded report.
- **Settings**: the report's settings: the table, the query or saved report, the columns, and the formatting. The configurator fills this in; open it with the record's **Edit Subtable Configuration** button.
- **Template Reference**: the text to paste into the Word template where the table should appear, for example `~strid=23~`. The number is the record ID of the Document Subtables record.

### Fields on the master table

Main fields (the wizard also adds more buttons and the fields for background runs; see [What the wizard adds](https://help.quickbase.com/quickbase-extensions/docs/en/exact-forms-plus-setup-with-wizard#what-the-wizard-adds)):

- **Generate EFP Document**: the button that creates the document.
- **EFP Document**: the file attachment field the document is saved to.
- **EFP Date**: the date and time the document was last created.
- **Exact Forms Plus Batch Email**: used by batch processing. See [Exact Forms Plus Batch Processor overview](https://help.quickbase.com/quickbase-extensions/docs/en/efp-batch-processor-overview).

## Template terms

| Term | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| **Document template** | A Microsoft Word file (.docx or .doc) that shows how the document should look. It's stored in the **Template File** field of a Document Templates record. |
| **Field value** | To show a field's value, type the field name or field ID between tildes, for example `~Customer Name~` or `~5~`. When the document is created, Exact Forms Plus replaces it with the field's value from the master record. This works in Word headers and footers too. |
| **Image** | To insert an image from a file attachment field, type `i:`, the field ID, and a size between tildes. The size is a width in points (`~i:12:300~`), a width and height (`~i:12:200x150~`), or a percentage (`~i:12:25%~`). |
| **Function** | Text between tildes that starts with `~=` and formats a value, for example a date in a long format, a number written in words, or a barcode or QR code. |
| **Embedded report (subtable)** | A table of records inserted into the document. It's set up as a Document Subtables record. To place it in the template, copy the record's **Template Reference** value (`~strid=N~`) into the Word file. It can show related data (the query refers to a field on the master record) or supporting data (a fixed query or a saved report). |

For everything you can put in a template, see [Document templates](https://help.quickbase.com/quickbase-extensions/docs/en/efp-document-templates).

## Terms for running Exact Forms Plus

| Term | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| **Formula URL/Formula Rich-Text** | The formula behind the **Generate EFP Document** button. Its parameters choose the template, the output format, and where the document is saved. See [Formula URL parameters](https://help.quickbase.com/quickbase-extensions/docs/en/efp-formula-url-parameters). |
| **Multiple-record run** | A run that uses a Quickbase query instead of a single record. Exact Forms Plus creates one document per record that the query returns, up to 50 per run by default. |
| **Merged PDF** | One PDF that combines all the documents from a multiple-record run. |
| **Repository table** | A table in your app where documents are saved as records, instead of (or as well as) on the master record. Each run adds a new record or updates an existing one. |
| **Batch processing** | Creates documents in the background, started by a Quickbase email notification. It's used to create documents automatically when a record changes, or to create more documents than a single run allows. |