Working with user record caps on collections

When you retrieve records for a collection, a user-level record cap can limit the number of records to be returned. You should consider this cap when you retrieve a collection for which the size might exceed the cap.

Note: The techniques and procedures in this topic do not help you to know if there is a system-wide list cap in use and, if it is, the value to which it is set. You should know, however, that any system-wide settings can override your user-level record cap setting.

Finding the current user record cap

If you know you need to retrieve a large number of records for a collection, you can find out whether your current user cap will allow you to display that number of records. For more information, see Viewing the current user record cap on collections.

Identifying when you have reached the cap

Knowing whether you have reached the cap on records is fairly straightforward: The number of records in a collection shows in the status bar in the lower-left corner of the application window.

To determine whether a collection contains the maximum number of records allowed, compare the number of records retrieved (the second number) with the current user cap on data records. See Viewing the current user record cap on collections.

The Go to the last object... button on the tool bar navigates to the last record displayed, not necessarily the last actual record in the database. You can use this to help determine when a collection contains the maximum number of records allowed but not all potential records that match your filter criteria.

The Get more rows in the current collection button on the tool bar also provides a visual cue as to whether there are more records available. If the double arrows are blue, then there are more records available.

Retrieving additional records

If you have a collection that does not display all the records you need, try replacing the current collection with a collection filtered using more specific criteria. You can use any of these options:

Do a more focused Filter-in-Place query. See Finding records with Filter-in-Place.
Use the Get more rows in the current collection button on the tool bar to retrieve and display the next set of records.
Use the associated query form to perform a more refined query. See Finding Records Using a Query Form.

In most cases, you should be able to get the collection you are looking for by one of these methods. Only if these methods do not return the collection you need in full should you increase the cap on records. See Setting the user preference for record caps.