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What is pre-fetching?

Pre-fetching means retrieving existing data before a form is displayed and automatically filling in the fields with that data.

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How it works

Typically, a form loads with empty fields. With pre-fetching, the form first looks up data from your database using an identifier (like an email), which you can use to pre-fill fields. For example, you can send users a link like: https://yourform.com/update-profile?email=juan@email.com When the form opens, it uses the email parameter to find a matching record in your database and fills in fields like:
  • Name: Juan Dela Cruz
  • Email: juan@email.com
  • Birth Date: Dec 2, 1992
  • Position: Finance Manager
Users can then review and update field answers as needed.

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Common use cases

  • User Profiles: Let users update their personal information with pre-populated fields
  • Account Settings: Enable users to modify preferences without re-entering existing selections
  • E-commerce Checkout: Pre-fill saved shipping and billing details for faster checkout
  • Admin Dashboards: Allow administrators to edit existing records with pre-loaded data in forms
  • Content Management: Let users edit existing posts or pages with previously saved content

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Fetch data into your form

1

Connect to Zite Database

Open your Fillout form and click Integrate on top to link it to your Zite Database.
2

Open Database connection

Go back to Integrate and click Zite Database.Screenshot 2026 03 30 At 7 10 01 PM
3

Add records to pre-fetch

Click Pre-fetch records followed by + Add new. In our example, we’ll have a form where clients can update their delivery address. Instead of filling everything from scratch, their existing details will be pre-filled.Screenshot 2026 03 30 At 7 13 35 PMIn the popup, Name your record. This is just a label to help you identify this pre-fetch setup when using it in your form.
4

Test fetch (Optional)

Select the Table you’d like to fetch records from. Then + Add condition to Filter by.Screenshot 2026 03 30 At 7 18 00 PMChoose a database column from the left, then match this a url parameter, static value, or login fields (from your login page) on the right . This condition is how the form identifies which record to fetch.For our example, we’ll fetch records with their Email.
5

Test fetch (Optional)

Select the Table you’d like to fetch records from. Then + Add condition to Filter by.Screenshot 2026 03 30 At 7 18 00 PMChoose a database column from the left, then match this to a url parameter, static value, or login fields (from your login page) on the right. This condition is how the form identifies which record to fetch.For our example, we’ll fetch records with their Email.
6

Publish and share

Click Publish in the upper right corner share your form using a link that includes the identifier. For example: https://yourform.com/update-profile?email=juan@email.com
7

Publish and share

Click Publish in the upper right corner to share your form using a link that includes the identifier. For example: https://yourform.com/update-profile?email=juan@email.com