Smart objects are essentially database tables, but with additional noteworthy features:

• Cascading Relationships
  ​Like database tables, smart objects can cascade to an arbitrary depth. For example, a table of countries can have an associated table of states, which can itself have an associated table of cities, and so on. However, unlike a simple database, when you view the record for a country, a tab is created automatically that displays all of the states for that country. You can then visit the state record, where a tab is available to display all cities in that state.
   
• 360-Degree View
  A tab that displays associated records is created automatically for each relationship. In an incident management system, for example, a Client database may be referenced by a table of Sites owned by each Client. Those sites could be referenced by the Incidents stream, which records incidents that have occurred at the site, as well as by an employee data table that records each employee's work site. When a Site record is displayed, one tab will display all Incidents that occurred at the site, while another displays all Employees who work at the site--and so on, for as many associated records (also known as related records) as the data relationships define.
  
  
• Integrated External Data
  A Smart Object can be designated as a remote object, or as an external SalesForce object. In either case, data can be read into Pulpstream from the external object, to create a cached local copy of external data that needs to be available for rapid access. (Such data is read-only, and cannot be updated. To modify remote data, use a Rule integration.)
   
• Control of Lookups
  If the right smart object record can be deduced from incoming data, the process can be defined to simply update the appropriate field with that reference. But when the user needs to choose the record reference, a smart object field can be placed in a form to let them do so. But the designer can help to narrow their search, by specifying which records will be made available, and which fields are displayed, so the user doesn't have to sort through thousands of records and hundreds of fields to find the right record. The designer can also specify which field will be examined when the user searches for a record.
   
• Data Copy
  When a record is referenced in a smart object field, the designer can copy data from that record to the current record, to make it available for reporting. 
   
• Import and Export
  Of course, if you already have an online database, you can use rule-based integrations to access and update data in the external database. But if you have data that is currently managed with a spreadsheet, you can generate a CSV file that contains the data, and import the data into [Project Name's] internal, "smart object" database. And should you need the data elsewhere, you can always export it.
   
• Read and Write
  The processes defined for a stream can retrieve data from a smart object, and they can also store data into them. For example: The next inspection date can be recorded in a Site record. If a inspection-report form rated the site as low risk, the process would naturally store that assessment in the site record. But at the same time, the process might set the next inspection date for 2 years from the current date, while the next-inspection date for a high-risk site might be in 3 months. All the inspector does is identify the level of risk. Everything after that is under process control.
  
  
• Scheduling
  A smart object can be inspected at regular intervals to create a list of records that match some specified criteria. For example, in an incident management system, a report could be generated at the beginning of every week to list Sites that are due for an inspection in the coming week. (The company's Business Calendar would ensure that the report occurs at the beginning of the actual work week, not counting holidays or down time.) Then, when sites are selected for inspection, tasks are assigned, email and text notifications are sent out, all as determined by the process designer.

In short, smart objects provide you with a powerful tool you can use to streamline your process definitions.

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