How to reduce data duplication in Bubble

The simplest way to reduce data duplication in Bubble is to avoid storing the same information in multiple Data Types and instead store references (Bubble calls these “linked fields”) so you only keep one true source of data. You create a single Data Type for each kind of thing, and everywhere else you just link to it instead of copying its fields.

Why duplication happens

Duplication usually appears when a developer copies fields like User email, Product name, or Order total into multiple data types “for convenience.” That makes the app harder to maintain because when the original changes, the copies don’t update.

• Bubble fields can store entire Things, not just text. Use that instead of copying data.
• A “Thing” = a row in Bubble’s database (ex: a User, a Project, a Message).

How to reduce duplication

Create one Data Type per concept, then replace duplicated fields with references. For example, instead of storing a User’s email inside an Order, store a User field and pull the email dynamically when displaying it.

• Create a field like Order → Buyer (type: User) instead of Order → Buyer Email (type: text).
• When showing data in a text element, use dynamic expressions like: Current Order's Buyer’s email.
• When running workflows, read values from the linked Thing instead of storing a copy.

When you should keep only one “source of truth”

If something can logically change (user’s name, product’s price, event date), keep it in one place. If you need the value elsewhere, reference it.

• Good: Message stores Sender (User).
• Bad: Message stores Sender Name (text) and Sender Photo (image).

Example: replacing duplicated fields

// BEFORE: Order stores duplicated text fields
Order
  Buyer Name (text)
  Buyer Email (text)

// AFTER: Order stores only a reference
Order
  Buyer (User)    // link to the User Thing

Now anywhere you need the email you can use Current Order's Buyer’s email and it will always stay in sync.

Bonus: use “Make changes to a Thing” instead of creating new Things

Sometimes duplication happens because a workflow creates a new Thing instead of updating the existing one. Prefer the action Make changes to a thing when something already exists.

• Good: Update a Project’s name.
• Bad: Create a new Project with the updated name and keep both.

This approach keeps your database clean, avoids inconsistencies, and makes your Bubble app much easier to maintain.