The parcel fabric is a records-driven system, and parcel features are associated with the legal parcel record that created them.
When creating parcel features, a parcel record must be set as active in the map. New parcel features are associated with the active record in the map. The Created By Record attribute field of new parcel features is populated with the GlobalID of the active record, and a record polygon is generated to match the geometry of the added parcel features.
The parcel type line, parcel type polygon, and connection line feature classes have a validation type attribute rule that requires their features to be associated with a record feature.
Set the active parcel record
When a parcel record is created, it is automatically set as the active record in the map. You can set another record as active using the Manage Records pane or using a selection of parcel features.
To set the active record from a selection of parcel features, use the Select tool 
to select the parcel features, click the Menu button 
on the records heads-up-display (HUD) box, and click Activate Record of Selected Feature. The selected parcel features must all belong to the same parcel record or the command will be disabled.
To search for and set an active record using the Manage Records pane, follow these steps:
- Click the Create Record drop-down arrow
in the Records group on the Parcels ribbon and click Manage. - In the Manage Records pane, use a search query to search for the record you want to set as active. Select the record from the results list and click Set Active Record
next to the record name. The active record is displayed in bold in the top portion of the Manage Records pane and is also displayed in the record's HUD box in the map view.
- To exit an active record, click the active record toggle button on the record's HUD box. Use this toggle button to move in and out of the active record.
An inactive record is recommended for fixing data and other quality-driven edits.
Display parcels in the active record only
To display parcel features in the active record only, click Show Only Active
in the Records group on the Parcels ribbon. The command can be turned on or off.
If Show Only Active is turned off, you can set the transparency of parcels that are not part of the active record by dragging the transparency slider under Show All. Parcels that are not part of the active record can be made less transparent, while parcels that are part of the active record display normally.
Note:
When building parcels, the Show Only Active parcels display filter is turned off.
Assign a parcel record
You can assign a parcel record to a selection of parcel features. The following parcel features have a Created By Record attribute field and can be assigned to a parcel record:
- Parcel type polygons
- Parcel type lines
- Points
- Connection lines
To assign a parcel record to a selection of parcel features, complete the following steps:
- Select the parcel features.
- Click the Create Record drop-down arrow in the Records group on the Parcels ribbon and click Manage to open the Manage Records pane.
- Use a search query to search for the parcel record.
- In the list of search results, select and right-click the parcel record and click Assign Selection To Record
. The Created By Record attribute field of the selected parcel features is populated with the GlobalID of the associated record, and a record polygon is created to match the geometry of the added parcel features.
If the parcel features are already associated with a parcel record, they are reassigned to the chosen record. The Created By Record field is updated with the GlobalID of the reassigned parcel record, and the record polygon is regenerated to match the geometry of the parcel features.
Tip:
Turn on the Records sublayer under the parcel fabric layer in the Contents pane to display the record polygons.