# Associate hierarchies The associate action links child accounts to their parent within your CRM's native hierarchy functionality. This is a non-destructive action that can be easily reversed. ### Association types Kernel identifies three scenarios: * **Link to existing parent** - the parent account already exists in your CRM. Kernel populates the native Parent Account field to establish the relationship. * **Reparent** - the account has an existing parent that is incorrect. Kernel updates the link to the correct parent. * **Create missing parent** - the parent does not exist in your CRM. Kernel creates the parent account, then links the child to it. ### Creating missing parents When Kernel identifies a parent that is missing from your CRM, it groups all child accounts that share the same parent together. The parent account is created with the relevant firmographic data, and all children are linked in a single operation. Once complete, the cleaning action for these accounts updates to `None`. ### Taking action The associate action pane in the Kernel app displays all accounts with identified parents. Completed associations can be reviewed, and rejected associations are flagged for review by the Kernel team. {% embed url="" %} --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.kernel.ai/app/actioning/associate.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.