diff --git a/qqq-backend-core/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/core/actions/values/BasicCustomPossibleValueProvider.java b/qqq-backend-core/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/core/actions/values/BasicCustomPossibleValueProvider.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..da1421bc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/qqq-backend-core/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/core/actions/values/BasicCustomPossibleValueProvider.java
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+/*
+ * QQQ - Low-code Application Framework for Engineers.
+ * Copyright (C) 2021-2025.  Kingsrook, LLC
+ * 651 N Broad St Ste 205 # 6917 | Middletown DE 19709 | United States
+ * contact@kingsrook.com
+ * https://github.com/Kingsrook/
+ *
+ * This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ * it under the terms of the GNU Affero General Public License as
+ * published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the
+ * License, or (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ * GNU Affero General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License
+ * along with this program.  If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ */
+
+package com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.actions.values;
+
+
+import java.io.Serializable;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.List;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.exceptions.QException;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.actions.values.SearchPossibleValueSourceInput;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.possiblevalues.QPossibleValue;
+
+
+/*******************************************************************************
+ ** Basic implementation of a possible value provider, for where there's a limited
+ ** set of possible source objects - so you just have to define how to make one
+ ** PV from a source object, how to list all of the source objects, and how to
+ ** look up a PV from an id.
+ *******************************************************************************/
+public abstract class BasicCustomPossibleValueProvider<S, ID extends Serializable> implements QCustomPossibleValueProvider<ID>
+{
+
+   /***************************************************************************
+    **
+    ***************************************************************************/
+   protected abstract QPossibleValue<ID> makePossibleValue(S sourceObject);
+
+   /***************************************************************************
+    **
+    ***************************************************************************/
+   protected abstract S getSourceObject(Serializable id);
+
+   /***************************************************************************
+    **
+    ***************************************************************************/
+   protected abstract List<S> getAllSourceObjects();
+
+
+
+   /***************************************************************************
+    **
+    ***************************************************************************/
+   @Override
+   public QPossibleValue<ID> getPossibleValue(Serializable idValue)
+   {
+      S sourceObject = getSourceObject(idValue);
+      if(sourceObject == null)
+      {
+         return (null);
+      }
+
+      return makePossibleValue(sourceObject);
+   }
+
+
+
+   /***************************************************************************
+    **
+    ***************************************************************************/
+   @Override
+   public List<QPossibleValue<ID>> search(SearchPossibleValueSourceInput input) throws QException
+   {
+      List<QPossibleValue<ID>> allPossibleValues = new ArrayList<>();
+      List<S>                  allSourceObjects  = getAllSourceObjects();
+      for(S sourceObject : allSourceObjects)
+      {
+         allPossibleValues.add(makePossibleValue(sourceObject));
+      }
+
+      return completeCustomPVSSearch(input, allPossibleValues);
+   }
+}
diff --git a/qqq-backend-core/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/core/model/metadata/tables/TablesCustomPossibleValueProvider.java b/qqq-backend-core/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/core/model/metadata/tables/TablesCustomPossibleValueProvider.java
index e72d188f..e2d98b4a 100644
--- a/qqq-backend-core/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/core/model/metadata/tables/TablesCustomPossibleValueProvider.java
+++ b/qqq-backend-core/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/core/model/metadata/tables/TablesCustomPossibleValueProvider.java
@@ -27,11 +27,9 @@ import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.List;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.actions.permissions.PermissionCheckResult;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.actions.permissions.PermissionsHelper;
-import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.actions.values.QCustomPossibleValueProvider;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.actions.values.BasicCustomPossibleValueProvider;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.context.QContext;
-import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.exceptions.QException;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.actions.tables.query.QueryInput;
-import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.actions.values.SearchPossibleValueSourceInput;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.possiblevalues.QPossibleValue;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.utils.ValueUtils;
 
@@ -40,26 +38,16 @@ import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.utils.ValueUtils;
  ** possible-value source provider for the `Tables` PVS - a list of all tables
  ** in an application/qInstance.
  *******************************************************************************/
-public class TablesCustomPossibleValueProvider implements QCustomPossibleValueProvider<String>
+public class TablesCustomPossibleValueProvider extends BasicCustomPossibleValueProvider<QTableMetaData, String>
 {
 
    /***************************************************************************
     **
     ***************************************************************************/
    @Override
-   public QPossibleValue<String> getPossibleValue(Serializable idValue)
+   protected QPossibleValue<String> makePossibleValue(QTableMetaData sourceObject)
    {
-      QTableMetaData table = QContext.getQInstance().getTable(ValueUtils.getValueAsString(idValue));
-      if(table != null && !table.getIsHidden())
-      {
-         PermissionCheckResult permissionCheckResult = PermissionsHelper.getPermissionCheckResult(new QueryInput(table.getName()), table);
-         if(PermissionCheckResult.ALLOW.equals(permissionCheckResult))
-         {
-            return (new QPossibleValue<>(table.getName(), table.getLabel()));
-         }
-      }
-
-      return null;
+      return (new QPossibleValue<>(sourceObject.getName(), sourceObject.getLabel()));
    }
 
 
@@ -68,22 +56,54 @@ public class TablesCustomPossibleValueProvider implements QCustomPossibleValuePr
     **
     ***************************************************************************/
    @Override
-   public List<QPossibleValue<String>> search(SearchPossibleValueSourceInput input) throws QException
+   protected QTableMetaData getSourceObject(Serializable id)
    {
-      /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-      // build all of the possible values (note, will be filtered by user's permissions) //
-      /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-      List<QPossibleValue<String>> allPossibleValues = new ArrayList<>();
+      QTableMetaData table = QContext.getQInstance().getTable(ValueUtils.getValueAsString(id));
+      return isTableAllowed(table) ? table : null;
+   }
+
+
+
+   /***************************************************************************
+    **
+    ***************************************************************************/
+   @Override
+   protected List<QTableMetaData> getAllSourceObjects()
+   {
+      ArrayList<QTableMetaData> rs = new ArrayList<>();
       for(QTableMetaData table : QContext.getQInstance().getTables().values())
       {
-         QPossibleValue<String> possibleValue = getPossibleValue(table.getName());
-         if(possibleValue != null)
+         if(isTableAllowed(table))
          {
-            allPossibleValues.add(possibleValue);
+            rs.add(table);
          }
       }
+      return rs;
+   }
 
-      return completeCustomPVSSearch(input, allPossibleValues);
+
+   /***************************************************************************
+    **
+    ***************************************************************************/
+   private boolean isTableAllowed(QTableMetaData table)
+   {
+      if(table == null)
+      {
+         return (false);
+      }
+
+      if(table.getIsHidden())
+      {
+         return (false);
+      }
+
+      PermissionCheckResult permissionCheckResult = PermissionsHelper.getPermissionCheckResult(new QueryInput(table.getName()), table);
+      if(!PermissionCheckResult.ALLOW.equals(permissionCheckResult))
+      {
+         return (false);
+      }
+
+      return (true);
    }
 
 }
diff --git a/qqq-backend-core/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/core/model/metadata/tables/TablesPossibleValueSourceMetaDataProvider.java b/qqq-backend-core/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/core/model/metadata/tables/TablesPossibleValueSourceMetaDataProvider.java
index 75087ae7..cdc9b6d3 100644
--- a/qqq-backend-core/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/core/model/metadata/tables/TablesPossibleValueSourceMetaDataProvider.java
+++ b/qqq-backend-core/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/core/model/metadata/tables/TablesPossibleValueSourceMetaDataProvider.java
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ package com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.tables;
 
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.QInstance;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.code.QCodeReference;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.fields.QFieldType;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.possiblevalues.PVSValueFormatAndFields;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.possiblevalues.QPossibleValueSource;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.possiblevalues.QPossibleValueSourceType;
@@ -45,6 +46,7 @@ public class TablesPossibleValueSourceMetaDataProvider
    {
       QPossibleValueSource possibleValueSource = new QPossibleValueSource()
          .withName(NAME)
+         .withIdType(QFieldType.STRING)
          .withType(QPossibleValueSourceType.CUSTOM)
          .withCustomCodeReference(new QCodeReference(TablesCustomPossibleValueProvider.class))
          .withValueFormatAndFields(PVSValueFormatAndFields.LABEL_ONLY);