diff --git a/qqq-backend-core/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/core/processes/utils/RecordLookupHelper.java b/qqq-backend-core/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/core/processes/utils/RecordLookupHelper.java
index 1f22d15a..5b7ddaa9 100644
--- a/qqq-backend-core/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/core/processes/utils/RecordLookupHelper.java
+++ b/qqq-backend-core/src/main/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/core/processes/utils/RecordLookupHelper.java
@@ -25,13 +25,18 @@ package com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.processes.utils;
 import java.io.Serializable;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.HashSet;
+import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Optional;
 import java.util.Set;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.exceptions.QException;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.actions.AbstractActionInput;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.actions.tables.query.QCriteriaOperator;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.actions.tables.query.QFilterCriteria;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.actions.tables.query.QQueryFilter;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.data.QRecord;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.fields.QFieldType;
+import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.utils.CollectionUtils;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.utils.ValueUtils;
 
 
@@ -68,6 +73,12 @@ public class RecordLookupHelper
       String                     mapKey    = tableName + "." + keyFieldName;
       Map<Serializable, QRecord> recordMap = recordMaps.computeIfAbsent(mapKey, (k) -> new HashMap<>());
 
+      ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+      // make sure we have they key object in the expected type //
+      ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+      QFieldType type = actionInput.getInstance().getTable(tableName).getField(keyFieldName).getType();
+      key = ValueUtils.getValueAsFieldType(type, key);
+
       if(!recordMap.containsKey(key))
       {
          Optional<QRecord> optRecord = GeneralProcessUtils.getRecordByField(actionInput, tableName, keyFieldName, key);
@@ -117,6 +128,38 @@ public class RecordLookupHelper
 
 
 
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    ** Optimization - to pre-load some records in a single IN-LIST query,
+    ** which would otherwise have to be looked up one-by-one - where - if the records
+    ** aren't found, then a null will be cached (for each element in the inList).
+    **
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   public void preloadRecords(String tableName, String keyFieldName, List<Serializable> inList) throws QException
+   {
+      if(CollectionUtils.nullSafeIsEmpty(inList))
+      {
+         return;
+      }
+
+      String                     mapKey   = tableName + "." + keyFieldName;
+      Map<Serializable, QRecord> tableMap = recordMaps.computeIfAbsent(mapKey, s -> new HashMap<>());
+
+      QQueryFilter filter = new QQueryFilter(new QFilterCriteria(keyFieldName, QCriteriaOperator.IN, inList));
+      tableMap.putAll(GeneralProcessUtils.loadTableToMap(actionInput, tableName, keyFieldName, filter));
+
+      QFieldType type = actionInput.getInstance().getTable(tableName).getField(keyFieldName).getType();
+      for(Serializable keyValue : inList)
+      {
+         if(!tableMap.containsKey(keyValue))
+         {
+            keyValue = ValueUtils.getValueAsFieldType(type, keyValue);
+            tableMap.put(keyValue, null);
+         }
+      }
+   }
+
+
+
    /*******************************************************************************
     ** Get a value from a record, by doing a lookup on the specified keyFieldName,
     ** for the specified key value.
diff --git a/qqq-backend-core/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/core/processes/utils/RecordLookupHelperTest.java b/qqq-backend-core/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/core/processes/utils/RecordLookupHelperTest.java
index 73f9a42c..ac6418cd 100644
--- a/qqq-backend-core/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/core/processes/utils/RecordLookupHelperTest.java
+++ b/qqq-backend-core/src/test/java/com/kingsrook/qqq/backend/core/processes/utils/RecordLookupHelperTest.java
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 package com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.processes.utils;
 
 
+import java.util.List;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.exceptions.QException;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.actions.AbstractActionInput;
 import com.kingsrook.qqq.backend.core.model.metadata.QInstance;
@@ -120,4 +121,37 @@ class RecordLookupHelperTest
       assertEquals(2, MemoryRecordStore.getStatistics().get(MemoryRecordStore.STAT_QUERIES_RAN));
    }
 
+
+
+   /*******************************************************************************
+    **
+    *******************************************************************************/
+   @Test
+   void testWithPreloadInListToCacheMisses() throws QException
+   {
+      QInstance qInstance = TestUtils.defineInstance();
+      TestUtils.insertDefaultShapes(qInstance);
+
+      RecordLookupHelper recordLookupHelper = new RecordLookupHelper(new AbstractActionInput(qInstance, new QSession()));
+      recordLookupHelper.preloadRecords(TestUtils.TABLE_NAME_SHAPE, "name", List.of("Triangle", "Square", "Circle", "Hexagon"));
+      assertEquals(1, MemoryRecordStore.getStatistics().get(MemoryRecordStore.STAT_QUERIES_RAN));
+
+      //////////////////////////////////////////////
+      // assert we cached a record that was found //
+      //////////////////////////////////////////////
+      assertNotNull(recordLookupHelper.getRecordByKey(TestUtils.TABLE_NAME_SHAPE, "name", "Triangle"));
+      assertEquals(1, recordLookupHelper.getRecordByKey(TestUtils.TABLE_NAME_SHAPE, "name", "Triangle").getValueInteger("id"));
+      assertEquals("Triangle", recordLookupHelper.getRecordByKey(TestUtils.TABLE_NAME_SHAPE, "name", "Triangle").getValueString("name"));
+
+      //////////////////////////////////////////////////
+      // assert we cached a null for a name not found //
+      //////////////////////////////////////////////////
+      assertNull(recordLookupHelper.getRecordByKey(TestUtils.TABLE_NAME_SHAPE, "name", "Hexagon"));
+
+      /////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+      // all those gets should run no additional queries //
+      /////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+      assertEquals(1, MemoryRecordStore.getStatistics().get(MemoryRecordStore.STAT_QUERIES_RAN));
+   }
+
 }
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