A method for linking information with a workpiece data record of a workpiece of an arrangement of workpieces lying in a support plane of a sorting table , wherein the workpieces were produced from a planar material using a flatbed machine tool , in particular a laser cutting or punching flatbed machine tool, according to a processing plan stored in a control unit of the flatbed machine tool , and the processing plan comprises workpiece data records in which relative positions and contours of the workpieces in the arrangement of workpieces are stored, the method having the following steps: registering (step 103) a selection time by way of a first action of a user , the action being in a spatial relationship to a workpiece to be selected, determining (step 105), using a locating system , a position of a hand of the user in the space above the arrangement of workpieces at the selection time, deriving (step 107) a selection position in the support plane from the determined position of the hand , selecting (step 109) a workpiece data record from the workpiece data records by comparing the selection position with the positions and contours of the workpieces as a workpiece data record selected by the first action, registering (step 111) a second action in which the user makes a gesturing motion, wherein an information item to be logged in a database is assigned to the gesturing motion, reading out (step 113) the information item to be logged from the database , and linking (step 115) the information item to be logged with the selected workpiece data record, characterized in that a plurality of selection positions is derived for a plurality of successively registered first actions, a plurality of selected workpiece data records being selected for the selection positions, and the plurality of selected workpiece data records being linked uniformly with the information item to be logged by registering the second action. registering (step 103) a selection time by way of a first action of a user , the action being in a spatial relationship to a workpiece to be selected, determining (step 105), using a locating system , a position of a hand of the user in the space above the arrangement of workpieces at the selection time, deriving (step 107) a selection position in the support plane from the determined position of the hand , selecting (step 109) a workpiece data record from the workpiece data records by comparing the selection position with the positions and contours of the workpieces as a workpiece data record selected by the first action, registering (step 111) a second action in which the user makes a gesturing motion, wherein an information item to be logged in a database is assigned to the gesturing motion, reading out (step 113) the information item to be logged from the database , and linking (step 115) the information item to be logged with the selected workpiece data record, characterized in that a plurality of selection positions is derived for a plurality of successively registered first actions, a plurality of selected workpiece data records being selected for the selection positions, and the plurality of selected workpiece data records being linked uniformly with the information item to be logged by registering the second action. <EOS>