Copy Values between Already Associated Records

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How to Copy Values between Related Records

Your sales team is capturing valuable detail in the CRM and needs to copy some of this info into related records. Your reps are currently copying this info manually, which is error-prone and time-consuming, so you're looking for a more efficient solution.

Since you already have these records linked to others, you can use Insycle's Associate app to copy values between the associated records. After setting up rules to find the associated records and copy values between them, the process can be automated to run on a set schedule, or for HubSpot users, when triggered by a HubSpot workflow.

Copying Record Owners between Associated Records

In this example, we want to make sure deals have the same owners as the companies they are associated with. To do this we'll find deal records that have already been associated to companies and copy the owner value from the company record to each of the deals. 

Process Summary

  1. Filter records to find only those that have existing associations.
  2. Set rules to identify the linked records. 
  3. Set rules to copy values between the associated records.
  4. Preview and apply the changes to the CRM.

 

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Set Up Filter to Find Relevant Records

Navigate to RevOps Acceleration > Associate. Select the database and record type in the top menu. Then explore the templates for an existing solution that may be close to what you need.

To find deal records that have already been associated to companies, use the filter to include only deals where the associated company value exists.

bulk-ops-hubspot-copy-from-associated-contacts-to-companies-step-1.png

When you click Search, Insycle will list records in the Record Viewer at the bottom of the page. If you make changes to the filter, you need to click the Search button again to refresh the viewer.

bulk-ops-hubspot-associated-deals-to-companies-record-viewer.png

Step 2: Configure Rules to Find the Related Records

Under Step 2, define the rules to find the previously linked records:

bulk-ops-hubspot-associated-deals-to-companies-step-2.png

  1. Action tells Insycle what to do to the records surfaced in Step 1. Use the Add action to find existing associations.
  2. Associate specifies the type of record you want to create the relationship with. In this example, we're looking for Deals (the source record) that have been associated to Companies (the target record).
  3. HubSpot users can select a Label to identify the relationship.
  4. You can use the record-specific Filter button to narrow the target records down so you're only trying to match a subset of records. In this example, we only want to try and match companies where an owner value exists. Click Search to apply the filter and close the popup. Note that this filter will not update the results in the Record Viewer, only in your review CSV.
  5. Select the Record ID Field (which may be labeled differently for your CRM and record type) from the source record (which are deals in this example)
  6. Select the Associated Record ID (again, this may be labeled differently depending on your CRM and record type) Match Field to use for matching the target records (which are companies in this example).
  7. Use the Exact Match Comparison Rule. 
  8. You can leave the Ignored field blank.
  9. Select Entire Value from the Match Parts field.
Step 3: Copy a Value between the Associated Records

Create the rules to copy values between the records.

Under Step 3, select the field from the source record type (in this example, the deal owners), and the relevant field on the target records (the company owners). You can choose to copy values from the source record to the target, or target record to the source, and can add multiple rows to copy more than one field set.

The Copy Rule gives you three options: 

  • Only when Target Field is empty
  • Only when Source Field is not empty
  • Always copy

bulk-ops-hubspot-associated-deals-to-companies-step-3-copy.png

The preview CSV will include these fields, and specify if the value was copied for each record.

Step 4: Preview and Apply Changes in Your CRM

Preview Changes in a CSV Report

Now with the filters and association actions in place, you can preview the changes you are making to your data. That way, you can check to ensure the values are being copied correctly before you make those changes in your live database. 

Under Step 4, click the Review button, the select Preview in the popup.

associate-step-4-preview-mode.png

On the Notify tab, add any additional recipients who should receive the CSV (and make sure to hit Enter after each address). You can add colleagues and additional context here.

On the When tab, click the Run Now tab and select which records to apply the change to (in most cases this will be All, but if you have a large number of records, you may just want to do a chunk for your preview), then click the Run Now button.

associate-step-4-preview-run-now.png

Open the CSV file from your email in a spreadsheet application and review the columns. Each row in the CSV includes:

  1. Source record info (deals)
  2. Associated target record info (companies)
  3. Source field value before it is changed
  4. Target field value
  5. Result of the copy operation
  6. Result of the association. In this case, since these were pre-existing, it says "Added" which means an association was found. 

bulk-ops-hubspot-associated-deals-to-companies-csv.png

Apply Changes to the CRM

If everything in your CSV preview looks correct, return to Insycle and move forward with applying the changes to the live CRM data.

Under Step 4, click the Review button, this time select Update mode. 

On the When tab, click Run Now and select which records to apply the change to (in most cases this will be All), then click the Run Now button.

associate-step-4-update-run-now.png

Save Templates and Setup Automation for Ongoing Data Consistency

After you've seen the results in the CRM and you are satisfied with how the operation runs, you can save all of the configurations as a template and set up automation so this copy operation runs on a set schedule. HubSpot users can also set up a HubSpot workflow to trigger this process.

associate-step-4-update-automate-daily.png

 

Copying Industry Values between Associated Records

Most of the time we don't have the industry info available on contact records. In this example, we want to copy the company industry to the contacts associated to them. 

Process Summary

  1. Filter records to find only those that have existing associations and the needed values.
  2. Set rules to identify the linked records. 
  3. Set rules to copy values between the associated records.
  4. Preview and apply the changes to the CRM.

 

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Set Up Filter to Find Relevant Records

Navigate to RevOps Acceleration > Associate. Select the database and record type in the top menu. Then explore the templates for an existing solution that may be close to what you need.

Use the filter to find company records that already have contacts associated to them, and also have a value in the Industry field.

bulk-ops-hubspot-copy-from-associated-companies-to-contacts-step-1.png

When you click Search, Insycle will list records in the Record Viewer at the bottom of the page. If you make changes to the filter, you need to click the Search button again to refresh the viewer.

bulk-ops-hubspot-copy-from-associated-companies-to-contacts-record-viewer.png

Step 2: Configure Rules to Find the Related Records

Under Step 2, define the rules to find the previously linked records:

bulk-ops-hubspot-copy-from-associated-companies-to-contacts-step-2.png

  1. Action tells Insycle what to do to the records surfaced in Step 1. Use the Add action to find existing associations.
  2. Associate specifies the type of record you want to create the relationship with. In this example, we're looking for Companies (the source record) that have been associated to Contacts (the target record).
  3. HubSpot users can select a Label to identify the relationship.
  4. You can use the record-specific Filter button to narrow the target records down so you're only trying to match a subset of records. Click Search to apply the filter and close the popup. Note that this filter will not update the results in the Record Viewer, only in your review CSV.
  5. Select the Record ID Field (which may be labeled differently for your CRM and record type) from the source record. This is companies in this example
  6. Select the Associated Record ID (again, this may be labeled differently depending on your CRM and record type) Match Field to use for matching the target records (which are contacts in this example).
  7. Use the Exact Match Comparison Rule. 
  8. You can leave the Ignored field blank.
  9. Select Entire Value from the Match Parts field.
Step 3: Copy a Value between the Associated Records

In Step 3, create the rules to copy values between the records. All writable fields are available for each record type.

Select the field from the source record type (in this example, the company industry), and the relevant field on the target records (the contact industry). You can choose to copy values from the source record to the target, or target record to the source, and can add multiple rows to copy more than one field set. In this example, the industry value from the company will be copied to the contacts.

The Copy Rule gives you three options: 

  • Only when Target Field is empty
  • Only when Source Field is not empty
  • Always copy

bulk-ops-hubspot-copy-from-associated-companies-to-contacts-step-3.png

The preview CSV will include these fields, and specify if the value was copied for each record.

Step 4: Preview and Apply Changes in Your CRM

Preview Changes in a CSV Report

Now with the filters and association actions in place, you can preview the changes you are making to your data. That way, you can check to ensure the values are being copied correctly before you make those changes in your live database. 

First, under Step 4, click the Review button.

In the Bulk Associate popup, select Preview and click Next.

associate-step-4-preview-mode.png

On the Notify tab, add any additional recipients who should receive the CSV (and make sure to hit Enter after each address). You can add colleagues and additional context here.

On the When tab, click the Run Now tab and select which records to apply the change to (in most cases this will be All, but if you have a large number of records, you may just want to do a chunk for your preview), then click the Run Now button.

associate-step-4-preview-run-now.png

Open the CSV file from your email in a spreadsheet application and review the columns. Each row in the CSV includes:

  1. Source record info (companies)
  2. Associated target record info (contacts)
  3. Source field value before it is changed
  4. Target field value
  5. Result of the copy operation
  6. Result of the association. In this case, since these were pre-existing, it says "Added" which means an association was found. 

bulk-ops-hubspot-copy-from-associated-companies-to-contacts-review-csv.png

Apply Changes to the CRM

If everything in your CSV preview looks correct, return to Insycle and move forward with applying the changes to the live CRM data.

Under Step 4, click the Review button, this time select Update mode. 

On the When tab, click Run Now and select which records to apply the change to (in most cases this will be All), then click the Run Now button.

associate-step-4-update-run-now.png

Save Templates and Setup Automation for Ongoing Data Consistency

After you've seen the results in the CRM and you are satisfied with how the operation runs, you can save all of the configurations as a template and set up automation so this copy operation runs on a set schedule. HubSpot users can also set up a HubSpot workflow to trigger this process.

associate-step-4-update-automate-daily.png

Best Practices for Copying Values

When copying content between associated records, it is best to copy the value from the record that is the larger entity or parent record. For example, when copying values between contacts and companies, you would want to use the company value. 

Advanced How-Tos

Flag Unmatched Records in Your Inbox

When using the Associate app, you have the option to be alerted when records aren’t matched. This may be helpful if you want to investigate and address any records where a relationship has not been created.

Under Step 2 check the Count unmatched records as Failed box.

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Then in the Step 4 popup on the Notify tab, you can select the email delivery option “Always send,” or “Send when errors.”

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When checked, any record where there is no match to create the association will be counted as “Failed.” This will be reflected by a “with Failures” suffix on the report email subject line…

associate-count-as-failed-inbox-email-subject-with-failures.png

…and a, "Failed, no matching record found (use 'Grid Edit' to troubleshoot)" message in the Result column of the CSV report.

associate-hubspot-contacts-to-companies-csv-failed-unmatched-result.png

When you save this associate configuration as a template and set up automation, the report emails will let you know when a relationship has not been created for a record so you can address it as needed.

Troubleshooting

There's a "Failed, multiple sources/target matches," Result in CSV

A "Failed, multiple target matches (x)" or "Multiple sources matched" result occurs when multiple records meet your matching specifications. For example, if you were linking contacts to companies, and Insycle found ten company records with the name "Microsoft," it wouldn't know which Microsoft to establish the relationship with.

associate-hubspot-contacts-to-companies-csv-highlight-failed-result.png

There are a few options for resolving this issue:

  1. If there shouldn't be multiples of these records you should first go through the process of merging duplicates before trying to create these relationships.
  2. If there are supposed to be multiple similar, but distinct records, you can add another matching field in Step 2 to make the criteria more specific. A record would have to match both field values to be considered appropriate for making the relationship. associate-hubspot-contacts-to-companies-step-2-domain-and-country.png
  3. Or, use the filter in Step 2 to narrow the records to be associated.
    associate-hubspot-contacts-to-companies-step-2-companies-filter-w-arrow.png
    In the filter popup you could, for example, add the "Company name," field and set the Condition, "contains" "HQ." This tells Insycle to only consider companies for association if the Company Name value includes the term "HQ."
    bulk-op-hubspot-companies-step-2-companies-filter-hq-604px.png
There's an "Unmodified, no matching record found…," Result in CSV

An "Unmodified, no matching record found (use 'Grid Edit' to troubleshoot)" result occurs when there aren’t any records that meet your matching specifications.

associate-contacts-to-companies-unmatched-result-csv.png

You can examine the data in the unmatched records and troubleshoot using the Grid Edit module. Look at different fields and values to identify why your associate setup didn’t work for the record. Then decide what match options could work or if some cleanup is needed.

Learn more about reviewing your data using the Grid Edit module.

There's a "Failed, no matching record found…," Result in CSV

When using the Associate app, you have the option under Step 2 to Count unmatched records as Failed. When checked, any record where there is no match to create the association will be counted as “Failed.” This will be reflected by a, "Failed, no matching record found (use 'Grid Edit' to troubleshoot)" message in the Result column of the CSV report.

associate-hubspot-contacts-to-companies-csv-failed-unmatched-result.png

You can examine the data in the unmatched records and troubleshoot using the Grid Edit module. Look at different fields and values to identify why your associate setup didn’t work for the record. Then decide what match options could work or if some cleanup is needed.

Learn more about reviewing your data using the Grid Edit module.

No Obvious Field to Use for Matching Between the Two Record Types

Bulk associations require that you have a field that you can use to match the two records. For instance, you might select "Company" for contact records, and "Company Name" for company records. You then use these two fields to associate the two records.

But what do you do if you have no obvious matching field between the two record types that you would like to associate?

This is a fairly common scenario. For example, maybe you would like to associate contacts not only with the company that they work for but with the parent company as well. In this scenario, it is not very likely that you capture the parent company on the Contact record, which means that you may have no field to use to match the association. As a result, you'll need to create a custom field for contacts and companies, such as "Custom Parent Company." Ideally, if child companies are already associated with parent companies, you'll be able to pull this data from your company records and populate both custom fields using your CRM's automation features.

Then, you'll be able to use the Custom Parent Company field for both contacts and companies to make the patch.

The key is finding a data point that would allow you to match the associations, even if it is only available for one record type. Then we create the custom matching fields that allow us to make the associations.

It's Taking a Long Time for Insycle to Find Related Records

It can take a while for Insycle to find and match records if the fields being used to identify the relationship have very long values. The longer the values the longer it takes Insycle to process the data and generate the results. This might come up when using links with long ID numbers, LinkedIn bios, or other URLs with long strings (e.g., https://www.linkedin.com/in/svadin%C3%ADr-n%C4%9Bmec-1234b31a3/).

If the end of the values are all unique you can try and speed this up by using the Match Parts parameter under Step 2, which will limit the comparison to the last several characters.

associate-hubspot-contacts-to-companies-step-2-linkedin-bio.png

Or use the Ignore Text (Substrings) parameter, and click the Terms button.

associate-hubspot-contacts-to-companies-step-2-linkedin-bio-terms-btn-highlighted.png

On the Ignored Text tab of the popup, add the common portion of the URL or text string.

merge-duplicates-linkedin-bio-step-1-ignored-text-popup.png

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are some records showing as "Unmodified" in the Result popup?

If you run the operation and see "Unmodified" records in the Bulk Associate Result popup, this means Insycle was not able to find the associated records for these.

bulk-ops-hubspot-copy-from-associated-contacts-to-companies-update-result-popup.png

This often comes up when the record does not have an association. To avoid this, exclude records that don't have associations using the filter under Step 1.

bulk-ops-hubspot-copy-from-associated-contacts-to-companies-step-1.png

Additionally, for HubSpot records, ensure the association has a label that matches the associated ID type. For example, if using the Primary Associated Company ID to identify contacts associated to companies, if the relationship does not have the "Primary" label it won't be considered a match and the records will show as "Unmodified."

bulk-ops-hubspot-copy-from-associated-contacts-to-companies-step-2.png

Additional Resources

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