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 with companies and copy the owner value from the company record to each of the deals.
Process Summary
- Filter records to find only those that have existing associations.
- Set rules to identify the linked records.
- Set rules to copy values between the associated records.
- Preview and apply the changes to the CRM.
Step-by-Step Instructions
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 with companies, use the filter to include only deals where the associated company value exists.
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.
Under Step 2, define the rules to find the previously linked records:
- Action tells Insycle what to do to the records surfaced in Step 1. Use the Add action to find existing associations.
- Associate specifies the type of record you want to create the relationship with. In this example, we're looking for Deals that have been associated to Companies.
- HubSpot users can select a Label to identify the relationship.
- You can use the record-specific Filter button to narrow the company 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.
- Click the Selection button to define rules for picking the company if there are multiple matches found.
- For the Deals Field, select the Record ID (which may be labeled differently for your CRM and record type) you want to try and match with the company record.
- For the Companies Field, select the Associated Record ID (again, this may be labeled differently depending on your CRM and record type) with the value that should match the deal field.
- Use the Exact Match Comparison Rule.
- You can leave the Ignored field blank.
- Select Entire Value from the Match Parts field.
Create the rules to copy values between the records.
Under Step 3, select the field from the deal record, and the relevant field on the company records. You can choose to copy values from the deal record to the company, or company record to the deal, and can add multiple rows to copy more than one field set.
The Copy Rule gives you three options:
- Only when [the record you're linking to] field is empty
- Only when [the record you're linking from] field is not empty
- Always copy
The preview CSV will include these fields and specify if the value was copied for each record.
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.
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.
Open the CSV file from your email in a spreadsheet application and review the columns. Each row in the CSV includes:
- Result of the association. In this case, since these were pre-existing, it says "Added" which means an association was found.
- A Message with details.
- Deals record info (source).
- Associated company record info (target).
- Source field value before it is changed.
- Target field value.
- Result of the copy operation. In this example, the owner was copied from the target (companies) to the source (deals).
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.
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.
Copying Industry Values between Associated Records
Most of the time, we don't have industry information available on contact records. In this example, we want to copy the company industry to the contacts associated with them.
Process Summary
- Filter records to find only those that have existing associations and the needed values.
- Set rules to identify the linked records.
- Set rules to copy values between the associated records.
- Preview and apply the changes to the CRM.
Step-by-Step Instructions
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.
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.
Under Step 2, define the rules to find the previously linked records:
- Action tells Insycle what to do to the records surfaced in Step 1. Use the Add action to find existing associations.
- Associate specifies the type of record you want to create the relationship with. In this example, we're looking for Companies that have been associated to Contacts.
- HubSpot users can select a Label to identify the relationship.
- 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.
- Click the Selection button to define rules for picking the contact if there are multiple matches found.
- For the Companies Field, select the Record ID (which may be labeled differently for your CRM and record type) you want to try and match with the contacts record.
- For the Contacts Field, select the Associated Record ID (again, this may be labeled differently depending on your CRM and record type) with the value that should match the company field.
- Use the Exact Match Comparison Rule.
- You can leave the Ignored field blank.
- Select Entire Value from the Match Parts field.
In Step 3, create the rules to copy values between the records. All writable fields are available for each record type.
Select the Companies Field (in this example, the company industry), and the relevant Contacts Field (the contact industry). You can choose to copy values from the company record to the contact, or company record to the contact, and can add multiple rows to copy more values. In this example, the industry value from the company will be copied to the contacts.
The Copy Rule gives you three options:
- Only when [the record you're linking to] field is empty
- Only when [the record you're linking from] field is not empty
- Always copy
The preview CSV will include these fields and specify if the value was copied for each record.
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.
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.
Open the CSV file from your email in a spreadsheet application and review the columns. Each row in the CSV includes:
- Companies record info (source)
- Associated contacts record info (target)
- Source field value before it is changed
- Target field value
- Result of the copy operation. In this example, the industry will be copied from the source (companies) to the target (contacts).
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.
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.
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
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.
Then in the Step 4 popup on the Notify tab, you can select the email delivery option “Always send,” or “Send when errors.”
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…
…and a "Failed," Result, and "No matching record found (use 'Grid Edit' to troubleshoot)" Message in the CSV report.
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
A "Failed" Result with the Message "Multiple target matches (x)..." or "Multiple source matches..." 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.
There are a few options for resolving this issue:
- 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.
- 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.
- You can also use the Filter in Step 2 to narrow the records to be associated.
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."
- In cases where there are multiple target records that could match, you can add Selection rules for picking the appropriate record.
You can create rules in the selection pop-up to choose the most recently created record that has an owner assigned.
An "Unmodified" Result with the Message "Unmodified, no matching record found (use 'Grid Edit' to troubleshoot)" result occurs when there aren’t any records that meet your matching specifications.
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.
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" Result with the Message "No matching record found (use 'Grid Edit' to troubleshoot)" message in the CSV report.
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.
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 can use the Custom Parent Company field for both contacts and companies to make the match.
The key is finding a data point that allows 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 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.
Or use the Ignore Text (Substrings) parameter, and click the Terms button.
On the Ignored Text tab of the popup, add the common portion of the URL or text string.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
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.
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."
Additional Resources
Related Help Articles
- Link and Associate People to Companies
- Lead to Account Matching and Association Best Practices
- Associate or Link Parent-Child Companies, Create Accounts Hierarchy and Relationships
- App Overview: Associate
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