Explore Database Fields and Values

Before standardizing and making your data consistent, you need to know what is currently in your database.

In the Cleanse Data module, select a database and record type from the top menu. Then explore the templates for an existing solution that may be close to what you need.

Under Step 1, all fields for the record type are listed. This is not the record data itself but the meta-information about the fields in the database.

The Viewer shows the properties for each field, including the field's name, type, if it's editable, how many different values there are, and how many are empty. Learn more about interpreting these properties in the Advanced How-Tos below.

To narrow down the list of fields, use the Search.

In the example above, we searched for "industry." Looking at the properties, you can see that the Industry field has 20 unique values that can be explored further.

Under Step 2, select a field to explore from the Field Name dropdown. (This does the same thing as checking the box by the field name in Step 1.)

Once selected, the different values found in this field will populate the Record Viewer at the bottom of the page.

When you explore the different field values, you may notice some opportunities for cleanup. In the example below, there are several seemingly redundant technology-related industries. The "Tech" values could be updated to "Technology," while "Information Services" and "Computer & Network Security" could be looked at for overlap or misuse.

Click the checkbox to expand a value set. You can select multiple values to see the records for several values together.

This opens up a secondary Viewer below the first, where you can review the individual records that have the selected value(s). The field you have been exploring won't automatically appear here, so you may need to add it to the layout. 

If you'd like to see more information for each of the resulting records, you can alter the fields in the Viewer by using the Layout tab in Step 2. 

In the Record Viewer, check the box for the values you want to update. Or to make more granular changes, select individual records in the secondary Viewer.

Under Step 3, specify what the selected field values should be changed to. In this example, all the records that have an Industry of "Tech," will be updated to, "Technology."

Click the Update button and confirm the change. Note that there is no preview step here. Once confirmed, the update will be applied to your CRM.

To review changes after applying them in the CRM, use the Activity Tracker.

If you are satisfied with the updated results in your CRM, you can save the configuration for future use in a Template.

Looking at the information about each field can provide clues on data cleansing opportunities.

Field Label vs. Name

The Field Label is shown in the CRM interface while the Name is the column header in the database. 
If two fields have a similar Field Label, such as "Phone" versus "Phone Number," looking at the underlying field Name may reveal different information that clarifies the actual purpose. You may want to update one of the Field Labels to reflect the difference.

Type, Value, and Writable

• Type – Field type, such as a picklist, number, text string, date, timestamp, true/false (boolean), etc.
• Value – Describes the type of data stored in the field such as text, number, date, true/false, etc.
• Writable – In the Insycle app, checked = True, indicating the field can be edited. 

Unique Values

This is the count of different values that appear in this field across all records. This is a great place to look and see if there is data worth exploring. You could answer a question such as, "How many different job titles do we have?" It can also indicate a problem in fields where only a few values should be used, such as Industry or Product. This is especially relevant on fields that should be limited to a picklist or Yes/No values.

Empty Values

This is the number of records that don't have any value in the field.

Any field with a high number of empty values could indicate the field is unused or abandoned and needs cleanup. Or, it could indicate a syncing issue between Insycle and your CRM. If you see data in your CRM but the empty values number is high, contact Insycle support.

You can export the information for all fields in your CRM by clicking on the Export button in Step 1. This will include all the field information, not the records. 

If you'd like to see more information for each resulting record, you can alter the fields in the secondary Record Viewer by using the Layout tab in Step 2.

If you know a field in your CRM is used regularly but the empty values column for the field is high, this could indicate a syncing issue between Insycle and your CRM. Contact Insycle support for help.

If you are sure a field contains data in your CRM but aren't seeing the values or records in the Record Viewer at the bottom of the page, it is often due to the Filter settings under Step 2.

Here are a few things to look into:

1. Ensure there isn't anything in the filter you didn't intend to be. This often happens if you start with an existing template.
2. Ensure that your filter is accurate and not too specific. For instance, if you are using the "is" operator in your filter, you might broaden the condition using "contains" or "starts with" to identify other records with slight differences.
3. Make sure that you have clicked the Search button.

If you still don't see the expected data, it is likely a field syncing issue.

To refresh the data in Insycle, navigate to Settings > Sync Status, select the account, and click the Refresh Accounts List button. Alternatively, you could log out of Insycle and then log back in.

For help re-syncing a specific field, contact Insycle support.

A "-1" shows up when values for a field are currently not stored in Insycle. It indicates the CRM field is not syncing with Insycle. Note the Value column also shows, "not stored."

CRMs limit the number of fields that can be synced between Insycle and your database, so at a point, some will need to be excluded. If you discover a field that you need to sync but isn't, contact Insycle support for help. Fields can be prioritized to ensure the necessary fields are syncing.