HubSpot Bulk Operations Overview

bulk operations

Managing a HubSpot database is no small feat, especially when data clutter and inconsistencies start accumulating–affecting productivity, team morale, and your bottom line. Incorrect or useless data is more than just an inconvenience–it's a business obstacle that can balloon HubSpot costs, diminish email open rates, and tarnish your brand’s reputation.

With Insycle’s Bulk Operations module, you can surface problem data and make bulk updates based on your defined criteria. You can add or remove values in multi-select fields, find and delete potential junk records, make straightforward "If value=x, set it to=y" changes, and more. The built-in templates, powerful filtering, and flexible actions create a smoother data management experience for your team.

Key Use Cases

How It Works

The Bulk Operations module makes it easy to clear values, update fields, or perform deletions in bulk.

Powerful filtering options let you segment records to clean up problem areas, including low-value emails, invalid phone numbers, or any other troublesome attributes. Objects that meet these criteria can automatically be tidied up based on rules you create.

You can preview changes to ensure the operation runs as intended, then apply the changes to your live database. All these configurations can also be saved and automated, set to run automatically at regular intervals, putting your cleanup and update processes on autopilot.

Supported HubSpot Object Types

Insycle supports bulk operations on the following HubSpot object types:

  • Companies
  • Contacts
  • Courses
  • Custom Objects
  • Deals
  • Leads
  • Line Items
  • Listings
  • Orders
  • Tickets

You can select the object type you would like to work with in the top menu of each module or app.

HubSpot objects

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Filter Objects Down to Those You Want to Update

Navigate to Data Management > Bulk Operations.

Select the database and object type in the top menu. Then, explore the templates for an existing solution that may be close to what you need. 

Each row in Step 1 is for a field you want to look at to determine whether to include or exclude an object from this task. With this filter, you're telling Insycle what records you would like to update.

In the example below, objects that have an Industry value of "Software" will be included in this bulk operation.

Bulk Operations, Step 1 Filter

When you click Search, Insycle will list matching objects 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.

Record Viewer

Step 2: Configure Rules That Will Update Your Field Data

Now you'll tell Insycle what changes to make. 

Under Step 2, make sure you are working in the Update tab. When this action is applied, previously existing data will be removed from the field.

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  1. Select the relevant field you want to update from the Field Name dropdown. 
  2. Under New Value, type the value you would like to update your selected field with. 
  3. The Field Meta value provides information about the field type and is automatically populated by Insycle. This information will vary depending on the field type.

To add another field and make additional updates, click the + Field button. You could create a backup of the original value by writing it in a custom field.

Bulk Operations, Step 2 additional field

Step 3: Preview Changes and Update HubSpot Records

Preview Changes in the CSV Report

Now, with the filters and update actions in place, you can preview the changes you are making to your data. It's important to verify that your fields are being updated as expected before those changes are pushed to your live database.

Under Step 3, click the Review button, then select Preview in the popup.

Bulk Operations, Step 3 Preview

On the Notify tab, add any additional recipients who should receive the CSV (and make sure to hit Enter after each address). You can also provide additional context in the message subject or body.

On the When tab, click Run Now and select which objects to apply the change to (you could do 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.

bulk-ops-step-3-preview-run-now.png

Insycle will generate a preview CSV and send it to your email. Open the CSV file from your email in a spreadsheet application and review the values for each row.

For each field you’ve set up to change, a column will appear for both (Before) and (After). This will let you know what you started with and what change will be made to HubSpot. 

CSV Report

If your results don't look how you expected, return to your filters in Step 1 and actions in Step 2 and try making some adjustments, then preview again.

Apply Changes to HubSpot

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

Under Step 3, click the Review button; this time, select Update mode.

On the When tab, you should use Run Now the first time you apply these changes to HubSpot. If you have a large number of records, you may want to do a smaller batch to review the results in the CRM.

bulk-ops-step-3-update-run-now.png

Save Templates and Set Up Automation

After you've seen the results in HubSpot and are satisfied with how the operation runs, you can save your configuration as a template and set up automation so this transform operation runs on a set schedule. If you have several templates you'd like to run together automatically, you can create a Recipe which can then be integrated into HubSpot Workflows.

Return to the Template menu at the top of the page and click Copy to save your configurations as a new version of the template you started with. Then click the pencil to edit your new template name.

save-template-copy-and-rename.png

Under Step 3, click the Review button and select Update mode again.

On the Notify tab, select the send option appropriate for your automation: Always send, Send when errors, or Do not email.

Add any additional recipients who should receive the CSV (and make sure to hit Enter after each address). You can also provide additional context in the message subject or body.

On the When tab, select Automate and configure the frequency you'd like the template to run. When finished, click Schedule.

bulk-ops-step-3-update-automate-weekly.png

You can view all your scheduled automations at any time on the Operations > Automations page.

Create a Recipe and Integrate with HubSpot Workflows

When you have a solid set of templates that reliably update your records, you can put them together into a longer, ordered sequence as a Recipe. Then, you can schedule that Recipe to run on a consistent, set schedule. Your templates will run one after another in the order that you set.

cleanse-contacts-recipe.png

To add your Recipe to a HubSpot Workflow, it must be automated and set to Execute as HubSpot Workflow Action.

Learn more about integrating Insycle Recipes with HubSpot workflows.

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Audit Trail and History

With the Activity Tracker, you have a complete audit trail and history of changes made through Insycle, including processes run in Preview mode or data syncs. At any time you can download a CSV report that lets you see all of the changes that were made in a given run of the operation.

Navigate to Operations > Activity Tracker, search by module, app, or template name, then click the Run ID for the operation.

bulk-ops-activity-tracker-run-ID-w-arrow.png

Advanced How-Tos

Deleting Additional Email Addresses

Bulk deleting secondary email addresses from HubSpot contact objects is simple with the Bulk Operations module.

First, you filter your data down to the records that contain multiple email addresses. The "Additional email addresses" field is unique to Insycle, parsed from HubSpot's standard email field.

Step 1 search for additional email addresses

Then, you tell Insycle to clear the field and run the module. With just a few clicks, you've removed secondary emails from your contact objects.

Step 2 Delete additional email addresses

Learn more about bulk deleting extra emails from contacts in HubSpot.

Updating Multi-Select Checkbox Fields

Multi-select fields are often used for tracking things like interest in products, events attended, and other data that require consistent updating.

The issue is that appending new data to existing multi-select checkbox fields in HubSpot requires that you re-import your historical data along with the new multi-select data. Adding new selections to existing selections, without including those previous selections in the CSV, causes that data to be overwritten and lost in HubSpot.

Updating multi-select checkbox fields is simple. First, using the Bulk Operations module, you use rules to filter data down to those records that you would like to update.

With the right objects filtered, you can then append or subtract data from multi-select picklists in just a few clicks.

add-picklist_3.png

Learn more about bulk editing multi-select field values.

Viewing the Insycle Run ID Property in HubSpot

When working with HubSpot, for every Insycle operation that updates or creates a record, the Run ID will be updated in the custom property, Insycle Run ID

hubspot-contact-property-history-insycle-run-ID.png

If the Insycle Run ID doesn't already exist in your HubSpot database, add it as a custom property with the label "Insycle Run ID" to each object type as needed. 

This object label is the only requirement for the integration to work properly. It's not dependent on the internal name or underlying API field name.

hubspot-contacts-custom-property-insycle-run-ID.png

When using an Insycle Recipe that includes templates for more than one object type, such as companies and contacts, the same Run ID will appear in both HubSpot records.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I bulk update any field in my HubSpot database?

You can update any field in HubSpot that is writable using the Bulk Operations module. To see a full list of writable fields for each object type, use the Cleanse Data module.

Can I filter using one field and update the value of a different field?

Yes. While it is most common to filter by and update the same field, you can filter by one field, then update another.

In this example, when the Lifecycle Stage is "Lead," the custom field, Ready for Owner will be updated to a "Yes" value.

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Is the old data from the field deleted when I run the bulk update?

Yes, the pre-existing data in the record will be overwritten by the bulk update. If you need this data for reference or restoration, it will be available in the CSV in the Activity Tracker.

Can Insycle bulk delete data in HubSpot?

Yes, you can use Insycle to bulk delete your HubSpot data. Learn more about bulk deleting records.

Additional Resources

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