Enhancements to the formula field in Zoho CRM: Auto-refresh formulas with the "Now" function, stop formula executions based on criteria, and include formulas within formulas

Enhancements to the formula field in Zoho CRM: Auto-refresh formulas with the "Now" function, stop formula executions based on criteria, and include formulas within formulas

Dear Customers,

We hope you're well!

By their nature, modern businesses rely every day on computations, whether it's to calculate the price of a product, assess ROI, evaluate the lifetime value of a customer, or even determine the age of a record.
With Zoho CRM, you can include such calculations within records using the formula field. Today, we're introducing some new enhancements that aim to improve the accuracy and usability of formulas in your business processes.


Let's look at them!

Enhancement 1: Auto-refresh time-based formulas to view real-time values.

Businesses rely on time-based computations to conduct various analyses. Some computations measure time like a stopwatch. For example:
  • To ascertain the possibility a customer might churn, you would compute the age of their deals.
  • To validate an applicant's eligibility for an insurance policy, you would calculate the age of the applicant as of the current date.

The above examples are ongoing calculations that show the age of the record or of the customers. For these types of computations, you might expect that the formula is constantly ticking and rendering an accurate time measurement whenever you view the record. However, formula fields in fact compute and render the latest result only when the record is edited manually or updated via automation. By simply viewing a record, an agent may not be seeing accurate results. This enhancement addresses this.
Though formulas that provide the latest values include a "now" function in their syntax, computing all of these formulas continually and concurrently across all records poses a significant technical constraint. To address this constraint, we've introduced a checkbox to the formula field property labeled, Automatically refresh formula fields containing the Now function in real time.

If checked, the auto-refresh checkbox makes the relevant formula run every time the user visits or edits the record. This means users will always see the correct time measurements.

Info
Limitation:
  • You can apply the auto-refresh only for two fields with the Now function per module.
  • Formulas with date/ date time return types cannot be used in workflows that are based on date/time -based triggers.
  • Fields enabled with auto-refresh will have updated values every time you view them. But, this doesn't qualify for record edit. If you have automations based on edit of a record, this record will not be used unless the record is really "edited".
  • Also, creating custom views and filters using these fields cannot be done.

Enhancement 2: Stop formula executions based on criteria

In contrast to the case above—where you'd expect the formula to run constantly—there are scenarios wherein you may want to stop a computation from executing. Let's say a customer has churned, and you want to calculate the time it took them to churn. In that case, you might want the formula to stop computing under certain conditions.

Accordingly, you can use this new function to:
  • Calculate the number of days the deal was under negotiation
  • Calculate the number of days spent in trial before conversion
  • Calculate the number of days taken to ship a product
You may want to stop ongoing computations whenever there are events acting upon a given record. By doing so, you can determine the amount of time the record spent in a particular stage.

Previously, there hasn't been any functionality in Zoho CRM that effectively stops a formula from computing. Even when a cutoff date has passed, formulas continued to compute durations. With this enhancement, you can stop computations or freeze values based on specific criteria.

With these two enhancements, you can choose how you want your time-based formulas to be computed—to keep them running or to stop at a given time.

Info
Limitation:
A formula field that has auto-refresh and stop criteria enabled, then those fields cannot have multiline fields, picklists, and lookup fields as participating fields.

Enhancement 3: Include an existing formula as part of another formula's component

A formula is only as powerful as its components. Zoho CRM enables you to construct various complex formulas, but one missing piece has been the inability to include an existing formula field to construct a new one.

Thus far, you could do this by building a long and linear syntax.

For example, let's say you want to determine the discounted value and overall discount percentage for your finalized quotes. Firstly, to determine the discount value, you'd write a formula.

Next, to find the discount percentage, you'd write another formula that looks something like this:

As you can see, the structure of the formula involves an existing computation. In Zoho CRM, to achieve this, you'd first formulate the discount value, and then—to find the percentage—you have to repeat the discount formula to get the percentage.

For a simple formula like this, the syntax is fairly easy to understand. But imagine calculating commissions, which would involve several smaller formulas—in which case, you have to repeat the entire formula structure even if you already have them computed in your record layout.

This is complex, redundant, and time-consuming—problems that this latest enhancement addresses.

A formula field looks like any other field in Zoho CRM. Thus, in addition to the list of fields available under the fields part of the formula configuration, all the existing formula fields will also be listed. Admins can construct new formulas using the existing formulas without having to repeat syntax.

That's all for the updates. If you have any feedback or questions, please drop them in the comments section. Let's connect!

QuoteRelease plan: These enhancements are lined up for release DC by DC, gradually. We will keep you posted on the comments accordingly.

Thanks and have a good one!
Kind regards,
Saranya Balasubramanian

    • Recent Topics

    • Error AS101 when adding new email alias

      Hi, I am trying to add apple@(mydomain).com The error AS101 is shown while I try to add the alias.

    • I can't add a new customer in Zoho invoice? Anyone had this issue before?

      Ive been using Zoho invoice for over 6 years. Today I wanted to add a new customer to send an invoice to but it doesn't save when I try to access it from the pulldown menu when you go to send a new invoice.

    • No Need To Fix Something That Is Working

      Zoho Books is a great financial tool which helps businesses to become more efficient and productive with day-to-day operations. As such, every change, upgrade, improvement needs to be carefully thought before implemented in the software and I'm sure Zoho

    • Creating a task, i can not work out how to get ID for What_Id

      hi From Module A function I map Module B record reference membershipid (ours). I need Module B Zoho ID to create the related to on task. All examples i've seen start with the Zoho ID. void automation.LTM_Assign_Dispute_Task(String membershipid) { try

    • Using email "importance" as workflow-criteria

      I'd like to set up a workflow that triggers if an incoming email has been flagged as "high importance" but I'm not seeing any way to do that. Hopefully I'm just missing something obvious...?

    • What is Resolution Time in Business Hours

      HI, What is the formula used to find the total time spent by an agent on a particular ticket? How is Resolution Time in Business Hours calculated in Zohodesk? As we need to find out the time spent on the ticket's solution by an agent we seek your assistance

    • Check & Unchecked Task Segregation in Export

      It must have a feature to represent checked and unchecked tasks as [ ] and [✅] respectively when exporting it to Arratai or WhatsApp ; as Keep Notes by Google contains…

    • WorkDrive Download Issue

      My client has been sending me files via WorkDrive, which generally has worked fine. Recently files won't download at all. If you try and individually select and download a file, a popup will appear in the bottom right saying it's preparing and then it

    • Feature Request: Add Tax ID Display on Event Tickets

      Hello Backstage Team, I’ve had several clients bring up an issue regarding tax compliance when creating events. For tax purposes, they are required to show their Tax ID on the event tickets. Currently, this isn’t an option, so they have to manually generate

    • Resolution Time Report

      From data to decisions: A deep dive into ticketing system reports What are time-based reports? Time-based reports are valuable tools that help us understand how well things are going by breaking down key metrics over specific periods. By tracking, measuring,

    • Support Custom Background in Zoho Cliq Video Calls and Meetings

      Hello Zoho Cliq Team, We hope you are doing well. We would like to request an enhancement to the video background capabilities in Zoho Cliq, specifically the ability to upload and use custom backgrounds. Current Limitation At present, Zoho Cliq allows

    • Add RTL (Right-to-Left) Text Direction Button in Zoho Cliq

      Greetings Zoho Team, We would like to request the addition of an RTL (Right-to-Left) text direction button in Zoho Cliq, similar to what is already available in other Zoho apps like Zoho Desk. Currently, while using Zoho Cliq with the English interface,

    • Enable Backgrounds and Video Filters for 1:1 Cliq Calls Across All Zoho Entry

      Hello Zoho Cliq Team, We hope you are doing well. We would like to request an enhancement related specifically to 1:1 video calls in Zoho Cliq. Current Behavior Zoho Cliq currently provides background and video filter options in the following scenarios:

    • Client Script | Update - Client Script Support For Custom Buttons

      Hello everyone! We are excited to announce one of the most requested features - Client Script support for Custom Buttons. This enhancement lets you run custom logic on button actions, giving you greater flexibility and control over your user interactions.

    • Proposal: Actionable API Error Messages to Reduce Support Ticket Volume

      I've encountered a long-standing frustration with how Zoho Creator's API communicates errors to developers, and I'm hoping the Zoho team can address this in a future update. This issue has persisted for over 9 years based on community discussions, and

    • Zoho Flow: Stripe a Zoho Marketing Automation

      Hola! Quiero hacer un flujo con Zoho Flow, para que cuando se haga un pago en Stripe, añada el lead en Zoho Marketing Automation. Lo he configurado, configurando el disparador como "Payment created" y mapeando el campo de Stripe "Receipt email address".

    • Not able to delete a QC nor able to revert or create a cycle of manufacturing for QC failed Jobs

      Not able to delete a QC nor able to revert or create a cycle of manufacturing for QC failed Jobs

    • Need Customer Item Inward Module along with QC

      Need Customer Item Inward Module along with QC 1. Using Transfer Orders hit the item balance sheet 2. Items without inventory it becomes difficult for tracking purpose. 3. Custom Modules become tedious to capture multiple items, item subforms are not

    • LESS_THAN_MIN_OCCURANCE - code 2945

      Hi I'm trying to post a customer record to creator API and getting this error message. So cryptic. Can someone please help? Thanks Varun

    • Introducing Radio Buttons and Numeric Range Sliders in Zoho CRM

      Release update: Currently out for CN, JN, AU and CA DCs (Free and standard editions) Hello everyone, We are pleased to share with you that Zoho CRM's Layout Editor now includes two new field formats— Radio Buttons and Sliders for Numeric Fields. These

    • Remove Powered by Zoho at the footer

      Hi, I've read two past tickets regarding this but it seems that the instructions given are outdated. I assume the layout keeps on changing, which makes it frustrating for me to search high and low. Please let me know how exactly do I do this now? Th

    • Zoho CRM for Everyone's NextGen UI Gets an Upgrade

      Hello Everyone We've made improvements to Zoho CRM for Everyone's Nextgen UI. These changes are the result of valuable feedback from you where we’ve focused on improving usability, providing wider screen space, and making navigation smoother so everything

    • Zoho email

      I need a list of email addresses of all contacts on my zoho

    • Error: Invalid Element tax_override_preference

      In both Books and Inventory, we're getting the following error whenever we try to enter any Bill: I think this is a bug. Even cloning an old bill (that obviously was entered just fine), this error occurs.

    • WhatsApp IM in Zoho Desk always routes to Admin instead of assigned agent

      Hello Zoho Experts, I connected WhatsApp IM to my Zoho Desk account. I only assigned my Customer Service (CS) agent to the WhatsApp channel, and I did NOT include Admin in this channel. However, every new WhatsApp conversation automatically gets assigned

    • Shift-Centric View for Assigning and Managing Shifts in Zoho People

      Hello Zoho People Product Team, Greetings and hope you are doing well. This feature request is related to Zoho People - please don't move it to zoho one! We would like to submit a feature request regarding the shift assignment and management view in Zoho

    • Zoho Sheet for Desktop

      Does Zoho plans to develop a Desktop version of Sheet that installs on the computer like was done with Writer?

    • Introducing parent-child ticketing in Zoho Desk [Early access]

      Hello Zoho Desk users! We have introduced the parent-child ticketing system to help customer service teams ensure efficient resolution of issues involving multiple, related tickets. You can now combine repetitive and interconnected tickets into parent-child

    • cant upload images in signature- urgent help needed. ta!

      HI, I have been trying to insert the company logo in the signature. i have tried it several times since yesterday, the longest I waited was 1 hour and 12 minutes for the pop up window to upload a 180 KB .jpg file. what am i doing wrong.. an urgent reply

    • Add Ticket button in Home view

      When I go to the My Tickets or the Knowledge Base view in our Help Centre, the Add Ticket button is available, but not in the Home view. I would really like for it to be displayed in the Home view as well. Is this possible? Thanks.

    • Problem using Zoho Desk API

      Goodmorning, I am trying to use the Zoho Desk API to create a dashboard in Grafana, but I am having a problem. Following the instructions in the API documentation, I created the API Console application (server-based application). Then I created the string

    • Add zoho calendar to google calendar

      Hi I keep seeing instructions on how to sync Zoho CRM calendar with google calendar but no instructions on how to view Zoho calendar in my google calendar.

    • City field suggestion in Zoho Books

      Hi team, We are using Customers module in Zoho Books. In the Address section, we want to understand whether the City field can show suggestions while typing using any API or built-in feature. For example, if a user types “Mum”, can the system suggest

    • Non-responsive views in Mobile Browser (iPad)

      Has anyone noticed that the creator applications when viewed in a mobile browser (iPad) lost its responsiveness? It now appears very small font size and need to zoom into to read contents. Obviously this make use by field staff quite difficult. This is not at all a good move, as lots of my users are depending on accessing the app in mobile devices (iPads), and very challenging and frustrating. 

    • How can I check all announce?

      Hiii, May I ask how can I check all the announce based on broadcast date instead of reply date based So that I will not will miss out any new function

    • How to apply customized Zoho Crm Home Page to all users?

      I have tried to study manuals and play with Zoho CRM but haven't found a way how to apply customized Zoho CRM Home Page as a (default) home page for other CRM users.. How that can be done, if possible? - kipi Moderation Update: Currently, each user has

    • CRM limit reached: only 2 subforms can be created

      we recently stumbled upon a limit of 2 subforms per module. while we found a workaround on this occasion, only 2 subforms can be quite limiting in an enterprise setting. @Anonymous User I've read about imminent increase of other components (e.

    • What are the create bill API line item requiered fields

      While the following documentation says that the line items array is requiered it doesn't say what if any files are requiered in the array. Does anyone know? API documentation: https://www.zoho.com/inventory/api/v1/bills/#create-a-bill I'm trying to add

    • How to print a label from zoho creator app?

      Hello, I would like to print a label from zoho creator app record similar to attached one. Size 74mm x 102mm. I tried record template. It leaves plenty of space around the content and also I couldn't set the height of the page. So it is not printing properly. Could someone please direct me to right direction for this requirement?

    • Let us view and export the full price books data from CRM

      I quote out of CRM, some of my clients have specialised pricing for specific products - therefore we use Price Books to manage these special prices. I can only see the breakdown of the products listed in the price book and the specialised pricing for

    • Next Page