Creating 'Sanity' Reports for Automated Processes

Creating 'Sanity' Reports for Automated Processes

Hi all

Have you created workflow automations in your CRM using Custom Functions or have other critical automations in place that you are dependant on working 100% of the time?

If one of these processes don't work how would you know? Yes, there is a failure report for Custom Functions however you need to manually check this all the time, it doesn't notify you of errors as they occur and it doesn't give you a clear reason for the failure. Also there maybe cases where an automation doesn't update records that may not be due to a Custom Function failing. 

It goes without saying that business process automation can grow a business exponentially however when critical automations don't work for any number of variable reasons this can negatively impact on business success. You may have cases where this has happened to you. If you have please leave your comments below. 

We recently completed a complex CRM implementation for an education business with over 150 automations, 18 Blueprints, 45 custom functions and several flows, within CRM and between Zoho Books. Many of these automations are dependant on others working correctly and also users following correct processes. As you can imagine with this many automations in place it is important to know as soon as something is not working as it should so you can immediately address the issue. 

Here is a what we put into place for all our clients. We call them 'Sanity Reports'. 

What we do is create report folders based on the automation analysis needed and set up simple tabular reports that list record information where an automation hasn't worked. (Eg. hasn't updated a certain field, hasn't created a record etc).

Here is a list of few we set up for the complex CRM implementation mentioned above that may give you some ideas on what you can set up in your CRM. Each one of these reports below are important because when a process fails for a record then it effects future automations, eg. Invoices not being created correctly, user unable to enroll a student, incorrect information sent etc: 

**note** 'Students' = Accounts & 'Interests' = Deals. This business also integrates with Zoho Books for Invoice and Recurring Invoice creation

=> Interests with no product Added
=> Current Students with no Products Added
=> More than 1 product added for a Student type
=> Current Students with no Product Added
=> Students with wrong territory information
=> Students with Wrong Territory Added
=> Unpaid Registration Invoice vs Interest Status
=> Registered Students with no invoices
=> Paid Registration with no Paid status in Interest
......and many others.....

Once these reports are set up you can set up scheduled reports to send these reports to management each day if you wish. Notification rules can also be set up. 

What the business wants to see in these reports is no data at all! This tells them all is working 100%

These 'Sanity' Reports serve 2 purposes:

1. Identify reasons for automations not working and then changing/updating automation, custom functions so that the same failure doesn't happen in future

2. Identify processes that aren't being following correctly by users and addressing these. Where a process is not followed correctly it may provide an opportunity to tweak user permissions or set up other customisations, automations so users can't make the same mistake in future.

Hope this post helps you automate your business success using you CRM and Zoho Products. Please leave a comment below if you found this topic helpful. 

Jason



    Access your files securely from anywhere











                            Zoho Developer Community





                                                  • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                  • Digest


                                                  • Functions


                                                  • Meetups


                                                  • Kbase


                                                  • Resources


                                                  • Glossary


                                                  • Desk Marketplace


                                                  • MVP Corner


                                                  • Word of the Day


                                                  • Ask the Experts





                                                            Manage your brands on social media



                                                                  Zoho TeamInbox Resources



                                                                      Zoho CRM Plus Resources

                                                                        Zoho Books Resources


                                                                          Zoho Subscriptions Resources

                                                                            Zoho Projects Resources


                                                                              Zoho Sprints Resources


                                                                                Qntrl Resources


                                                                                  Zoho Creator Resources



                                                                                      Zoho CRM Resources

                                                                                      • CRM Community Learning Series

                                                                                        CRM Community Learning Series


                                                                                      • Kaizen

                                                                                        Kaizen

                                                                                      • Functions

                                                                                        Functions

                                                                                      • Meetups

                                                                                        Meetups

                                                                                      • Kbase

                                                                                        Kbase

                                                                                      • Resources

                                                                                        Resources

                                                                                      • Digest

                                                                                        Digest

                                                                                      • CRM Marketplace

                                                                                        CRM Marketplace

                                                                                      • MVP Corner

                                                                                        MVP Corner







                                                                                          Design. Discuss. Deliver.

                                                                                          Create visually engaging stories with Zoho Show.

                                                                                          Get Started Now


                                                                                            Zoho Show Resources


                                                                                              Zoho Writer Writer

                                                                                              Get Started. Write Away!

                                                                                              Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.

                                                                                                Zoho CRM コンテンツ




                                                                                                  Nederlandse Hulpbronnen


                                                                                                      ご検討中の方




                                                                                                            • Recent Topics

                                                                                                            • Connecting Portals from different Zoho apps

                                                                                                              Hi, I note that Zoho has functionality for customer portals for several of the Zoho apps, like CRM, Projects, Desk etc. Is there any way to connect these portals?  It would be great if we could give our customers access to a portal in which they could
                                                                                                            • Billing Management: #5 Usage Billing

                                                                                                              After understanding the nuances of Advance Billing and Retainers, we will explore one of the booming billing models. Long ago, villagers drew water from a shared well in a small village. The well was a lifeline for the entire community. Ravi, the well
                                                                                                            • Function #10: Update item prices automatically based on the last transaction created

                                                                                                              In businesses, item prices are not always fixed and can fluctuate due to various factors. If you find yourself manually adjusting the item rates every time they change, we have the ideal time-saving solution for you. In today's post, we bring you custom
                                                                                                            • Inventory Adjustments

                                                                                                              Hi, How to transfer the material from one head to another ? Like materials purchased for manufacturing the laptop need to transfer from consumption inventory (Quantity of raw materials reduced) to destination inventory ( Quantity of Laptop increased)
                                                                                                            • Zoho CRM Community Digest - Aug 2025 | Part 1

                                                                                                              Hey everyone! The first half of August went by, and we have a few announcements and some good noteworthy discussions. So, let's take a look at them! Product Updates: Introducing Connected Records feature: Zoho CRM’s Next-Gen UI now includes Connected
                                                                                                            • Please make it easier to Pause syncing

                                                                                                              right now it takes 3 clicks to get there. sounds silly, but can you make it just 2 clicks to get it done instead? thats how dropbox does it, 2 clicks to pause instead of 3.
                                                                                                            • How to create a Zoho CRM report with 2 child modules

                                                                                                              Hi all, Is it possible to create a Zoho CRM report or chart with 2 child modules? After I add the first child module, the + button only adds another parent module. It won't let me add multiple child modules at once. We don't have Zoho Analytics and would
                                                                                                            • How can I add a new organization on Zoho Campaign

                                                                                                              I want to create a new organization with my Zoho Campaign
                                                                                                            • SalesIQとPageSenseの利用について

                                                                                                              初めての投稿で場違いだったらすいません。 弊社ではSalesIQを運用しているのですが、追加でPageSenseの導入もしたいと現場からの声があります。 両サービスともクッキー同意バナーが必要なサービスなのですが 弊社では同意無しに情報はとりませんという方針なので 2つ入れると2つバナーを出す必要がでてきます・・・ 両サービスを運用されてる方があれば運用状況とか教えてほしいです。 PageSenseについては詳細まで機能を理解してないなかでの質問です。
                                                                                                            • How to integrate Zoho Forms with Zoho CRM on Standard Plan

                                                                                                              Hello Zoho Support Team, I am using the Standard Zoho Forms plan (USD 30/user) and I would like to integrate Zoho Forms with Zoho CRM so that certain fields in my forms can be automatically prefilled using data from Deals in CRM. Specifically, I want
                                                                                                            • Export PDF File Name

                                                                                                              Is it possible to change the default Zoho .pdf naming scheme for inventory items like quotations? Would like to use the the Subject as the default quote name. Is this possible?
                                                                                                            • How to change the from address from 'no reply' for an email template in CRM

                                                                                                              Hi, We have our CRM set up with the from field as sales@XXX. I have just created a series of email templates and sent a test and they are sending from noreply@zoho I have tried searching for how to change the email template but don't have the options
                                                                                                            • Zoho CRM Client Script - SetCriteria in lookup Field

                                                                                                              Hello All One More Zoho CRM Client Script Tips & Trick. Now you can Set the Criteria on Your lookup in zoho CRM, It Comes With a Create Page, Edit Page, and Details Page (Standard). Example:- We have a Room Module that includes Room Name, Status, Campus,
                                                                                                            • Kaizen #71 - Client Script ZDKs for Detail (Canvas) Page

                                                                                                              Hello everyone! Welcome back to another interesting Kaizen post. In this post, we can discuss Client Script ZDKs support for Detail (Canvas) Page. What is Detail (Canvas) Page? A Detail(Canvas) Page allows you to customize the record detail page to your
                                                                                                            • Rich-text fields in Zoho CRM

                                                                                                              Hello everyone, We're thrilled to announce an important enhancement that will significantly enhance the readability and formatting capabilities of your information: rich text options for multi-line fields. With this update, you can now enjoy a more versatile
                                                                                                            • Zoho Reports Duplicating Entries

                                                                                                              I have a custom costing tab with a table where we entre invoices. These are under a Heading (PO Subject) and notes added in the form with different line items. In the reports, I have organised the report to group per PO Subject, with the total of the
                                                                                                            • Validation Rule Not Working for Mandatory Field in Zoho Blueprint

                                                                                                              As a Zoho user, we created a validation rule for a specific field. However, we noticed that when we made the same field mandatory within a Blueprint, the validation rule we defined did not work. When we reported this issue to Zoho Support, they stated
                                                                                                            • Notes Issues

                                                                                                              Been having issues with Notes in the CRM. Yesterday it wasn't showing the notes, but it got resolved after a few minutes., Now I have been having a hard time saving notes the whole day. Notes can't be saved by the save button. it's grayed out or not grayed
                                                                                                            • Export from Contacts module to Products module in Zoho CRM

                                                                                                              Good afternoon, I would like to send a number of contact info from the Contacts module into the customized module (tickets to an event) in one operation. I have selected several contacts in the Contact module (people who I have labelled as people I want
                                                                                                            • Zoho Commerce

                                                                                                              Hi, I have zoho one and use Zoho Books. I am very interested in Zoho Commerce , especially with how all is integrated but have a question. I do not want my store to show prices for customers that are not log in. Is there a way to hide the prices if not
                                                                                                            • Can’t receive emailI c

                                                                                                              I have generated a basic for but when I submit it I don’t get a email, I’ve been in the settings and tested me email, all appears correct, can you please help me
                                                                                                            • Data Capture for Historical Activity (Especially One Lead Downloading Variois reports without Overwriting the info)

                                                                                                              Is there a better way in Zoho CRM to capture and archive a lead’s historical activity—specifically whenever they download reports—so that the data is stored without being overwritten?”
                                                                                                            • Client Script - Updating Field Value in Detail Page of a Lead

                                                                                                              Hello, I'm trying to use Client Script To enrich some data of the Lead when one of my User fill the "City" field in the detail page of the Lead. This is my Script: log (value); var response = ZDK.Apps.CRM.Functions.execute("getInfoCitta", { "nomeCitta":
                                                                                                            • Auto shapes in Zoho sheet.

                                                                                                              Does Zoho sheet supports inserting auto shapes (rectangle, circle...). I did not see any option to do so.  If its not supported currently, is there any plans on bring in this features. Any timelines ?
                                                                                                            • I Can't Clone Webinar that I Co-Organize

                                                                                                              How do i get our account admin to give me permission to clone our webinars? I am a co-organizer
                                                                                                            • How to get the call recording external ID via desk API

                                                                                                              I have enabled phonbridge integration with Zoom Call. I am trying to access the call recording in Zoom by calling Zoom API. I have built a Desk workflow to trigger on a new call, to call a custom function. when calling the API, the response doesn't contain
                                                                                                            • Can't View Project Names in Mobile App

                                                                                                              I can't view project names on PO's in the app, nor can I add that as a viewable PDF field in inventory on the computer. I've attached screenshots showing that in the mobile version whether you are on the PO, editing the PO, or viewing the PO line items,
                                                                                                            • How do you print a refund check to customer?

                                                                                                              Maybe this is a dumb question, but how does anyone print a refund check to a customer? We cant find anywhere to either just print a check and pick a customer, or where to do so from a credit note.
                                                                                                            • Notebook

                                                                                                              I have purchased the monthly pro subscription of Notebook. But it does not support my XP-Pen to write something in it. So it is not useful to me. Hence I am requesting you to help me to discontinue this subscription.
                                                                                                            • Domain Mapping & Image Publishing Issues on Zoho Sites

                                                                                                              Hello, I am facing two issues with my Zoho Sites account: 1. Images not visible after publishing. 2. Domain mapping error: "Domain already exists". I am a paid customer. Please connect me with Live Chat Support or Zoho Assist so I can show my issue
                                                                                                            • Prevent duplicate with custom fields?

                                                                                                              I was wondering something about custom field/custom modules in Zoho Desk. For some reason you can make a custom field mandatory but not unique? For example, if I create a custom module to manage equipment and renewal and make a field serial number no
                                                                                                            • Two currencies

                                                                                                              More and more I am finding that internattional payments' fees are unpredictable. I would like, on my invoices that are in a foreign currency (eg. USD$ or EUR€) for there to be a GBP£ TOTAL display alongside the invoice's currency total. This would make
                                                                                                            • Generate leads from instagram

                                                                                                              hello i have question. If connect instagram using zoho social, it is possible to get lead from instagram? example if someone send me direct message or comment on my post and then they generate to lead
                                                                                                            • Where is the desktop app for Zoho Projects???

                                                                                                              As a project manager, I need a desktop app for the projects I manage. Yes, there's the web app, which is AWESOME for cross browser and platform compatibility... but I need a real desktop app for Projects that allow me to enter offline information where
                                                                                                            • White Label certificate

                                                                                                              Hi all, About 72 hours ago, we fulfilled all steps for white labeling (CNAME to point to mail.cs.zohohost.eu), but since then the configuration page is now stuck at "generating certificate" since 3 days. When I execute an NSLOOKUP mail.webfoundry.be it
                                                                                                            • How to Automate Monthly PDF Reports with Filters in Zoho Creator

                                                                                                              Hi everyone, I’m trying to build an automated monthly reporting process in Zoho Creator and would appreciate suggestions or best practices from anyone who has done something similar. What I’m trying to do: I have a form called New_Customer with fields
                                                                                                            • Feedback: Streamlining Note Management in Zoho Notebook

                                                                                                              Dear Team/Support, I would like to share some feedback regarding the note management system that could help improve usability and accessibility for users like myself. Notebook 1 (screenshot attached): Currently, the system does not allow selecting and
                                                                                                            • showing Limit exceeded

                                                                                                              Good afternoon...trust you're good. I've been having issues working with but it's not responding. it's showing Limit exceeded, sorry it seems like too many people are working on the sheet right now please try again later. meanwhile no one is working on
                                                                                                            • Sorting columns in Zoho Projects

                                                                                                              Hi, In project management best practice, sorting columns (ascending, descending) is an important tool. Sorting dates to see the order of tasks starting, sorting on priority or even on planned hours is a must for an efficient project control. Currently,
                                                                                                            • Upload API

                                                                                                              I'm trying to use the Upload API to upload some images and attach them to comments (https://desk.zoho.com/DeskAPIDocument#Uploads#Uploads_Uploadfile) - however I can only ever get a 401 or bad request back. I'm using an OAuth token with the Desk.tickets.ALL
                                                                                                            • Next Page