FAQs: Validation Rules
What is a validation rule in Zoho CRM and why do I need it?
In this data-driven world, it is crucial to ensure the validity and accuracy of your data. Data can enter your CRM system through various channels, such as advertisements, web forms, campaigns, emails, web pages, and more. A poorly-maintained dataset can cost a company in multiple ways: it can slow down your operations, lead to inaccurate reports, and be frustrating as you're forced to manually verify details for each record, diverting your attention from more critical tasks.
Before data becomes an official record, it must undergo validation, and validation rules play a pivotal role in this process. Essentially, you define the acceptable values for a field within a validation rule. If a field value entered for a record matches the criteria defined in the rule, the CRM system will trigger an alert and allow the record to be saved. You can set up administrator-defined values to determine whether entered data meets the criteria and can be saved in your CRM or if it doesn't meet the criteria and should be rejected with a user alert.
You have the flexibility to customize the alerts for both matched and mismatched data. This means you can tailor the messages to your specific needs. For example, you can establish different criteria-based error messages, like ensuring that discounts for the USA don't exceed 10%, while allowing discounts for the UK to go up to 15%. In this case, you would set up branching conditions for the discount fields and specify the appropriate error messages accordingly.
Please note that the validation rule will not execute if the field is set as read-only for any user profile.
How do I set up a validation rule for my CRM modules?
A user with Module Customization profile permission can create validation rules in Zoho CRM.
To setup a validation rule in your CRM account:
- Navigate to Setup(
) > Customization > Modules and Fields.
- Select the module from the list for which you want to create validation rules.
- Click on the Validation Rules on the modules page.
- Choose the layout for the field you wish to validate, belongs to.
- Click the Create New Validation Rule button.
- Select your field to validate from the drop-down and choose the validation type.
- Click Next.
In the Validation Rule Editor, specify the criteria to validate the filed.
Select an Execute rule from the drop-down list.
- In the Validation Rule Editor, enter the alert message that should be thrown for records that meet the condition.
For example: "The mobile number must have 10 digits" - To create multiple conditions, hover over the More icon and click Edit.
- For Which records would you like to apply the rule on? select Choose based on specific conditions.
- Define each condition and specify the appropriate error message.
Click Add another option to change the value of the primary field and configure different alert messages as required.
Click Save.
Can I validate data for all the fields in my records?
The data for all system-defined fields can be validated using a validation rule. However, as of now, custom-created fields cannot be validated through validation rules.
What is the order of execution when all of the automation rules are configured in your CRM account?
In Zoho CRM, if all of these automation configurations are set up, they will follow this specific execution order:
- Assignment Rules: The initial step involves assigning an owner to any record entering the CRM system.
- Review Process: If incoming records meet the review process conditions, they must undergo review by an authorized reviewer before proceeding further within the CRM.
- Scoring Rules: Subsequently, scoring rules are applied to the record.
- Workflow Rules: Any configured workflow rules come into play at this stage.
- Approval Process: The record enters the approval process based on the predefined criteria.
These five processes occur sequentially. If additional workflow rules are configured, they will trigger based on their respective execution criteria. For example, a workflow rule has been set that if the lead status is "Ready to be engaged", then a welcome email will be sent. In this case, the email will be triggered as soon as the status matches this criteria, regardless of other automations.
- Blueprint: Following the above steps, the Blueprint comes into effect.
- Scoring Rules (Repeat): Scoring rules are applied once more in this loop to ensure that the score is updated upon the execution of actions.
- CommandCenter: Finally, the CommandCenter process is initiated, completing the comprehensive automation workflow within Zoho CRM.
The Timeline will display the order each process was executed in your CRM account.
How can I validate a mobile number format in Zoho CRM?
You can establish rules to validate the character count for mobile numbers. For example, you can stipulate that there must be exactly 10 digits for the system to accept and save a mobile number. Alternatively, when the country is specified as India, you can require that the number begins with "+91" to validate it accordingly. These rules enable precise validation of mobile numbers based on their respective criteria.
Can I add multiple conditions in validation rules?
Yes, you can add multiple conditions in validation rules.
Can I reorder the conditions setup for validation rules?
Yes, you can reorder the conditions set up for validation rules, allowing you to rearrange the criteria for rule execution.
We hope that this list of frequently asked questions about workflow rules is informative. If you still have questions that haven't been addressed, please let us know here. We will be happy to discuss them with our subject matter experts and add them in the future. And please don't forget to share your rating below!
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