1. Parent Account - Child Account: The main account of a business and its subsidiary account can be linked using this field to easily navigate and manage both the accounts. 
2. Main Contact - Alternate Contact: If any of your business contacts has an alternate contact or secondary point of contact, a lookup field can link these two records for quick reference. 
3. Primary Case - Linked Case: A primary case in customer support might need to reference another related case directly. You can link these cases using a lookup field, allowing you to provide a comprehensive view of the issue. 
4. Master Product - Related Product: You can use this field to link two products where there is a primary product and a directly related product, which is an accessory or an updated version of the primary. 
   

Across Different Modules

When the lookup field links two records of different modules, they help you to quickly refer to the related records across the modules. This cross-module referencing makes it easier to access relevant details without shifting between modules and thereby enhances the interconnectedness of data. The following are a few examples of it:

1. Account to Contact: A contact in the Contacts module can be associated with an account in the Accounts module, displaying a complete view of the contact associated with the account.
2. Case to Product: A case from the Customer Service Cases module can be linked to the relevant product in the Products module for a detailed context and additional information. 
3. Potential to Account: A deal in the Potentials module can be connected with the relevant account in the Accounts module for easy access. 
   

Create a Lookup Field

1. Log in to Zoho Developer Console and click Vertical Solutions.
   
2. In the following page, click on the Edit icon of the solution to which the field has to be added.
   
3. In the left menu, navigate to Modules. 
4. Select the desired module from the Modules tab and choose the layout of your module.
5. From the New Fields section on the left pane, drag and drop the Lookup field to the layout.
   
   
6. Now, fill in the Lookup Properties based on your business requirements.
   
1. Field Label: It represents the display name of the lookup field.
   
2. Lookup Module: Choose the module to which the field has to establish a relationship.
   
3. Related List Title: Provide a display name for the related list, which will be created as a result of establishing a relationship between the two modules. 
   
   
4. Required: This marks the lookup field as a mandatory. 
5. Filter lookup records: Add criteria to refine the list of records shown in the lookup tab in order to associate it with a record. 
6. Validate lookup filter during record edit: If you want to automatically check if the look up field matches the filter criteria whenever you edit, select the 'Validate lookup filter during record edit' option. 
7. Click Done and Save the layout.
   
   

Lookup Filters

Lookup Filters are predefined criteria applied to lookup fields that help you to select only from a subset of records that meet specific conditions. This ensures only relevant records are associated and enhances data accuracy. 

You can apply multiple criteria to filter the lookup records displayed for a lookup field. For example, filter contacts by both Lead Source and Mailing City. 

Use conditional logic for constructing complex filters based on your specific business requirements. For example, you could create a filter for showing contacts from a specific region only if the lead source is Advertisement. 

The filter validation can be enabled by selecting the "Validate lookup filter during record edit" option. Whenever a record associated with another record is edited, this will validate the linked record's details and check if it matches the filter. 

For instance, a lookup field in the Deals module lists only active accounts from the Accounts module. If filter validation is enabled for this field, whenever a deal is edited, it automatically checks if the associated account is still active. This helps to retain the relationship of the records consistently, ensuring no updates to the linked record are missed. 

Here are a couple of examples of lookup filters in Vertical Solutions:

1. For support teams, you can apply a filter that lists only the cases with status "Open" and "Unresolved". It increases the team's focus on cases that need attention.
2. For sales teams, you can filter deals based on the deal stage "Negotiation" and "Proposal" for prioritizing their efforts and time management.
   

Add Lookup Filters

You can define a lookup field property either in a new or existing lookup field, in its properties section.  

1. Select the more icon of an existing lookup field and choose Edit Properties to define a filter for an existing lookup field or drag and drop a new lookup field to the layout based on your requirements.
   
   
2. In the Lookup Properties tab, select Filter lookup records and create your criteria to filter the records shown for associating them to the current record. 
1. The format of the criteria is <Fields in the module> <Comparator> <Value>.
   
2. You can create a complex criteria based on conditional logic (using AND and OR group operators). You can also edit the criteria pattern at the bottom for ease. 
   
3. If you want to automatically check if the look up field matches the filter criteria whenever you edit, select the 'Validate lookup filter during record edit' option. 
   
   
4. Click Done and Save. 
   

Points to Remember

1. Module Specific: The lookup filters are supported only in the modules where the Lookup and User Lookup fields are available. Note that the filter is applied specific to the module and its layout. 
   
2. Record Conversion: These filters are not validated when the records are created through conversion. However, the system will prompt the user to make changes to match the lookup filter whenever the converted record is edited. 
   For a seamless record conversion, we recommend you have the same lookup filter in both the modules i.e., Leads and Contacts / Accounts / Deals modules as well as in the case of Quotes and Sales Orders / Invoices modules.
3. Validate lookup filter during record edit: Whenever a record is updated, the system validates the data provided in the fields. Unless this option is selected in the Lookup Properties of the field, the existing values will not be validated. 
   
4. Data Import: While importing data, the values for the lookup field will not be imported unless they match the criteria. 
5. Workflow Rule: The lookup filters will not apply to the records created using a workflow.
   

Packaged Lookup Fields

Packaged Lookup fields are the ones that are created in the Developer console and deployed in the subscriber organizations during Signup or via upgrade. Following content will explain the behavior of such Lookup fields. 

To know more about packaging, refer to our guide on Components Packaging in Zoho Vertical Solutions Platform. 

Property	Upgrade Type	Modify Access
Field Label	Non-Upgradable	Developer Only
Lookup Module	Non-Upgradable	Non-Editable
Related List Title	Upgradable	Developer Only
Required	Upgradable	Developer Only
Filter lookup records	Upgradable	Developer Only
Validate lookup filter during record edit	Upgradable	Developer Only
Show Tooltip	Upgradable	Developer Only

Changes and Impacts

When a packaged Lookup field is modified, published, and pushed as an upgrade to the subscribers' accounts, the impacts to the existing records such as Leads, Contacts, Accounts, etc., are explained below.

1. Adding a new Lookup field 

The new lookup field will be available to all the existing records with no value. Subscribers can update the existing records with the values after the upgrade.

2.  Editing a Lookup field's properties

When editing a lookup field, certain changes may or may not impact existing records. Following are the behavior of different properties:

Field Label and Related List Title 

Changes to the Field Label and Related List Title will not affect any existing records. It only updates how the field and related records are displayed in the UI going forward. 

Required

1. Enabled: If the field is set to 'Required' and pushed as an upgrade, any edits to existing records within the respective layout will require the field to be filled before saving the changes.
2. Disabled: If the field is made optional and pushed as an upgrade, it will not impact existing records, and there will be no restrictions on saving edits without filling the field.
   

Filter Lookup Records

1. Enabled with Conditions: If lookup filters are enabled and specific conditions are defined, they will impact existing records during edits. Records with values that no longer meet the criteria will remain unchanged unless edited, but new entries must meet the conditions.
2. Disabled: If the lookup filter is disabled or removed, it will not affect existing records. The filter will simply no longer apply when records are edited in the future.
   

Validate Lookup Filter During Record Edit

This setting impacts existing records when they are edited. Any edits must comply with the defined filter conditions, ensuring that only valid records remain linked through the lookup field. 

3. Deleting a Lookup field 

Deleting the lookup field will lose the mapped values in the existing records. 

Caution! 

Deleting a Lookup field is a destructive change. It can have lasting effects on your subscriber data and configurations. Please consider the consequences carefully before proceeding, and only move forward if absolutely necessary.