Enhancements to formula field in Zoho CRM

Enhancements to formula field in Zoho CRM

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

    Nederlandse Hulpbronnen


      • Recent Topics

      • Tasks not added to the timeline

        Hi, It would be nice if tasks and completed tasks were added to the timeline. Especially since there's no easy way to see if there are completed tasks without changing the default open tasks to completed tasks. Also the quick view doesn't display task

      • Tip 26: How to hide the "Submit" button from a form

        Hi everyone, Hope you're staying safe and working from home. We are, too. By now, we at Zoho are all very much accustomed to the new normal—working remotely. Today, we're back with yet another simple but interesting tip--how to hide the Submit button from your forms. In certain scenarios, you may want to hide the submit button from a form until all the fields are filled in.  Use case In this tip, we'll show you how to hide the Submit button while the user is entering data into the form, and then

      • Atualização que agora me lascou!

        Bom dia a todos! Recentemente a Zoho lançou uma atualização que permite edição do Subformulário de Itens Cotados na página de detahes do orçamento. Isso está acontecendo demais minha vida pois tenho várias funções nas quais o gatilho de funcionamento

      • Does funnel chart in Zoho Analytics have an option of deciding the order of the stages of funnel in custom manner?

        I want to build a funnel chart for my recruitment process. I have data from Zoho Recruit synced with Analytics. Upon creating the funnel chart with 'Stage' in X-axis and 'distinct count of candidate ID' in Y-axis, I can create a funnel chart. However,

      • Email alias per task list so these tasks don't get listed under a 'General' task list that we didn't create nor use

        Using an email alias to add tasks is very good for forwarding emails directly into Zoho Projects however everything gets listed under a 'General' task list which is counter-intuitive. It would be good to have an email alias for each task list so we can

      • eway Bill - Import (Good / Material)

        As we Importer of goods , for That first we Generate PO then , Payment, then after We create Bill of Entry  After Bill of Entry Anywhere (99%) cases material that arrived to port that comes to warehouse / factory for that Eway bill , we have to create

      • On Duty Requests using API

        Currently we can only do attendance entries using API, we need to make on Duty Requests using API Use Case We are using different on premise devices to track meetings, we want to sync this data with Zoho People Currently we are manually making on duty

      • Competitors When Deal Lost

        I would like to add a lookup field to deals that is only visible and only required when the deal is closed and the reason is marked as "Lost to Competitor" This lookup field would use the competitors module to allow the salesperson to link the deal to

      • User filter in Analytics Report

        We have connected Projects to Analytics so we can generate have a dashboard on task progress and completion. I've added a "User Name" user filter, with the intention that we will be able to quickly see tasks per task owner and what the statuses of those

      • Zoho Books | Product updates | March 2025

        Hello users, We have rolled out new updates in Zoho Books to enhance your accounting experience. These include the ability to create workflow rules for manual journals and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for customer and vendor portals. Explore these

      • Showing ALL missing data

        Hi, When I create a chart, I noticed that even when enabling the "show missing values" option, if, let's say, the current time period will not show as "0" on the chart if there's no data (rows) in the table. For example, I have this data: Week 1: 0 rows

      • Managing independent contractors

        We use Independent contractors as our field techs. I'm looking for a solution to be able to manage there timesheets, payments, and etc

      • Bigin_Email Notification not being sent when a new lead is created

        I have a workflow in BIGIN set to send an email notification when a new lead is created via a webform (integrated with ZohoForm) The trigger is whenever a contact is "Create or Edit". Conditioning was applied for contacts which source is "Website" If

      • How to convert spreadsheets to any format from your web app with Zoho Office Integrator

        Hello users, In this article, we will explore how to use Zoho Office Integrator's Spreadsheet Conversion API to convert spreadsheets to different formats such as CSV, XLSX, and ODT right from within your web app. Highlights of the Spreadsheet Conversion

      • Issue with "invoice_url" Field Showing Draft or Void Status

        We are using the Books API feature, and we are experiencing an issue with some invoices. When we use the "invoice_url" field to access an invoice link, we receive the error message: "Invoice that you are trying to access is in draft or void status." This

      • String field that contains html code to email

        Hello everyone, We've created a zoho flow that takes some input from the user (some keywords from a multi pick list) and sends them to a zoho flow which uses an ai prompt to create an email based on these keywords in an html form (e.g. use of <p>, <b>,

      • Zoho CRM API, Python SDK v7 Quoted_Items

        Hello. How do I use this SDK to retrieve the Quoted_Items from a Quote and downstream the items in a Sales Order I can see references to a constant INVENTORY_MODULES_ITEMS = ["invoiced_items", "quoted_items", "purchase_items", "ordered_items"] But I cannot

      • 【Zoho CRM】数式項目に関するアップデート

        ユーザーの皆さま、こんにちは。コミュニティチームの中野です。 今回は「Zoho CRM アップデート情報」の中から、数式項目のアップデート（3つの機能強化）をご紹介します。 【目次】 １、時間ベースの数式を自動更新とリアルタイムの値を表示 ２、条件に基づいて数式の実行停止 ３、既存の数式を使用して新しい数式を作成 １. 時間ベースの数式を自動更新とリアルタイムの値を表示 数式項目のプロパティに関数「Now()」を含む数式項目の値をリアルタイムで自動更新するというチェックボックスを導入しました。 Before：データが手動で編集されるか、自動化によって更新されたときにのみ、数式項目は最新の結果を計算し、値を表示していた。

      • Issue with syncing zoho campaigns with zoho crm

        Hi there, I want to sync both zoho campaigns with zoho crm however i have encountered some issues with this. when clicking manage in zoho i receive this message even though im using the same account and its an admin account. however when i go to zoho

      • Changing Color Theme of Guided Conversations

        Hello, We have recently added Guided Conversations to one of our websites, but I am wondering if there is a way to customize the color scheme so it matches the appearance of the website? Thank you in advance!

      • The ability to show fields from subforms when viewing from related list

        Hi there, Currently im only able to display default columns , however when im unable to add the columns/fields from the subform Ive created. below is a field called quantity from the subform. Im not able to search up this field from the manage column

      • Importar datos de clientes a Zoho CRM por medio de un archivo csv o un excel

        Importar datos de clientes a Zoho CRM por medio de un archivo csv o un excel Hola necesito hacer importacion de datos desde un sistema propio. Quiero exportar datos como nombre de Cliente, empresa, venta, importe, fecha.

      • HTML Email in Zoho Books

        Is it possible to create custom html email template in zoho books. 

      • Recording overpayment?

        So a customer just overpaid me and how do I record this? I can't enter an amount that is higher than the invoice amount. Eg. Invoice is $195 and he sent $200. He's a reccuring customer so is there a way to record so that he has a $5 advance for future invoice?

      • How can I add Material cost to a project?

        Hello, We use Zoho project to manage scheduled work. This consists in labour tasks and matrials cost. How can I add the material budget, then teh cost to the project? Thanks Barbara

      • Bigin-Zoho Projects Integration

        We're pleased to announce the Bigin-Zoho Projects integration, which enables you to manage client relationships and project tasks simultaneously in one system. With this integration, once you close a deal in Bigin, you can create a project in Zoho Projects

      • License Issue

        Hello Campaigns Team, we have 17 ZOHO One licenses but in campaigns I get the message that we have a free plan. How can we use ZOHO campaigns? As far as I understood campaigns is a part of ZOHO One. THX Niels

      • Dynamic Date Filtering for KPI Widgets – Need Help with Query Table

        Hello, I'm seeking help with setting up dynamic date filtering for my KPI widgets in Zoho Analytics. Below is an overview of my setup and the issues I'm facing: Why: I need my KPI widgets to update dynamically based on a date range selected via a dashboard

      • Count Function in Zoho Table

        Hi Zoho Team, Hope you're doing well. We would like to request the addition of a Count function in Zoho Table, similar to what exists in Excel, Google Sheets, and Airtable. Currently, there is no built-in way to count the occurrences of unique values

      • Leads, Prospects, Contacts, Clients and Me

        I'm trying to adapt my process to Zoho and am getting confused. Here's how I did it before. Maybe it's just terminology...? Leads - anyone from any source that I might want as a client. Leads include people that I am sending emails or tapping in social

      • Contacts, Leads, Prospects, Opportunities, Deals, Oh my!

        I've implemented three CRM's in previous companies, and led the effort for two of those.  I'm pretty familiar with sales pipeline management. For my current company, I chose Zoho One because of the broad range it includes for other business processes, and am generally quite happy.  So now it's time to dig into Zoho CRM And I find myself a bit befuddled. In other implementations, a "Contact" was just that- a name and some contact information.  Could be anybody whether interested in doing business

      • Visual Sync Status Indicator

        I think I've see in documentation that WorkDrive had the industry standard of indicating a sync status for individual files and folders. I'm just starting with WD and synced my first test folder, but there was no way to tell what's happening by just looking

      • Is there a way to make the new tab button open a new cloud document?

        I'm coming from Google Docs. Plus, is there any way to have a set a default font? I'm using the desktop app and I prefer the options I can get through the cloud documents. I want the convenience of just opening a new cloud document rather than doc that's

      • Trying to export a report to Excel via a deluge script

        I have this code from other posts but it gives me an error of improper statement, due to missing ; at end of line or incomplete expression. Tried lots of variations to no avail. openUrl(https://creatorapp.zoho.com/<username>/<app name>/XLSX/#Report:<reportname>,"same

      • ZOHO CRM API Python SDK Convert Quote to Sales Order

        I can see footprints that this may be possible through Inventory Conversion. But I am unable to locate any specific details or samples on how to do this. I am using the most current Python SDK. Any support or even sample code would be much appreciated

      • Displaying Notes/Description Columns in "All Expense" showing Tabs

        It's surprising to see there is no option to view description columns in tab showing all expenses. There are provisions for Reference# and Status, but why not the description/notes. Please Add. Thank You.

      • Zoho Books - uploading company logo squashed

        I am trying to upload my company logo with the following dimensions - 240 x 240 pixels and a file size of 106Kb. When I look at the logo in my invoices, it is squashed and not the right size. Any idea what is going on? I've tried uploading jpeg and png

      • Petty cash discrepancy

        How do I record a petty cash discrepancy? We had money go missing and need to document that in the books, but I'm not sure how to put that in. It's not an expense, just a loss of cash.

      • Missing Custom Fields in ZOHO Reports

        Hi, I am currently attempting to generate some reports using the programme. However, I have met some obstacles in the form of missing custom fields from the field selection panel when creating charts etc. Please advise. There are plenty of custom fields which is rather important to creating these reports. Thank you.

      • Zoho Workdrive file versions

        Hello. I have Workdrive setup to sync files offline to an external hard drive. The off line sync folder currently shows at 1.42 TB. I have a 5 TB storage limit in Workdrive. The cloud version of Workdrive says that I have used all 5 TB! I have 27, 285

      • Next Page