Automation Frustration

[Jonathan_Carpen]

Hello Everyone,
I have tried watching some videos to no avail…
I have a CRM base with many tables.
One is [Leads] which I populate with as many different fields as possible to qualify the company. Since I take the time to populate many fields, I then dig into the company and decide if I want to pass them along to sales but I do not want to loose the history of companies I have researched. So I have a pass/fail check box field that is filtered so only the pass appear in that view. I have this table linked with [Sales] so they can enter into the linked field and simply “pull in” leads from the [Leads] table from the + POP Up window.

What I would like to have happen is when the sales team brings that record into the [Sales] table it “disappears” from the [Leads] table so it is no longer available. I would prefer an updated field action in the leads record so it can be filtered out of view!
I have run a successful TRIGGER in the [Sales] table view by using
(when record enters view) or (when record is updated), using a single select pop up status field in the [Sales] table.
I cannot get past the Action part. I choose the (update record from Table) [Leads], then + Insert data from trigger field. I cannot seem to understand how to get it to "update only the record I pulled into the sales view from leads table or update the same record in the leads view with a new field like single line text that I can then filter out to again make it disappear from view.
Perhaps there is a better way to achieve this result as opposed to jamming all the fields in one table and just filter views. I was hoping to have the [Leads] table as my territory and keep sales in theirs!

P.S. Can you have the action enter a checkbox in a field in the updated record or is it usually a text string or date? like a simple true/false option.
Thank You
Jonathan

[Dominik_Bosnjak]

I have this table linked with [Sales] so they can enter into the linked field and simply “pull in” leads from the [Leads] table from the + POP Up window.

Are you talking about the linked record field? Given the manual nature of this system you’re describing, I don’t think you need an automation at all. The plethora of options can make it easy to overthink problems in Airtable.

Case in point, you haven’t even said what kind of data are you trying to update the record with. But if there is a dedicated linked record field inside that table of yours, I don’t see a reasong why you couldn’t set up your pending leads view so that it only shows the background checks you’ve cleared and which haven’t yet been claimed by your sales team, through automation or hand motions, alike.

P.S. Can you have the action enter a checkbox in a field in the updated record or is it usually a text string or date? like a simple true/false option.

Any data you can enter in by hand can be automated away… The “no-code” automation block does leave something to be desired, I agree, as the particular sequency of actions you need to take for some basic actions to work is pretty arbitrary. Basically, you need to target the record by id, as that’s how Airtable knows it entered into view in the first place. Plus, you can get stuck in the actual interface while testing. That nothwithstanding, like I sad, it really sounds like you’re overthinking this, you should be able to filter it out using the view configuration logic alone since all you want to do is configure your view. :slightly_smiling_face:

[Jonathan_Carpen]

Dominik_Bosnjak:

Are you talking about the linked record field?

Hello @Dominik_Bosnjak,
Thank you for taking an interest in my post and taking the time to respond. I tried to be as descriptive as possible however I did not want to post too much and have it run on!
To answer your first question I am talking about the linked record field! I set up the Sales table that way and then added a bunch of Lookup Fields directed back to Leads so sales team could see some of the information needed on the company. Then I added more fields in the [Sales] Table pertinent to additional information they would want to document as they interacted with the companies.
The type of information I was trying to update the Leads record with; when “pulled” into the [Sales] table through the Linked record field is: Any additional field that I can add and then populate the [Leads] table, Field, Record with so I can then “Filter” out those records that have been “pulled” and entered into the sales table through the linked record field or the state of a field is changed when sales changes the state of a field in a record.
I have a field in [Sales] table that is a Drop Down/Popup that gives them the opportunity to change the “State” of the record from (Untouched)-(Qualified)-(Rejected)-(First Appointment)…

You mention I may be overthinking the automation part above. So when I am in the [Leads] table you state I should be able to not only filter out the undesirable companies with my check box field.
In addition are you saying I should be able to use a FILTER to “hide” the records that sales has accessed through the linked record field.
Please describe that sounds easy!
I think by now you probably understand my goal. If I have muddled things please tell me how you would simply achieve the end result!
Thank you
Jonathan

[Jonathan_Carpen · Accepted solution]

Solved by not using an automation!
I did not realized I could limit the visible data in the [Sales] table +linked record field, by using the selection button in the linked field as (Limit record selection to a view). This allowed me to create a filtered view based on my pass/fail criteria in [Leads] table. I set up a lookup field in this view, back to the status of the customer in the [Sales] table and used a filter on it as in the [Leads] table well. Now when sales are in the [Sales] table and use the +linked field to “Pull in a potential lead”. They only see the leads approved by me and none that they have already brought into the table so long as they update the drop down (Single Select) menu in [Sales] as Qualified, Rejected, First Appointment, Etc…!!!