Find Record Conditions Returning "Unknown Error Occurred" when using formula field in conditions

[Cole_Wedemeier]

Hello!!

I have an automation I'm creating where I need it to do a "find record" based on email address. In table A, the email address is a lookup field so I created a formula field titled "email for automation" and simply told the formula to populate the information from the lookup field (as lookup fields cannot be used in the conditional setup of automations). 

However, when I go to validate my find record, I get "Invalid Input Error"

Here are the details.

Table A "Bonus Delivery" 

Table B: "Webinar Registrants"

I'd like the automation to do the following: When a new record is created in Bonus Delivery, find record in Webinar Registrants, and IF FOUND, Update Bonus Delivery Record with a check in the Webinar field (such as the first screenshot shows). 

Here's my automation:
TRIGGER: When record is created

ACTION: Find Record in Webinar Registrations Where {Email} contains {Email For Automation} (this is the formula field that populates the lookup record data)

But in testing this step, I get the Unknown Error Occurred. The emails are exactly the same in all instances in both tables, yet I cannot figure out a workaround to find the record so I can update.

I feel as though using a formula field to populate a lookup fields data used to be a working solution to not being able to use that lookup field in automations, but if it did, it no longer works or I'm missing a key step in getting it to work. 

Any insight is helpful, thank you!

[Pascal_Gallais-]

Hello,

The problem comes from the fact that your formula "Email for automation" is not interpreted as a text field type, reason why the find records fails since you try to mach it with a text field in table "Webminar Registrant".

You can try the following.

Modify your formula as such to make the result a text type field:

Modify table "Webminar registrant" to add "#" at the end of each mail adress.

Your automation should work.

Note that I would modifiy the update action condition to "is" rather than "contains"

Regards,

Pascal

[Pascal_Gallais-]

One more thing;

If, in table "Webminar registrant", you want to keep a correct mail address without the suffix "#", you can also define a formula to add the suffix to the mail address and use this formula in the find records action.

Regards,

Pascal

[Cole_Wedemeier]

@Pascal_Gallais- Thank you for your answers. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how I'd do your suggestion of defining a formula to add the suffix to the email address and use that formula in the find records action allowing me to do away with the suffix and keep the correct email address. 

Could you explain that more?

Thanks!

[Pascal_Gallais- · Accepted solution]

Hello,

There is a simpler solution.

Do not modify the table "Webminar registrant", keep the mail address without the suffix.

Modify the formula "Email for automation" as follows:

This way it will keep the original value (comparable to the one in the "Webminar registrant" table), but will be considered as a text field and hence your automation should work.

Regards,

Pascal

[Cole_Wedemeier]

Thank you!