Find Records - "Is not" Condition

[Alicia_Fleri1]

I have 2 bases, one collects data from a form (Form DB) and one that I’d like to use as a master client database (Client DB) for individual companies we do business with.

Since the form may be filled out multiple times by one company I’m trying to use an automation to review the Client DB when a form is submitted and if the company is not already there, to add it.

Unfortunately companies are being added to the Client DB even though they are already on that list.

The following is my set up. Are my conditions wrong? Is my understanding of how the sequence works incorrect?

Trigger
Type: When a form is submitted
Table: Form DB
Form: Reg Form

Find Records
Table: Client DB
Find records based on: Condition
Conditions
*Where > Client Name > Is Not > Client Name (Step 1: Trigger)

Create Record
Table: Client DB

Any help on why this might be creating the duplicates is appreciated.

[Justin_Barrett · Accepted solution]

Welcome to the community, @Alicia_Fleri1! :grinning_face_with_big_eyes: Unfortunately Airtable automations don’t yet support conditional execution/branching. Your Find records action is setup correctly to look for records that don’t match the client name from the most recent form submission. However, the Create record action is going to be executed regardless of the results of the Find records step. There’s currently no way of saying, “Only run the next step based on the outcome of the previous one.”

That said, this is still possible, but it means replacing your Create record action with a Run script action. The script could look at the results of the Find records action and either make a new client record if they weren’t found, or do nothing if they were. (Another option is to only use a script after the trigger, which could do everything that the two existing actions do.)

If you’re not familiar with writing JavaScript, there are plenty of folks here who could help for a small fee. (Normally I’m one of them, but my plate is more than full at the moment.)

[Alicia_Fleri1]

Thank you Justin for such a quick response. I have folks on the team that could write a script for me. I appreciate knowing how to get this done.

[Justin_Barrett]

Glad to know that you got the answer you were seeking! If you would, please mark my comment (the one above, not this one) as the solution to your question. This helps others who may be searching with similar questions. Thanks!