Creating Formula Fields

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Zoho CRM Formula Fields Reference Chart

Edition
 Enterprise
 Professional
 Free
Availability
 14 fields / module
 14 fields / module
 NO

Create Formula Field

Formula fields are used to calculate different types of values, including numeric values, text values, date values, etc. Formula fields and their resulting return value have certain data type associated with them and there are specific operators that can be used for each data type. Thus, it is necessary to understand the type of fields required for creating formula fields and the compatibility between the data types and the operators. For instance, the operator " * " (for multiplication) is used on numeric values and not on text values.

To create NUMERIC type formula field

  1. Log in to Zoho CRM with Administrator privileges.
  2. Click on Setup > [Module] Settings > Fields List.
  3. In the [Module] Fields page, click on New Custom Field.

    Adding Field Details
  4. In the New Custom Field page, Click on Formula from the Select Field Type section.
  5. In the Field Details section, add Label (field name).
  6. In the Return Type, select Number from the pick list.
  7. In the Decimal Places, add number of Decimal Places.
    Constructing Formula
  8. In the Select Functions column, select Numeric Functions from the pick list.
  9. From the list of Numeric Functions, click on a Function > Insert.
    (Alternatively, you can double-click on a function to insert)
  10. In the Formula expression, click between the parenthesis to insert an argument.
  11. In the Select Field column, click on a Field > Insert.
    (Alternatively, you can double-click on a field to insert)
  12. In the Select Operator column, click on an Operator > Insert.

    Checking Syntax
  13. Click on Check Syntax to check proper construction of the formula.
  14. Click Save.

To create STRING type formula field

  1. Log in to Zoho CRM with Administrator privileges.
  2. Click on Setup > [Module] Settings > Fields List.
  3. In the [Module] Fields page, click on New Custom Field.

    Adding Field Details:
  4. In the New Custom Field page, Click on Formula from the Select Field Type section.
  5. In the Field Details section, add Label (field name).
  6. Select Return Type from the pick list (the return type can be String / Number / Boolean).
    If the return type is number, specify the decimal places.

    Constructing Formula
  7. In the Select Functions column, select String Functions from the pick list.
  8. From the list of String Functions, click on a Function > Insert.
    (Alternatively, you can double-click on a function to insert)
  9. In the Formula expression, click between the parenthesis to insert an argument.
  10. In the Select Field column, click on a Field > Insert.
    (Alternatively, you can double-click on a field to insert)
  11. In the Select Operator column, click on an Operator > Insert.

    Checking Syntax
  12. Click on Check Syntax to check proper construction of the formula.
  13. Click Save.

To create DATE TIME type formula field

  1. Log in to Zoho CRM with Administrator privileges.
  2. Click on Setup > [Module] Settings > Fields List.
  3. In the [Module] Fields page, click on New Custom Field.

    Adding Field Details:
  4. In the New Custom Field page, Click on Formula from the Select Field Type section.
  5. In the Field Details section, add Label (field name).
  6. Select Return Type from the pick list (the return type can be DateTime/ Number / String).
    If the return type is number, specify the decimal places.

    Constructing Formula
  7. In the Select Functions column, select DateTime Functions from the pick list.
  8. From the list of DateTime Functions, click on a Function > Insert.
    (Alternatively, you can double-click on a function to insert)
  9. In the Formula expression, click between the parenthesis to insert an argument.
  10. In the Select Field column, click on a Field > Insert.
    (Alternatively, you can double-click on a field to insert)
  11. In the Select Operator column, click on an Operator > Insert.

    Checking Syntax
  12. Click on Check Syntax to check proper construction of the formula.
  13. Click Save.

To create BOOLEAN type formula field

  1. Log in to Zoho CRM with Administrator privileges.
  2. Click on Setup > [Module] Settings > Fields List.
  3. In the [Module] Fields page, click on New Custom Field.

    Adding Field Details:
  4. In the New Custom Field page, Click on Formula from the Select Field Type section.
  5. In the Field Details section, add Label (field name).
  6. Select Return Type from the pick list (the return type can be DateTime/ Number / String / Boolean).
    If the return type is number, specify the decimal places.

    Constructing Formula
  7. In the Select Functions column, select Boolean Functions from the pick list.
  8. From the list of Boolean Functions, click on a Function > Insert.
    (Alternatively, you can double-click on a function to insert)
  9. In the Formula expression, click between the parenthesis to insert an argument.
  10. In the Select Field column, click on a Field > Insert.
    (Alternatively, you can double-click on a field to insert)
  11. In the Select Operator column, click on an Operator > Insert.

    Checking Syntax
  12. Click on Check Syntax to check proper construction of the formula.
  13. Click Save.

Usage

While explaining the formation of the formula fields, this part helps you to understand the type of arguments required for a particular function along with the type of syntax that needs to be formed for the successful working of any formula field.

Numeric Functions

Function
Description
Usage
Examples
Abs
Returns the absolute value of the Number.
Abs(number)
Abs(-42) returns 42; Abs(+33) returns 33
Ceil
Returns the smallest integer greater to or equal to the input number.
Ceil(number)
Ceil(3.4) returns 4; Ceil(-3.4) returns -3
Floor
Returns the largest integer less than or greater to the input number.
Floor(number)
Floor(3.8) returns 3; Floor(-3.4) returns -4
Naturallog
Returns the natural logarithm of a number
Naturallog(number)
Naturallog(1) returns 0.69
Base10log
Returns the base 10 logarithm of the input number
Base10log(number)
Base10log(10) returns 1.0
Max
Returns the maximum value from the specified list of compatible data types.
Max(value1, value2,...)
Max(3,1,5,2) returns 5; Max(0,-4,-3,2) returns 2
Min
Returns the minimum value from the specified list of compatible data types.
Min(value1, value2,...)
Min(5,-3,0,1) returns -3; Min(5,0,.01,0.5) returns 0.0
Sqrt
Returns the square root of the input number.
Sqrt(number)
Sqrt(4) returns 2; Sqrt(9) returns 3

String Functions

Function
Description
Usage
Examples
Len
Returns the number of characters in a specified text string.
Len(string)
 Len('abc') returns 3; Len(' abc ') returns 5
Find
Returns the nth occurrence of the text string.
Find('string','search string',number)
Find('greenery','n',1) returns 5
Concat
Returns the concatenation of all the strings.
Concat('string','string',...)
Concat('FirstName',' ','LastName') returns FirstName LastName
Contains
Returns true if search string is found in the other string, otherwise returns false.
Contains('string','search string')
Contains('abcdef','cd') returns true
Startswith
 Returns true if the string begins with the search string, otherwise returns false.
Startswith('string','search string')
Startswith('abcdef','cd') returns false
Startswith('abcdef','abc') returns true
Endswith
Returns true if the string ends with the search string, otherwise returns false.
Endswith('string','search string')
Endswith('abcdef','ab') returns false
Endswith('abcdef','ef') returns true
Lower
Converts all characters in a string to lower case.
Lower('string')
Lower('APPLES') returns "apples"
Lower('Apples') returns "apples"
Upper
Converts all characters in a string to upper case.
Upper('string')
Upper('apples') returns "APPLES"
Upper('APPles') returns "APPLES"
Trim
Returns string with the leading and trailing white space characters removed.
Trim('string')
Trim(' abcd ') returns "abcd"
Substring
Returns a portion of an input string, from a start position in the string to the specified length.
Substring('string',n1,n2)
Substring('abcdefg',4,7) returns "defg"
Replace
Replaces each occurrence of the search string in the input string with the corresponding replace string.
Replace('string','search string','replace string')
Replace('abcdefg','abc','xyz') returns "xyzdefg"
Tostring
Converts any argument to a string data type.
Tostring(generic argument)
Tostring(3.4) returns "3.4"
Tostring('') returns <empty>
Note:
  • The string constants should always be enclosed in single quotes(')
  • Field labels do not need to be enclosed in single quotes (').

Date Time Functions

Function
Description
Usage
Examples
Newdate
 Creates a date from the year, month, day and time.
Newdate(year,month,day, hour,minute,'string')
Newdate(2007,12,21,06,30,'AM') returns quot;21/12/2007 06:30 AM"1
Datepart
 Returns the date value for the date time expression.
Datepart(datetime argument)
 Datepart(Newdate(2007,12,21,06,30,'AM')) returns "21/12/2007"1
Timepart
 Returns the time value for the date time expression.
Timepart(datetime argument)
 Timepart(Newdate(2007,12,21,06,30,'AM')) returns "06.30 AM"
Adddate
 Returns the date obtained by adding n (year/day/month/hour/min) to the given date.
Adddate(datetime,number, 'string')
Adddate(Newdate(2007,12,21,06,30,'AM'),2,'YEAR') returns "21/12/2009 06:30 AM"2
Subdate
 Returns the date obtained by subtracting n (year/day/month/hour/min) to the given date.
Subdate(datetime,number, 'string')
Subdate(Newdate(2007,12,21,06,30,'AM'),2,'YEAR') returns "21/12/2005 06:30 AM"2
Now
 Returns a date/time representing the current moment.
Now()
Now() returns "19/05/2009 10:52 AM"
Datecomp
 Compares two dates and returns the difference of days in minutes.
Datecomp(Datetime, Datetime)
 Datecomp(Newdate(2009,05,19,11,30,'AM'), Newdate(2009,05,19,12,30,'AM')) returns 660.0 3
Dayofmonth
 Returns the day of the month for the given date.
Dayofmonth(Datetime)
 Dayofmonth(Newdate(2009,05,19,11,30,'AM')) returns "19.0"
Hour
 Returns the hour corresponding to the given date.
Hour(Datetime)
 Hour(Newdate(2009,05,19,11,30,'AM')) returns "11.0"
Minute
 Returns the minute corresponding to the given date.
Minute(Datetime)
 Minute(Newdate(2009,05,19,11,30,'AM')) returns "30.0"
Month
 Returns the month corresponding to the given date.
Month(Datetime)
 Month(Newdate(2009,05,19,11,30,'AM')) returns "5.0"
Year
 Returns the year corresponding to the given date
Year(Datetime)
 Year(Newdate(2009,05,19,11,30,'AM')) returns "2009.0"
Weekday
Returns the day of the week (1-7) corresponding to the input date, where 1 is Sunday, 2 is Monday and so on.
Weekday(Datetime)
 Weekday(Newdate(2009,05,19,11,30,'AM')) returns "3.0". (This is because 19th May is Tuesday)4
  1. The input DateTime argument format should always be YYYY,MM,DD,HH,MM,AM/PM but the output will be displayed as per the selected Country Locale.
  2. The string data type (YEAR/DAY/MONTH/HOUR/MINUTE) should be in UPPERCASE.
  3. The resulting return value for the Datecomp function is always displayed in minutes.
  4. If the date value is "0" the function returns null.

Boolean Functions

Function
Description
Usage
Examples
If
 Returns one of two values, depending on the value of a given logical condition. If the boolean test is true, If() returns the true value, otherwise returns the false value.
If(Boolean,Generic, Generic)*
 If(8>7,1,0) returns "1.0"
If(8>7,'True','False') returns "True"
And
 Returns a true response if all expressions are true; returns a false value even if one of the expressions is false.
And(boolean,boolean ...)
 And(2>1,5>3,7<8) returns "true"
And(2>1,5>3,7>8) returns "false"
Or
 Returns true if any one expression is true. Returns false if all expressions are false.
Or(boolean,...)
 Or(2>1,3>5,7>8) returns "true"
Or(1>2,3>5,7>8) returns "false"
Not
 Returns the logical negation of the given expression(If the expression is true, returns false).
Not(boolean)
 Not(false) returns "true"
Not(true) returns "false"
* Generic implies any data type - Number, String, Datetime (including normal date) or Boolean. The return type depends on the selected data type. For instance, if the generic data type is a number, the return type should be Numeric and not string or boolean.

Formula Syntax Reference

The following table displays the functional reference for creating formulae along with their available arguments.

Numeric Functions

Function Name
No. of Required Arguments
Argument Data Type
Return Type
Abs
1
Number
Number
Ceil
1
Number
number
Floor
1
Number
Number
Naturallog
1
Number
Number
Base10log
1
Number
Number
Max
Multiple
All Number
Number
Min
Multiple
All Number
Number
Sqrt
1
Number
Number

String Functions

Function Name
No. of Required Arguments
Argument Data Type
Return Type
Len
1
String
Number
Find
3
String: String: Number
Number
Concat
Multiple
All String
String
Contains
2
String: String
Boolean
Startswith
2
String: String
Boolean
Endswith
2
String: String
Boolean
Lower
1
String
String
Upper
1
String
String
Trim
1
String
String
Substring
3
String: Number: Number
String
Replace
3
String: String: String
String
Tostring
1
Any data type
String

DateTime Functions

Function Name
No. of Required Arguments
Argument Data Type
Return Type
Newdate
6
Number:Number:Number:Number:Number:String
Datetime
Datepart
1
Datetime
String
Timepart
1
Datetime
String
Adddate
3
Datetime: Number: String
Datetime
Subdate
3
Datetime: Number: String
Datetime
Now
0
-
Datetime
Datecomp
2
Datetime: Datetime
Number
Dayofmonth
1
Datetime
Number
Hour
1
Datetime
Number
Minute
1
Datetime
Number
Month
1
Datetime
Number
Year
1
Datetime
Number
Weekday
1
Datetime
Number

Boolean Functions

Function Name
No. of Required Arguments
Argument Data Type
Return Type
If
3
Boolean: Generic: Generic
Generic
And
Multiple
All Boolean
Boolean
Or
Multiple
All Boolean
Boolean
Not
1
Boolean
Boolean

Note

  • String constants should be enclosed within single quotes.
  • Generic implies any data type - Number, String, Datetime (including normal date) or Boolean.

Limits

  • The Formula fields are available only for the Enterprise and Professional editions.
  • You can create a maximum of 14 formula fields in Zoho CRM: Numeric & Currency (8); String (2); DateTime (2); Boolean (2)
  • You cannot modify the Return type for the formula fields.

Related Links

Customizing Zoho CRM | Formula Fields | Functions | Data Types

1 Comments  Show recent to old
francesco.mantica, 7 - days ago  

Is it possible to create a formula that combined the "if" function with the "now" function? Basically one that puts a timestamp when a certain datafield is changed for the first time? For example when the email is first added to the system, a new formula timestamps when this action first took place.

Thank you and sorry if I put this comment in the wrong place.

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