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Find a record and use its data in the next steps
The Find a record step finds a record in any unit by a field value, such as a mobile number, and makes its data available to the next steps. It has two paths: Found and Not found.
Before you start · for owners and managersThe permission to edit workflows
Before you start · for owners and managers
The permission to edit workflows
- You need: The permission to edit workflows
Steps
1
Press Add a step and choose Find a record.
2
Under Look in, choose the unit, then the field to match on under Find the one where.
3
Write the value, usually a detail such as
{{sender_phone}}.4
Under If more than one matches, choose The newest one or The oldest one.
5
Under Call it, name the result, such as
client.6
Optional: turn on Split into Found and Not found, then add steps on the Found path and the Not found path.
How it works
Field type
How it compares
Mobile and WhatsApp number
Digits only: 00 and symbols are removed, and Arabic numerals are accepted
Email
Ignoring upper and lower case
Text, long text, number, link and serial number
After the text is normalized
Lists, relations and files can’t be used for matching.
Using it afterwards: {{found.client.field}} in messages, the “Record exists” condition in a branch, updating a record you found, sending to its number, and generating a document for it.
The values are read fresh before each step.
The search result is fixed for the run: a retry takes the same path and the same record.
Without paths, the run carries on in both cases.
If something goes wrong
What you see
Why
What to do
“Timed out”
The unit is large, and the field is slow to search.
Search by a more precise field, such as mobile or email.
“Unknown field”
The field was deleted, or it can’t be used for matching.
Choose a field of a supported type.
“Name already used”
The result’s name is a duplicate.
Choose another name.
“Unknown reference”
A
found variable points to a name that doesn’t exist.Correct the name.
A real example
Namaa Academy
The situation
Messages from current students are treated as new clients.
What they did
- A message arrives.
- Find a record in “Students” where mobile =
{{sender_phone}}. - Found: the message “Hi {{found.student.name}}” and a notification to the advisor. Not found: the sales path.
The result
Every student gets the reply that suits them.
A made-up company, to show the idea. The numbers are rounded.
Good to know
The search stops after 2 seconds, and the action fails.
Result name: starts with a lowercase English letter, up to 30 characters, unique in the automation.
Did this guide solve it?
If not, we’ll ask what was missing.