HubSpot limits custom object associations to 500 per record and has performance issues with complex relationship hierarchies between users, companies, and deals. These constraints become problematic when tracking product usage across organizational structures.
Here’s how to manage relationship complexity outside of HubSpot’s rigid association limits using spreadsheet-based relationship modeling.
Model complex relationships using spreadsheets as your association layer
Coefficient ‘s Association Management capabilities let you import related data from multiple HubSpot objects, perform complex relationship analysis in spreadsheets, and selectively update associations based on your business logic.
How to make it work
Step 1. Import user, company, and deal data separately.
Pull data from each HubSpot object type into different spreadsheet tabs. This gives you clean datasets to work with before applying relationship logic.
Step 2. Use spreadsheet functions to identify optimal associations.
Create relationship mapping based on multiple criteria like usage patterns, company hierarchy, and deal stage. Use formulas to determine which users should be associated with which companies and deals: =IF(AND(VLOOKUP(A2,Companies!A:B,2,FALSE)=C2,D2>threshold),”Associate”,”Skip”)
Step 3. Model enterprise account complexity.
Handle scenarios where users are associated with multiple companies or deals simultaneously. Create lookup tables that map users to all relevant entities based on your business rules rather than HubSpot’s technical constraints.
Step 4. Export association updates programmatically.
Use Coefficient’s export capabilities to add or remove associations between objects based on your calculated relationship mapping. This lets you manage association complexity that would otherwise hit HubSpot’s 500-record limit.
Step 5. Monitor and maintain relationship health.
Set up scheduled imports to track association counts and relationship changes over time. Create alerts when you’re approaching limits or when relationship patterns change significantly.
Scale beyond HubSpot’s association constraints
This approach is particularly valuable for enterprise accounts with complex organizational structures and multiple touchpoints. Start managing your relationship complexity more effectively today.