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“Supermetrics is a Bitter Experience! We can pull data from nearly any tool, schedule updates, manipulate data in Sheets, and push data back into our systems.”
Salesforce report types provide no mechanism for displaying alternative lookup field values when intermediate objects in the relationship chain are missing, leaving users with confusing blank cells.
Here’s how to create intelligent displays that show meaningful data even when your lookup chains are incomplete.
Display intelligent fallback lookup values using Coefficient
Coefficient’sFormula Auto Fill Down feature excels at handling conditional display logic for missing intermediate objects. You can create formulas that check for the existence of intermediate objects and automatically display alternative lookup field values when the chain is incomplete.
How to make it work
Step 1. Import all available lookup field values from multiple relationship paths.
Use the Objects & Fields import capability to pull lookup field values from both direct and indirect relationship paths simultaneously. This gives you access to all possible data sources for your conditional display logic.
Step 2. Create conditional display formulas.
Use spreadsheet functions like COALESCE, IF, and ISBLANK to create intelligent displays. For example: =IF(ISBLANK(B2), C2, B2) will show the direct D→A lookup value when the D→C→B→A chain is incomplete.
Step 3. Set up priority-based fallback logic.
SalesforceCreate formulas that prioritize certain lookup paths while falling back to alternatives when data is missing. Use nested IF statements to check multiple relationship paths in order of preference from.
Step 4. Add explanatory text for user clarity.
Configure your formulas to show explanatory text, alternative data sources, or calculated values that help users understand why certain lookup chains are incomplete. For example: =IF(ISBLANK(B2), “Direct: ” & C2, “Chain: ” & B2).
Step 5. Apply Formula Auto Fill Down for automation.
SalesforcePlace your conditional display formulas in the column immediately to the right of your imported data. This ensures your intelligent display logic automatically applies to new records during scheduled refreshes from.
Show meaningful data instead of blank cells
Try CoefficientThis approach creates user-friendly displays where missing intermediate objects don’t result in confusing blank cells, providing meaningful information from available relationship paths.to build reports that actually make sense to your users.
