Formula Tips and Tricks

Stony Grunow Third Sector IT

Goals of this Session

•  You know what is possible with Formulas •  You know where to look for more info

Just Like Excel…

•  If you don’t know formulas already, you have a doubly steep learning curve

•  In Excel, an example of formulas:

Where you find them

Formulas are not just created when you create a formula field. Formulas can be used (or required) for

•  Formula Fields (most common) •  Validation •  Reporting •  Buttons and Links

Formula Fields Overview

•  Formulas ≠ Formula Fields •  Formulas fields can manipulate dates,

numbers, currency, text, hyperlinks, and images

•  Can be referenced by other formulas •  Always have a lock icon on them on page

layout – you can never change them

Create a Formula Field

•  Every object can have a formula field •  To Create a traditional formula field

– Click on Setup > Customise > (the object) > Fields > New > Formula >

– Choose a name and type of formula – Write the formula – Choose Security and Layout options, & Save

URL’s & Custom Links

•  Several already exist, such as Google Maps and Google News

•  Create additional custom links, with standard and custom fields embedded in the URL

•  Quick access to other web-based systems •  Examples

– Charity Commission URL – Companies House URL

Create New Salesforce Records

•  Salesforce URL has a clear structure. Can be written as formula for new record Button

•  /006/e creates a new opportunity •  /006/e?accid=001D000000pNlbZ •  /006/e?accid=001D000000pNlbZ

&opp3={!Account.Name}%20Membership%20Payment &opp5=Membership&opp11=Closed%20Won

•  Unsupported Feature, more info at http://salesforce.phollaio.com/2007/04/02/how_to_obtain_a_field_id/

Pretty Icons

•  Salesforce icons are quick ways to graphically display information

•  Image appears on Record Page, Views, Reports, etc

•  Resources: –  Salesforce Image Formula Guide:

http://www.salesforce.com/community/assets/docs/Sample_Image_Formula_Fields_Customization_Guide.pdf

–  List of all natively available iconshttp://free-121d5f44d20-121d603d1c5-121ee2b8103.force.com/force2b/salesforceicons

–  More icons! Free Graphics Pack on the App Exchangehttp://appexchange.salesforce.com/listingDetail?listingId=a0N30000004cfIcEAI

Pretty Pictures

•  Link to Third Party Images, such as Yahoo Stock Chart

•  Google Charts – Highly advanced, when you need to take

graphical information to the next level – Create initial URL with Google Chart Wizard –  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxWz1DKIRXk –  From 36:00 to 53:45 –  Example for demo – budgeted funds remaining

Roll-up Summaries

Roll-Up summaries aren’t exactly formulas, but they are similar, and are often used as the basis for other formulas

•  They can Count, Sum, or determine the Min or Max of other objects

•  Must be on a Master-Detail Relationship •  Date fields only in Min/Max summaries

Bringing it all Together

•  For a membership org, you might want to know: – Last Membership Payment Date (roll-up) – Membership Valid Until Date (date) – Days Left in Membership (number) – Lifetime Payment Total (roll-up) – Membership Valid Flag (image)

How to Experiment

•  Don’t use your production org! •  Create a sandbox – Non-profit orgs have 7

by default (Setup > Data Management > Sandbox), or

•  Get a Developer org – use it forever, fully featured, limited to two users and a few thousand records, at http://developer.force.com

Thanks!

Additional slides have reference / appendix information follows

Appendix A

•  Charity Commission & Companies House Lookups (custom field creation required)

–  http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/SearchResultHandler.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber={!Account.Charity_No__c}

–  http://data.companieshouse.gov.uk/doc/company/{!Account.Company_No__c} •  Yahoo Finance Chart •  This formula does not use custom fields, so you should be able to create a new

formula field on the Account object and paste the formula IF( ISBLANK(TickerSymbol),null, HYPERLINK( ("http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=" & TickerSymbol ), IMAGE( "http://chart.finance.yahoo.com/c/1y/a/" & TickerSymbol , "Ticker Image") ) )

Appendix B

•  Google Chart Wizard for Campaign Budgeting – Funds Remaining

•  This formula does not use custom fields, so you should be able to create a new formula field on the Campaign object and paste the formula

IF( ISBLANK( BudgetedCost ), null, IMAGE( "http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?chxr=0,0," & TEXT(BudgetedCost) & "?chxt=y&chs=300x150&cht=gm&chds=0," & TEXT(BudgetedCost) & "&chd=t:" & TEXT((BudgetedCost-ActualCost)) & "&chtt=Budgeted+Funds+Remaining" , "Campaign Success Guage" ) )