CRM

mdrnd
Participant

Ability to overwrite HubSpot's default read-only fields

SOLVE

Hi there,

Recently we imported some of our deals from one account to another. We were able to complete the import for some of the basic objects such as contacts, deals, and pipeline details. What we did was we used a *csv export and mapped out some of the corresponding fields on the migrated instance.

However we still need to port over some of the activity and engagement related data for the contacts and the deals. There isn't a way to do this via csv export as most of the engagement/activity related fields are default HubSpot fields and are read-only.

Is there a way to overwrite read-only default HubSpot fields or it's the best way to create new custom fields and import the data into these new custom fields?

Thanks,

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1 Accepted solution
karstenkoehler
Solution
Hall of Famer | Partner
Hall of Famer | Partner

Ability to overwrite HubSpot's default read-only fields

SOLVE

Hi @mdrnd,

 

You would have to make your own property values available in the HubSpot portal in some way – either via import or API. In both cases, you would update values in a custom property.

 

In addition to this, you would have a workflow that copies values from the read-only properties into your custom properties wherever applicable.

 

For example, you have a "Last contacted" property. This is read-only. You want to import your own values. For this you would have to create a "Last contacted (source of truth)". This is where you would import your values. You could now use a workflow which copies values from "Last contacted" to "Last contacted (source of truth)" when the latter is empty or the "Last contacted" value is after the "Last contacted (source of truth)" value.

 

This workflow should also be triggered whenever "Last contacted (source of truth)" is updated, as it might be updated to an earlier date by import/API and should be overwritten with the latest "Last contacted" date again.

 

So as you can see, it can get a bit convoluted.

 

Best regards!

Karsten Köhler
HubSpot Freelancer | RevOps & CRM Consultant | Community Hall of Famer

Beratungstermin mit Karsten vereinbaren

 

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mdrnd
Participant

Ability to overwrite HubSpot's default read-only fields

SOLVE

Hey Karsten,

Thanks for your swift response. 

"One way to solve this is by copying the read-only property's value into your custom property via workflow – you would have to define a logic when that should happen."

Based on this comment, I think you assumed that we're creating these mirror properties within the same instance. The read-only properties that I'm trying to import are located on another account. So I don't think a workflow would work on this scenario, right?

Thanks, 

0 Upvotes
karstenkoehler
Solution
Hall of Famer | Partner
Hall of Famer | Partner

Ability to overwrite HubSpot's default read-only fields

SOLVE

Hi @mdrnd,

 

You would have to make your own property values available in the HubSpot portal in some way – either via import or API. In both cases, you would update values in a custom property.

 

In addition to this, you would have a workflow that copies values from the read-only properties into your custom properties wherever applicable.

 

For example, you have a "Last contacted" property. This is read-only. You want to import your own values. For this you would have to create a "Last contacted (source of truth)". This is where you would import your values. You could now use a workflow which copies values from "Last contacted" to "Last contacted (source of truth)" when the latter is empty or the "Last contacted" value is after the "Last contacted (source of truth)" value.

 

This workflow should also be triggered whenever "Last contacted (source of truth)" is updated, as it might be updated to an earlier date by import/API and should be overwritten with the latest "Last contacted" date again.

 

So as you can see, it can get a bit convoluted.

 

Best regards!

Karsten Köhler
HubSpot Freelancer | RevOps & CRM Consultant | Community Hall of Famer

Beratungstermin mit Karsten vereinbaren

 

Did my post help answer your query? Help the community by marking it as a solution.

mdrnd
Participant

Ability to overwrite HubSpot's default read-only fields

SOLVE

Thanks Karsten, that's exactly what I thought and wanted to confirm with you. The previous account that I'm trying to get these read-only fields are only historic data so there is no new updates on these fields as I moved this deal pipeline and contacts from the previous account to a new one.

I think the best approach at this point is to create a new import via *csv and get the activity/engagement related read-only data (last contacted, etc.) into the new instance with the new mirror properties so we could keep them as historic data.

Thanks,

0 Upvotes
karstenkoehler
Hall of Famer | Partner
Hall of Famer | Partner

Ability to overwrite HubSpot's default read-only fields

SOLVE

Hi @mdrnd,

 

Read only fields are read only, HubSpot doesn't leave any room for negotation here.

 

Wherever you really, really need to manually edit such a property, you would have to create your own, correct. The downside is that you then have two properties to look after. One way to solve this is by copying the read-only property's value into your custom property via workflow – you would have to define a logic when that should happen. From that point on, your custom property would be the source of truth.

 

I would only do this wherever it is crucial to have this information. Setting up these mirror properties is can create quite a bit of complexity early on in a HubSpot portal. Things will become harder to manage further down the line.

 

Best regards!

Karsten Köhler
HubSpot Freelancer | RevOps & CRM Consultant | Community Hall of Famer

Beratungstermin mit Karsten vereinbaren

 

Did my post help answer your query? Help the community by marking it as a solution.

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