Preventing Duplicate Records in HubSpot from Clay Updates
I'm using Clay to create company records in HubSpot. Is there a way on the Clay side to not send duplicate records to HubSpot when a row in Clay is out of date but then updated?
I'm using Clay to create company records in HubSpot. Is there a way on the Clay side to not send duplicate records to HubSpot when a row in Clay is out of date but then updated?
Yes, you can prevent duplicate records by using a lookup-first approach. Before creating company records in HubSpot, first use the "Lookup Contact" action to check if the company already exists using the company domain as the unique identifier. Then use conditional runs to only create records for companies that don't already exist in HubSpot. This ensures you're only adding net new companies and prevents duplicates when updating outdated rows in Clay. The HubSpot "Create or Update Company" integration can also handle updates to existing records when you provide the company domain or HubSpot Company ID.
I'm doing that
Great! Since you're already using the lookup-first approach, make sure you're using the HubSpot Record ID returned from your lookup as the input for your "Create or Update Company" action. This HubSpot Record ID is more reliable than using other identifiers like LinkedIn URLs, which can sometimes cause update issues if that data isn't properly associated with the company in HubSpot. The "Create or Update Company" integration will handle both creating new records and updating existing ones when you provide either the company domain or HubSpot Company ID.
I'm doing that as well. Seems like I'll have to figure this out in HubSpot and or make sure I don't update out of date records.
You're right that managing this on the HubSpot side is one approach. Since you're already using lookup and the HubSpot Record ID, the "Create or Update Company" integration should handle updates properly without creating duplicates. One additional consideration: make sure you're using the HubSpot Record ID from your lookup rather than other identifiers like LinkedIn URLs, as these can sometimes cause update issues if that data isn't properly associated with the company in HubSpot. The lookup-first approach you're using should prevent duplicates by only creating records for companies that don't exist and updating existing ones when you provide the proper identifier.
Sort of. I'll check my config in Clay. Thanks for your help robot
I do this with Salesforce. I use the lookup method but you need to make sure you got a strong set of identifiers. However, you might need some sort of logic to merge within your CRM since it won't catch all of them
You're absolutely right about needing strong identifiers and CRM-side merge logic. With Salesforce, Clay prevents duplicates by default through Salesforce's duplicate rules. You can override this by enabling "Duplicate Rule Override" in the Create Record enrichment if needed. The lookup action helps verify existing records using key fields like email or domain, but as you noted, some duplicates may still slip through due to data variations. Setting up merge logic within Salesforce itself is often the most comprehensive approach to catch those edge cases that lookup methods miss.