Optimizing Write to Other Table and Lookup Row in Enrichment Workflow | Clay

Optimizing Write to Other Table and Lookup Row in Enrichment Workflow

Hi team, what is the best way to use a "Write to other table" in combination with "Lookup row" from the same table? Use case: I have several tables with LinkedIn links and don't want phone enrichments to run on the same LinkedIn links to cost credits. Thus, I set up the "phone enrichment table" which auto-dedupes LinkedIn links and then runs the phone waterfall. In the source data, I then use the lookup column to get the phone numbers back. However, given the delay in enrichment it would sometimes show an empty phone output field even though it would be enriched a few seconds later. Is there a way to delay the lookup until the underlying enrichment has finished or just by a set time such as 1min? Alternatively, is there an alternative workflow for such a process?

10 comments

Clay
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Clay doesn't have a built-in delay feature for lookup columns to wait for enrichments to complete. However, you can use conditional formulas in your lookup column to prevent it from running when the enrichment data isn't ready yet. For your phone enrichment workflow, consider using the "Only run if" condition in your write to table setup to ensure data is only written when the phone enrichment is complete. You can also leverage existing enriched data from other tables using lookup columns to avoid duplicate enrichments and save credits. Are you currently using any conditional formulas or "Only run if" settings in your phone enrichment table setup?
Sources: Write to Other Table | Documentation | Clay University Guide: Ways to save Clay credits | Documentation | Clay University
Alexander F.
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How exactly can I refer to that data in "run if"?
Alexander F.
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https://app.clay.com/workspaces/277954/workbooks/wb_0sy69zlaCGkUPyMF9TD/tables/t_0syfp894fRKDS85kTqB/views/gv_0syhha2XJd857DgWgEX default view
Bo (.
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àHey, the issue comes from Clay not supporting circular (ABA-style) workflows. It’s built for linear flows, so when a table depends on another that’s also depending on it, things break or return incomplete data. To work around this, you have two options: 1. Use a C table – Instead of looping back, set up a third table to handle the final enrichment step. That keeps things linear and avoids lookup timing issues. 2. Add a delay – You can trigger an HTTP call (e.g. to httpbin.org) with a delay, but even then, timing isn’t guaranteed—especially with large tables. The C table setup will be the most stable. Let me know if you want help structuring that.
Alexander F.
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Thanks Bo! Re the HTTP Delay - could this call the lookup row in Clay? How could I make the call to get data from the other Clay table? Re the C setup I would love to hear more - I guess you would then write the data from table B into it and once it was filled trigger a lookup to get the associated data from table A?
Bo (.
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Hey — great follow-up. For the HTTP delay: no, you can’t use it to call or pull a lookup from another Clay table directly. It’s just a placeholder to slow things down, but it can be used in the formula of the lookup For the C table setup: exactly right. You’d write data from Table B into Table C, and then trigger a lookup in C to pull in the needed data from Table A. This keeps the workflow linear: A → B → C, instead of looping back and creating conflicts. Let me know if you want help setting up that flow.
Alexander F.
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Thanks Bo, this is super helpful!
Alexander F.
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HTTP delay "can be used in the formula of the lookup" - how exactly? Would I not use the "Lookup single row" action so that I cannot use the delay?
Bo (.
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Glad that helped! To clarify — delays can’t be applied inside a lookup formula itself. Lookups (both single and multiple row) run immediately and don’t support delays directly. If you need a delay in your workflow, that has to come from an external HTTP step — for example, an API call to a service like httpbin.org with a wait time. You can then use a Run If condition based on that HTTP step’s output to control when a lookup or next step runs. Example HTTP API -> Once it has results -> Trigger Lookup Let me know if you want help setting that up.
Alexander F.
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Okay thanks!