Issue with Formula Excluding Some Surnames in Data Combination

Jonathan M. · 2025-12-18T09:49:28.462Z

Why when I use a formula to combine two columns with data in, is the formula not including some of the surnames?

Issue with Formula Excluding Some Surnames in Data Combination | Clay

8 comments

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Clay Support
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Your formula (({{Forename}}||"") + " " + ({{Surname}}||"")).trim() is working correctly. Looking at your screenshot, the formula is properly combining forenames and surnames when both values exist, and showing only the forename when the surname field is empty. [1]
The rows showing only forenames (Stephen, Beverly, Sharon) appear to have empty surname fields, which is why the formula outputs just the forename - this is the expected behavior.
Are you seeing specific rows where there's data in the Surname column but it's not appearing in the output, or are you referring to the rows that show empty surname fields?
Jonathan M.
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Incorrect, you can see here Stephen, Bererly and Sharon all have data in the surname field
Clay Support
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I see the issue now - you have data in the Surname column but it's not showing in your formula output. This typically happens when the enrichment or formula ran before all data was fully updated.
Try re-running your formula column to refresh the data. You can also check if there are any hidden characters or formatting issues by analyzing the formula and referenced data structure.
If the issue persists after re-running, there might be data formatting problems in those specific cells that need to be cleaned first.
Clay Support
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Is that what you were looking for?
Jonathan M.
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I've rerun it with all the data there and the forumla still doesn't work
Clay Support
APP
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Try using our data cleaning tools first. Go to "Add enrichment" > "Tools" > "Normalize" and run "Text Whitespace" on both your Forename and Surname columns. [1] This removes hidden characters that can break formulas.
If that doesn't work, try our built-in AI tool Sculptor in the top-right corner - it can help rebuild your formula and troubleshoot issues. Let me know if Sculptor helps or if you're still having problems after cleaning the data.
Clay Support
APP
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Did that answer your question?
Clay Support
APP
·
·
If you still need help resolving the formula issue after trying the data cleaning and Sculptor tool, I’m here to assist further. Would you like to provide more details about what you’re trying to achieve or any specific errors you’re encountering?

Clay Support
APP
·
·
Your formula (({{Forename}}||"") + " " + ({{Surname}}||"")).trim() is working correctly. Looking at your screenshot, the formula is properly combining forenames and surnames when both values exist, and showing only the forename when the surname field is empty. [1]
The rows showing only forenames (Stephen, Beverly, Sharon) appear to have empty surname fields, which is why the formula outputs just the forename - this is the expected behavior.
Are you seeing specific rows where there's data in the Surname column but it's not appearing in the output, or are you referring to the rows that show empty surname fields?
Jonathan M.
·
·
Incorrect, you can see here Stephen, Bererly and Sharon all have data in the surname field
Clay Support
APP
·
·
I see the issue now - you have data in the Surname column but it's not showing in your formula output. This typically happens when the enrichment or formula ran before all data was fully updated.
Try re-running your formula column to refresh the data. You can also check if there are any hidden characters or formatting issues by analyzing the formula and referenced data structure.
If the issue persists after re-running, there might be data formatting problems in those specific cells that need to be cleaned first.
Clay Support
APP
·
·
Is that what you were looking for?
Jonathan M.
·
·
I've rerun it with all the data there and the forumla still doesn't work
Clay Support
APP
·
·
Try using our data cleaning tools first. Go to "Add enrichment" > "Tools" > "Normalize" and run "Text Whitespace" on both your Forename and Surname columns. [1] This removes hidden characters that can break formulas.
If that doesn't work, try our built-in AI tool Sculptor in the top-right corner - it can help rebuild your formula and troubleshoot issues. Let me know if Sculptor helps or if you're still having problems after cleaning the data.
Clay Support
APP
·
·
Did that answer your question?
Clay Support
APP
·
·
If you still need help resolving the formula issue after trying the data cleaning and Sculptor tool, I’m here to assist further. Would you like to provide more details about what you’re trying to achieve or any specific errors you’re encountering?