Enabling Saved Search Email Alerts

You can enable email alerts for a saved search, so that specified recipients, and additional subscribers, receive email messages whenever search results are added, and in some cases updated.

• By default, email alerts are triggered whenever a newly added record matches criteria defined in the saved search. You can enable a Send on Update option so that email alerts, for some or all users, also are triggered whenever an existing record is updated to match criteria defined in the saved search. Update alerts optionally can include information about recent changes. You also can filter update alerts to be sent only when certain fields change, or only when certain old or new values occur.

• If a Saved Search is set to inactive, any email alert applying to that Saved Search will not be triggered. The email alert will still exist in the system, but it will not trigger, and no email will be sent.

• Email alerts are not available for all types of saved searches, for record types with more frequently changing, time-sensitive data. For a list of these record types, see Types of Saved Searches Available for Alerts.

• Email alerts are not available for searches with summarized results. To learn more about summarizing search results, see Summary Types for Search Results.

• You can specify alert recipients by user name or group name. You also can target users by defining search results fields that determine recipients, such as the Sales Rep field for a Customer search. For more information, see Defining Recipients for Saved Search Email.

• You can allow users other than specified recipients to receive email alerts by enabling the Public option and the Allow Users to Subscribe option. Users then need to set their own preferences to receive alerts. For information, see Setting User Preferences to Receive Saved Search Alerts.

• You can customize much of the text for alert email messages. For information, see Customizing Saved Search Email Content.

• You can define the sender for saved search emails. See Defining the Sender for Saved Search Email.

• A separate alert email message is sent to each recipient for every record add and, if applicable, update. For groups: if a group defined as an alert recipient has an email address, the alert is sent to that address; otherwise alert emails are sent to individual addresses of group members.

• Each alert message usually includes one result row, because the search is filtered by the triggered record. You can include multi-row results for searches that may return multiple rows for each triggering record, such as transaction searches. For information, see Enabling Multi-Row Results for Email Alerts.

• If a saved search with an email alert defined is included in a bundle, note that in target accounts where the bundle is installed, the email alert is not sent unless the Enable Email Alerts for WS and CSV Imports preference is enabled, at Setup > Company > Email > Email Preferences.

• Saved Search Email does not work with any email capture feature including, for example, email capture plug-in and email case capture. Use an email address that is not associated with a capture feature to send saved search results. For more information, see Email Capture Plug-in Overview.

Important:

To improve performance and avoid unnecessary email, by default email alerts are not sent for updates made by CSV imports or SOAP web services integrations. To cause email alerts to be sent for CSV imports and SOAP web services integrations, an account administrator or another user with the Set Up Company permission can set the Enable Email Alerts for WS and CSV Imports preference at Setup > Company > Email > Email Preferences. See Setting Printing and Fax Preferences.

To enable email alerts for a saved search:

1. On a saved search page's Email subtab, enable the Send Email Alerts When Records are Created/Updated option.

   If this option is not available, it means alerts are not available for this type of saved search. For more information, see Types of Saved Searches Available for Alerts.

2. To allow users other than your selected recipients to receive this search's alerts, enable the Public and Allow Users to Subscribe options.

   The Public option is available near the top of the page, only for administrators and other users with the Publish Search permission. The Allow Users to Subscribe option is on the Specific Recipients subtab. Users can subscribe to a saved search's alerts by setting a preference. For information, see Setting User Preferences to Receive Saved Search Alerts.

3. To specify recipients by user name, group name, or both, click the Specific Recipients subtab.

   1. Select a user or group in the Recipient field. Click the button and select List. Notice that you can limit the list of possible recipients to a specific type: contacts, customers, employees, groups, partners, or vendors. By default all types are listed.

   2. If you want this recipient to receive alerts for updates as well as adds, enable the Send on Update option.

   3. If you have enabled the Send on Update option, and you want these alerts to include information about changes, enable the Show Recent Changes option.

   4. Click Add.

   5. Repeat these steps for other users and groups as necessary.

4. To target recipients based on values of search results fields, click the Recipients from Results subtab.

   1. If you want all recipients derived from results to receive alerts for updates as well as adds, enable the Send on Update option.

   2. If you have enabled the Send on Update option, and you want these alerts to include information about changes, enable the Show Recent Changes option.

   3. Select a field from the Recipient Field dropdown list and click Add, repeating as necessary.

      Available options include entity and email type fields. For example, for a Customer saved search, you can select Sales Rep.

5. To filter update alerts to occur only for a subset of updates, click the Updated Fields subtab:

   1. If you want alerts to be sent only when a particular field is updated, select the field from the dropdown list.

   2. If you want alerts to be sent only when a particular old value (value before update) occurs for the selected updated field, enter that value.

   3. If you want updates to be sent only for a particular new value (value after update) occurs for the selected updated field, enter that value.

   4. Click Add.

   5. Repeat these steps for other fields as necessary.

6. To customize email message text, click the Customize Message subtab.

   1. In the From field, enter optional custom text. You can include values from search results fields by entering field IDs enclosed in curly braces {fieldID}.

   2. In the Subject field, enter optional custom text. You can include values from search results fields by entering field IDs enclosed in curly braces {fieldID}.

   3. In the Introduction field, enter optional custom text to appear before search results.

   4. Enter custom message body text in the Single-Record Results field.

      • You can include values from search results fields in this text by entering field IDs enclosed in curly braces {fieldID}. Select a field in the Insert Field dropdown list to insert its field ID.

      • Use the syntax <%=formula%> to add formulas to the text. Formulas can include {fieldID} references.

      • You can define email body text as an entire HTML page (by enclosing it with HTML tags), to send email content exactly as specified, with no additional styles, View Record link, or introduction.

7. Click Preview, Save, Save & Run, or Save & Email.

Adding the Same Field Multiple Times to a Saved Search

You can add the same field multiple times to a saved search. Search evaluates a change and adds an OR relation between all updated fields. For example, if you define:

Field	Old Value	New Value
Test	a	b
Test	c	—
Test	—	d

The email will send if the Test field is changing from 'a' to 'b' or the Test field is changing from 'c' to anything else or the Test field is changing from anything to 'd'. Additionally, you can define the following:

Field	Old Value	New Value
Test	—	—

In this example, an email alert will send if the Test field is changing from anything to anything else, but the email will send only if the Test field was modified. For example, if you modified Amount and not the Test field then the email alert will not be sent.

Email Alerts Limitations

• The Show Internal IDs preference does not apply to results in saved search email alerts. You must add Internal ID as a results column to return Internal ID values for a search.

• If a saved search includes criteria filters that have non-specific values, such as -Mine- or -My Team-, email alerts may not be sent. Try to avoid using these values in your criteria filters.

Related Topics

Saved Search Email

Enabling Saved Search Scheduled Email

Canceling Scheduled Saved Search Emails When No Results

Types of Saved Searches Available for Alerts

Setting User Preferences to Receive Saved Search Alerts

Defining the Sender for Saved Search Email

Defining Recipients for Saved Search Email

Customizing Saved Search Email Content

Sending Summarized vs. Single-Record Results

General Notices