Convert multi-select picklists to text
Summary
Multi-select picklists in Salesforce can be cumbersome to work with because their stored values are concatenated strings separated by semicolons, which aren't simple text fields. This technique demonstrates using a Flow assignment to copy the multi-select picklist value directly into a text field and then replace the semicolons with commas for easier manipulation and display. It offers a straightforward, no-code way to treat multi-select picklist values as text, enhancing usability in automation and reporting. Salesforce teams can implement this pattern to simplify handling multi-select picklist data in Flows and other text-based processes.
Takeaways
- Create a new text field to store multi-select picklist values as text.
- Use Flow assignment to copy multi-select picklist values directly to text.
- Replace semicolons with commas using SUBSTITUTE in Flow for readability.
- This method avoids Apex and uses declarative Flow features.
- Converted text fields allow easier use in reports and automation.
Working with multi-select picklists (MSP) is tricky. Here’s a hack to convert this picklist into a text field using flow so you can use it more easily. Imagine there’s a MSP called “Zone” on the Account object. The values are “Zone A, Zone B, and Zone C”. When this field is saved, the value is stored as “Zone A;Zone B;Zone C”. While this looks like text, it’s not. Let’s change that. First, create a new text field called “Zone Value” on the Account object. Then in an assignment step of a flow, perform the following two actions (in this order): 1. Set Account.Zone_Value__c = Account.Zone__c This copies the MSP to the text field. Surprisingly, this direct copy works in flow. 2. Set Account.Zone_Value__c = SUBSTITUTE({!Account.Zone_Value__c}, ";", ", ") This replaces the ";" with a ", ". Ta-da! Now you can use “Zone Value” like any other text field. The takeaway A multi-select picklist field can be converted into a text field in flow.