What is Clay formula?
A Clay formula is an expression that transforms or evaluates values already available in a table. Clay supports JavaScript expressions and provides an AI formula generator. Formulas can clean fields, calculate values or produce true or false results used by run conditions.
By LeadHaste Editorial · AI-assisted editorial review ·
What formulas do
Clay's formula documentation describes column references that pass values into an expression. Common tasks include extracting a domain, combining fields and calculating date differences. The AI generator helps translate an instruction into a formula, but the resulting logic still needs checking. An expression that runs successfully can return an unsuitable business answer if the instruction was ambiguous or the input had an unexpected format.
Formula versus research
A formula can transform an existing company website into a consistent lookup key. That does not establish that the website belongs to the correct employer. Similarly, combining a person's name with a company field creates text; it does not verify the person's role. Use formulas for deterministic transformations and clear decisions. Use supported research and matching steps when information needs to be discovered or checked against an external source.
A useful testing approach
Take a small set of rows representing the real input variation. Include a complete record, a missing field, an unusual character and a value of the wrong type. Write down the expected result before testing. If the formula extracts a domain, check subdomains and blank websites. If it calculates a score, check the boundary values. Keep the original inputs so that a wrong result can be traced and corrected.
Using formulas to control actions
A formula column calculates a value, while a run condition decides whether an enrichment executes. They can use related logic but remain different responsibilities. For example, calculate whether required evidence is present, then reference that decision in the relevant action's condition. Recheck the dependency after editing either side. Avoid treating an AI-generated expression as approval to export records or send messages; those decisions need their own explicit criteria.
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