How do I "Ungroup" Automated Alerts

Tonya Briere

I currently have a couple of alerts set up that once the status is marked Complete, to send an alert, based on certain criteria, to specific email addresses. I'm finding that there may be several rows that have a Status of Complete and qualify to send to the same email address, however, it's not sending an individual alert per request, it's grouping them together into one alert. For instance, I had 7 rows of requests that were completed and qualified to send to one email address. When the alert was received it only displayed the data for 4 and had a +2 in the notification. The +2 wasn't a link. Is there a way that I can require it to send an individual alert per request or restrict it to a certain number of qualified request per alert?

Ray Lindstrom

Hi @Tonya Briere,

From what I understand, you need to use the cell reference (double curly brackets) in your message in order for it to send a separate email for each instance. Problem lies when you have 7 or more (this is referenced in the second bullet point below).

Here's from my Google search:

Smartsheet automations can be configured to send an alert for each individual row, but there are specific considerations, particularly when multiple rows are triggered simultaneously.Key points for achieving one alert per row:

• Use Placeholders: Incorporating placeholders (e.g., {{Column Name}}) in the subject or body of your alert message is crucial. When placeholders are present in an "Alert someone" or "Update Request" action within a change-based workflow, Smartsheet will generate a separate notification for each row, provided six or fewer rows are triggered simultaneously.
• Limit Simultaneous Triggers: If more than six rows are triggered at the same time in a change-based workflow with placeholders, Smartsheet will combine them into a single notification and may remove custom subject lines and body content. To ensure individual alerts, manage your workflow triggers to avoid exceeding this limit. This might involve staggering changes or using different triggering mechanisms.
• "Message only" Alerts: If you choose the "Message only" alert type, any simultaneously triggered rows will be combined into a single notification regardless of placeholders. This option is not suitable for achieving individual alerts per row.
• Time-Based Workflows and Placeholders: Placeholders cannot be used in time-based update requests when the "Run workflow" setting is hourly, daily, or weekly. This means that if your automation relies on a time-based trigger, you may not be able to use placeholders to generate individual alerts.
• Workaround for Grouped Alerts: If you encounter grouping issues with alerts, especially with larger numbers of triggered rows, a potential workaround is to change the alert action to an "Update Request." While you might not utilize the "Open Update Form" functionality, this action can still send an individual notification per row, including placeholder information in the message. 

Here's a post that answered this question previously:

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/82464/send-automation-alert-per-row

Best of luck!

BRgds,
-Ray