I’m working on syncing data between two business apps and need help with dropdown field mapping. The main issue is that both systems use different values for the same options.
I have a workflow that goes: System A → Airtable → System B (and vice versa).
The problem comes up with dropdown fields. For example, one system uses codes like “SINGLE_FAMILY_DETACHED” while the other uses readable names like “Single Family Detached”.
I know I could use lookup tables but with so many fields this would create way too many steps. Is there a better way to handle these value transformations in both directions without making the automation super complex?
I’m using tools like Zapier and Make but don’t have access to direct APIs. Looking for practical solutions that won’t break the bank.
I’ve dealt with this exact issue when connecting different platforms. What worked for me was setting up one centralized mapping table in Airtable just for dropdown values. Throw all the values from both systems into this single table, then reference it for your transformations. Way better than juggling multiple lookup tables - keeps everything clean and both systems can pull from the same source. Takes some work upfront but it’s totally worth it when you need to maintain or scale things later.
just write a simple javascript function in make or use zapier’s code step. takes 10 minutes to create a mapping function that handles all your dropdown conversions in one spot. way cleaner than a bunch of conditional steps, and you can add new mappings without cluttering your workflow. works both ways too - same code handles both directions.
I saved myself hours by building the mapping right into the workflow with conditional logic. Skip the external lookup tables - just use if/then statements or switch cases directly in your automation steps. Like when data moves from System A to B, I’ll set it up so if the value is “SINGLE_FAMILY_DETACHED” it outputs “Single Family Detached”. Most automation tools handle this out of the box and keeps everything in one place. Just document these mappings well since they’re buried in the automation instead of sitting in a visible table. This scales pretty well and cuts out extra database calls or messy table relationships.