I’m working on connecting two business apps and need help with field mapping. I have a CRM system that needs to sync with Asana using Zapier, and I’m using a Google Sheets spreadsheet as the middle layer.
The setup works like this: CRM → Google Sheets → Asana, and backwards: Asana → Google Sheets → CRM.
My main problem is with dropdown fields that have different values in each system. For example, my CRM has a field called “clientStatus” with values like CLIENT_ACTIVE, CLIENT_PENDING, CLIENT_INACTIVE. But in Asana, the same field is called “Client Status” with user-friendly names like “Active Client”, “Pending Client”, “Inactive Client”.
I know Zapier has lookup tables but I have tons of these dropdown fields and creating separate lookup steps for each one would be crazy. There has to be a better way to handle this bulk transformation.
I’m not a programmer but I can figure out basic code if needed. I have access to Zapier, Make, and Google Sheets. The systems don’t have direct APIs available so I have to work through these automation platforms.
What’s the most efficient way to handle these dropdown value mappings without creating hundreds of individual transformation steps?
I’ve been doing similar integrations for years - Google Sheets as a transformation layer is hands down the most scalable way to go. Here’s what works: create multiple worksheets in one Google Sheets file, one per dropdown field type. Each sheet gets three columns: source_value, target_value, and field_name. In Zapier, use one Google Sheets lookup that references different worksheets based on which field you’re processing. The trick is structuring your data so one lookup handles multiple field types by picking the right worksheet dynamically. This approach has saved me tons of time vs doing individual transformations. When values change in either system, I just update the sheet - no need to mess with the Zapier workflow.
I faced a similar challenge when integrating Airtable with Trello using Zapier, and I found a practical solution. I created a centralized mapping document in Google Sheets containing all necessary dropdown transformations, including the source and target system field names and their corresponding values. To automate the conversions, I utilized INDEX and MATCH functions instead of VLOOKUP for more flexibility with multiple criteria. In Zapier, this allowed me to reference just one lookup step that pulled from my master sheet. This way, when I needed to introduce new dropdown mappings, I could easily update my Google Sheet without having to adjust the workflows in Zapier, making the process significantly more efficient.
honestly, the easiest trick i use is putting all mappings in one google sheet tab with source|target columns, then using a single zapier formatter step with javascript code. something like var mappings = {'CLIENT_ACTIVE':'Active Client', 'CLIENT_PENDING':'Pending Client'}; return mappings[inputData.field] || inputData.field; works great and you can copy/paste for different fields. way cleaner than tons of lookup tables.