Formula fields in SmartSuite offer powerful capabilities for solution owners. However, there are specific limitations and rules to keep in mind when designing and using them.
Plan Availability | All plan types with varying limitations |
Permissions | Solution Managers: Configure formula fields |
Plan-Based Field Limits
The number of complex field types allowed in Tables varies by plan type:
Plan Type | Linked Records | Lookups | Total Calculated Fields (Formulas, Rollups, Counts) |
Free / Team Plan | 30 | 30 | 30 |
Professional Plan | 50 | 50 | 50 |
Enterprise / Signature Plan | 100 | 100 | 100 |
Conditional Logic Limitations
Conditional logic statements (e.g.,
IForSUMIF) must return the same data type for all possible outcomes.Example: If the TRUE response is a date, the FALSE response must also be a date.
This rule applies to nested conditional functions (e.g., multiple
IFstatements). Mixing data types will result in an error.
Lookup Fields Always Return Lists
Lookup fields return data as arrays or lists. To handle these, use aggregates:
Text Results: Use
CONCATorARRAYUNIQUE.Dates: Use
MINorMAX.Numbers: Use
AVG,SUM,MIN, orMAX.
If your Linked Record field is limited to a single record, you can reference the data directly without an aggregate:
[Linked Record].[Target Field]
Formula Limits in SmartSuite
SmartSuite’s Formula field is a powerful way to calculate values, reference related records, and automate your business logic. To keep your workspace fast and reliable - even as your data grows - SmartSuite enforces a few limits when you create or update formulas.
These limits help prevent overly complex formulas from slowing down your Solution or creating performance issues.
Existing formulas are never invalidated, even if they exceed these limits.
1. Limit: Maximum Depth for Linked Record References
When you reference fields from other records using dot notation, such as:
[Linked Record].[Status]
Each “hop” to another record increases complexity. To keep formulas efficient, SmartSuite allows up to 3 levels of Linked Record depth.
If you attempt to save a formula that goes deeper, you’ll see:
The maximum depth for Linked Record connections is 3 levels.
What “Depth” Means
Depth counts how many layers of related records you reference.
Depth 0 — fields from the record itself
[Status][Due Date].[Start Date][Checklist].[Assigned To]
Depth 1
[Linked Record].[Status][Linked Record].[Checklist].[Assigned To]
Depth 2
[Linked Record].[Linked Record 2].[Status]
Depth 3 (maximum)
[Linked Record].[Linked Record 2].[Linked Record 3].[Status]
Formulas cannot be saved if they exceed Depth 3.
Why this limit improves performance
Very deep chains of linked records require SmartSuite to pull together large amounts of related data. Limiting depth ensures formulas remain fast and responsive, especially in larger Solutions or in tables with many relationships.
2. Limit: Maximum Formula Query Length (Formula Size)
As your formula grows, SmartSuite continuously evaluates how complex it is. If a formula becomes too long or complicated, SmartSuite provides two types of feedback:
Warning Threshold
When a formula starts getting close to best-practice limits:
Attention! Your formula is approaching the complexity limit. Learn more.
You can continue editing and saving — this is just a friendly heads-up that performance may be affected.
Hard Limit
If a formula becomes too large or complex to run efficiently:
Attention! Your formula has reached the complexity limit. Please review and simplify it. Learn more.
The formula must be simplified before it can be saved.
Why this limit improves performance
Formulas that become extremely long or contain many nested functions can slow down recalculations, linked record updates, and view refreshes. Limiting size ensures consistent performance, especially for high-volume tables or heavily automated Solutions.
3. Best Practices for Keeping Formulas Fast
If you see a warning — or simply want your formulas to stay snappy — here are recommended strategies for simplifying and optimizing them:
A. Reduce the Number of Linked Record References
If your formula pulls in data from many related records:
Use Lookup, Rollup, or Count fields instead of referencing multiple values directly.
Create helper fields in linked tables so the formula pulls in simplified, already-calculated data.
This reduces the amount of data SmartSuite must scan every time the formula runs.
B. Limit Deep Dot-Notation Chains
Instead of long paths like:
[Project].[Client].[Account].[Region].[Name]
try:
Pulling frequently used values closer to the table using Lookup fields.
Creating intermediate calculated fields that break work into smaller parts.
This helps SmartSuite work more efficiently and makes formulas easier to maintain.
C. Minimize GET_LIST(), SUM(), SUMIF(), and Other Heavy Functions
List-based functions can become expensive when used many times in the same formula. You can optimize by:
Using Rollup fields for aggregated values
Filtering earlier using field configurations instead of inside the formula
Splitting large formulas into smaller helper formulas or fields
This keeps recalculation times low, especially in tables with many records.
4. Summary of Formula Enforcement Rules
Limit | Applies to Existing Formulas? | Applies When Saving New / Updated Formulas? |
Maximum Linked Record Depth (3 levels) | No | Yes |
Formula Complexity Warning | No | Yes |
Formula Complexity Hard Limit | No | Yes |
SmartSuite ensures all existing formulas continue working — while preventing new formulas from becoming so complex that they negatively impact speed or reliability.
Restrictions on Specific Functions and Fields
TODAY and NOW Functions
These functions are available only on paid and trial plans.
Files & Images Field
This field can be used to concatenate an array of all file names as a string.
Signature
This field can be used in a formula to view the Signed/Unsigned state or be used in combination with LAST_MODIFIED_TIME() or LAST_MODIFIED_BY to check signature user and date timestamps.
Unsupported Fields
SmartDoc
Open Comments