Question

I use the Changes - Previous value or Changes - New value attribute from the Updates history dataset in a Zendesk Explore formula. I entered the ticket field values I see in the user interface (UI), but my report does not return results. Why does this happen, and how do I find the correct values to use in the formula?

Answer

The Changes - Previous value and Changes - New value attributes require the API value of the field, not the value you see in the UI. If you are unfamiliar with API values or the API, see API Basics.

To find the API value of a field:

  1. Find the ID of the ticket field whose values you want to report on.
  2. Plug the ID into a URL to return a JSON file about that ticket field.
  3. Review the JSON file to find the field values you need to use with the Changes - Previous value and Changes - New value attributes.

For example, suppose you have a ticket field called Type of Support, with possible values of Beginner Support, Intermediate Support, and Advanced Support. You want to report on the Advanced Support value.

Find the ID of the ticket field

  1. In Admin Center, click the Objects and rules icon () in the sidebar, then select Tickets > Fields.
  2. In the Field ID column, find the ID number of the ticket field you want to report on, in this example, Type of Support. Make a note of this number. You need it in the next step.

Plug the ID into a URL

  1. In your web browser, go to this URL. Replace <subdomain> with the name of your Zendesk subdomain and <ticket field ID> with the ID you noted earlier.
subdomain.zendesk.com/api/v2/ticket_fields/<ticket field ID>

Review the JSON file to find the field values

In this example, you see something like this:

  • "id": 360048826392,
  • "name": "Advanced Support",
  • "raw_name": "Advanced",
  • "value": "advanced_support",
  • "default": false

Use advanced_support in a formula with the Changes - Previous value or Changes - New value attribute.

If you use Advanced Support instead, the formula is technically valid, but it will not return results.

For more information, see the articles:

  • Metrics and attributes for Zendesk Support
  • Writing Explore formulas
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