Some fields in Zoho CRM only make sense in relation to another field. Map Dependency lets you define this kind of parent-child relationship, so the options shown in one field change automatically based on what's selected in another.

What this looks like in practice

Take Country and State as an example. Once someone selects a Country, the State field should only show states that actually belong to that country, rather than every state in every country at once. The same logic applies to Department and Role, where choosing Sales might only offer roles like Sales Executive or Account Manager, or to Product and Category, where the list of products narrows based on the category chosen. In each case, the first field is the parent, and the field that reacts to it is the child.

How to set up a Map Dependency

1. Log in as an administrator. You'll need Administrative privileges in Zoho CRM.
2. Open Map Dependency Fields. Go to Setup, then Customization, then Modules and Fields, open the module you need, and select the Map Dependency Fields tab.
3. Start a new mapping. Click Create Map Dependency.
4. Choose the layout. Select which layout this dependency should apply to, since Map Dependency is layout-specific.
5. Select the parent field. Fields are grouped by type to make them easier to find, and a search bar appears once there are more than ten picklist or radio button options to choose from.
6. Select the child field. Click Next.
7. Map the values. For each parent field option, choose which child field options should be available. For smaller sets of options, this can be done directly from a dropdown.

Recent improvements

Zoho has recently overhauled the Map Dependency setup experience, making it faster to work with, particularly for larger sets of values. Map Dependency now appears as its own tab on every module's configuration page, subform fields display their subform name in brackets for clarity, and multi-select picklists are now supported as child fields.