How to Access Multi-Select Field Values in NetSuite Formulas

Multi-select fields can be read within NetSuite, producing a concatenated output of all selected values. To retrieve the internal IDs of these values, append .id to the multi-select field's ID. For instance, if the multi-select field ID is custbody_gs_approvers, its internal IDs can be accessed as {custbody_gs_approvers.id}.Formulas leveraging REGEXP_SUBSTR and CASE WHEN can be constructed to evaluate these concatenated internal IDs. An example formula to check if the current user's ID is present in a multi-select approvers field is:

CASE WHEN REGEXP_SUBSTR({custbody_gs_approvers.id} ,{user.id}) = {user.id} THEN 1 ELSE 0 END = 1

This formula can incorporate workflow fields or joined fields as needed.Important Consideration for Workflow Conditions:While the underlying formula logic is valid for evaluating internal IDs, it is important to note a known limitation: workflow conditions may silently fail when evaluating multi-select fields that contain more than one selected value. Therefore, while the formula demonstrates how to read and evaluate multi-select field IDs, its direct application within workflow conditions for fields with multiple selections should be approached with caution and thorough testing.