Mirror column reflecting status from one board, but not another board

Platform discussions
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I vote Monday.com to create a comprehensive training and troubleshooting for Connected Boards/Mirror columns. Either this functionality is very finicky or I totally have it wrong. Hoping the latter.

Here’s my issue:
I have a one-way connected column on my DESIGN board that connects to 2 other ‘Project Initiation’ boards. These other 2 boards are where projects are initiated. Once a project is initiated on sub-item level on either of the initiation boards, the FIRST GOAL is an automation will then create the item on the DESIGN board and connect those 2 boards. That part I’ve got.

NEXT GOAL is to have the mirror column on the DESIGN board then reflect the subitem status on whichever Initiation board launched the project. This is where my problem begins. Initiation board #1: no problem. Works perfectly. The mirror column reflects the subitem status on Initiation board #1. However, when I then attempt to mirror initiation board #2, nothing is reflected in the mirror column.

I don’t get it. These boards, automations, connection rules, and mirror rules are set up exactly the same.

Why is the mirror successful with one initiation board, but not the other?

2

Are you using one mirror column or two?

3

Hi @KMegginson Sirah here from Mindflows
It sounds like you’re dealing with a tricky scenario, but based on your description, I think there may be a couple of potential causes for this discrepancy between the two initiation boards.

Here are a few things you might want to check:

1. Sub-item Status Mapping:

Ensure that the sub-item status column on both Initiation Board #1 and Initiation Board #2 is the same type. Sometimes, if one is a status column and the other is a dropdown or different column type, the mirror column on the DESIGN board may not reflect correctly. Double-check that both boards are using the exact same status types for sub-items (e.g., “To Do”, “In Progress”, “Completed”).

2. Connection Rules:

Although you mentioned that the connection rules are set up the same for both initiation boards, it’s worth rechecking the specific configuration on each board. Sometimes, even slight differences in how the boards are connected (e.g., board-level or sub-item-level connections) can cause inconsistencies in how data is reflected. Try to disconnect and reconnect the boards to see if that resolves the issue.

3. Automation Conditions:

The automations that create items and sub-items on the DESIGN board are critical here. Ensure that the automation for Initiation Board #2 is running as expected. Verify the automation settings for both boards and check that both automations have the same logic for triggering. If there’s any difference, it could be the reason the connection isn’t working for the second board.

4. Permission and Access Issues:

If there are permissions or access restrictions on one of the initiation boards, the mirror column might not be able to pull the data from that board. Double-check the permissions for both boards, especially in regard to which users or integrations have access to view or interact with the sub-items.

5. Cache or Syncing Issue:

Sometimes the mirror column takes time to sync, or there may be a temporary glitch causing it not to update. Try refreshing the boards or clearing your browser cache to see if that fixes the issue. You could also try manually triggering a sync by making a small change on Initiation Board #2 to see if the mirror column updates afterward.

6. Automation Limitations:

If the sub-item is on a different board and the automation has been set up in a way that does not support reflecting the status across multiple connected boards (e.g., the automation doesn’t handle multiple triggers for mirrored columns properly), that could be causing the issue. Try testing by removing one of the initiation board connections temporarily and testing the mirror column behavior with just one connection to confirm if the issue is related to how the automations are triggering.

7. Monday.com Support:

If you’ve gone through all the steps above and the issue persists, I would recommend reaching out to Monday.com support. There might be a deeper issue with the specific configuration of your automations, columns, or boards that is difficult to troubleshoot remotely. Sometimes platform-specific issues like this require direct intervention or insight from Monday.com’s team.

Let me know how it goes after you check these possibilities! Hopefully, it’s a quick fix, but if not, I’m happy to walk you through more detailed troubleshooting steps.

1 Like
4

Hi Desiree. I’m using just one mirror column. I’m using ONE connected boards column that connects to 2 other board (but on the subitem level of those boards which is a tricky setup). The mirror column was created from this connected boards column.

When I was just connecting to one board, it worked perfectly, but when I connected the 2nd board, the mirror column stopped reflecting the first board, and the connection to the 2nd board then worked.

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The mirror columns it’s pulling - are they the same column type?

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Hi Desiree. Yes they are the same.

So I created a couple test boards run some theories. My connections and mirror columns work great on the test boards. I’m guessing the failure on my main boards might be fixed by disconnecting then reconnecting the boards…which I really don’t want to do as it will remove all the current live connections.

BUT there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel. I will update when I pull the trigger and try disconnecting everything.

Note on #1 Sub-item Status Mapping. I’m finding the status options (e.g. “To Do”, “In Progress”, “Completed”, etc) of the project initiation boards don’t need to be the same. In fact, they are very different, and the mirror works perfectly on the test boards I created.