Salesforce Workflow Email Alert Fails to Populate Picklist Merge Fields in Email Template

Root Cause: Duplicate Field API Names from a Managed Package

When reviewing the org, check if a managed package is installed with a field whose base API name matches your custom field. For example:

• Custom field: Product__c
• Managed package field: Apttus_Config2__Product__c (namespace: Apttus_Config2)

Apttus_Config2 is a third-party managed package. When the namespace prefix is removed, both fields share the base API name Product__c. This causes the Salesforce merge engine to become confused and return the value for the managed package field instead of the custom field.

Resolution Options

Choose one of the following options to resolve the merge field conflict:

1. Rename the custom field API name — Change the custom field API name to something unique (for example, from Product__c to Product1__c), then update the email template merge field reference accordingly.
2. Create a formula field copy — Create a formula field (for example, ProductCopy__c) that references Product__c, then use this new formula field in the email template.
3. Remove the managed package field — If the Apttus_Config2 package or its Product field is no longer needed, remove it. Once the conflicting field is removed, the issue does not recur.