Kaizen #171: FAQs on COQL API

Kaizen #171: FAQs on COQL API

Hello all!!
Welcome back to another post in the Kaizen series!

In this post, we will address some of the most frequently asked questions about Zoho CRM's COQL API from the Zoho CRM Developer Community Forum.




COQL API

Query API lets you query for records based on queries using the CRM Object Query Language(COQL). COQL is based on the SQL query syntax, and supports the SELECT query to fetch records. Using this API, you can query for data across different modules that are linked using lookup fields. 

1. Why did I get a SYNTAX error for the following query?


{
    "select_query":"select External from Contacts where id is not null"
}


Answer: 
The error occurs because the query uses an SQL reserved keyword, "External", as a column name without enclosing it in quotes. When using SQL reserved keywords like "External", you must enclose them in single or double quotes.

The above-query can be written as:

{
    "select_query":"select 'External' from Contacts where id is not null"
}



------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. Why does the following query throw an error?


{
    "select_query":"select id from Contacts where id is not null and Account_Name is not null and Vendor_Name is not null"
}


Answer: 
When the query involves more than two criteria, ensure that you enclose your criteria properly by grouping them in pairs, such as ((A and B) and C).

The above-query can be written as:

{
    "select_query": "select id from Contacts where ((id is not null and Account_Name is not null) and Vendor_Name is not null)"
}


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3. How to escape single quotes within single quotes and double quotes within double quotes?

Answer: 
For single quote:

If you want to retrieve a value that contains a single quote, for example, 1' 2 in the Designation field (a single-line field), you need to escape the single quote in the value by adding another single quote.

Example:
1'' 2

Sample Input and Response:



For double quotes:

If you want to retrieve a value which contains double quotes, for example, 1' ' 2 in the Designation field (any single-line field), then you have to escape each double quotes with backslash (\) in the value.



------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4. Why does the following query throw an error?


{
    "select_query":"select What_Id->Leads.Last_Name from Tasks where id is not null"
}


Answer: 
Special characters such as "-",  ">"  "*", and "!" in a query must be enclosed within quotes, either in single or double quotes. 
Your query can be written as:


{
    "select_query":"select 'What_Id->Leads.Last_Name' from Tasks where id is not null"
}



------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5. How can I retrieve records from a subform module using COQL?

Answer: 
To retrieve subform data within a module, specify the respective subform module's API name in your query instead of querying the parent module. For more details, refer to Kaizen #124 on managing Subforms using Zoho CRM APIs.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

6. How to retrieve Multi Select lookup field data using COQL?

Answer: 
To query Multi-Select Lookup fields (MxN fields), you need to retrieve the data through the corresponding linking module instead of querying them directly from the parent module. For more details, refer to Kaizen #125 on manipulating Multi-Select Lookup fields using Zoho CRM APIs.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7. Can I query more than 50,000 records?

Answer: 
Up to V6, you can retrieve up to 10,000 records without changing the criteria by using the LIMIT and OFFSET in your query. When retrieving the initial 10,000 records, make an API call with Created_Time, Modified_Time, or ID in the ORDER BY clause. To fetch more than 10,000 records, apply a condition based on the fields used in the initial ORDER BY clause in the query.
Refer to the Pagination section for more details. 
From V7 onwards, we support retrieving up to 1,00,000 records without changing the criteria by using LIMIT and OFFSET in your query. To fetch more than 1,00,000 records, please refer to the Pagination section for more details.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

8. Is territory field supported in COQL?

Answer: 
Yes,  you can use the territory field in the COQL from V7. Refer to the Territories section in COQL document for sample.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

9. Is CVID support provided in COQL?

Answer: 
Yes, from V7, you can use the CVID in your query. Refer to the CVID section in the COQL document for details.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

10. What are the supported aggregate functions, and why do they not work with values like Avg or avg?

Answer:
The aggregate functions are case-sensitive and only work when specified in all capital letters.  Using values like Avg or avg will result in an error.
The supported aggregate functions are MIN, MAX, AVG, SUM, and COUNT. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

11. Are other SQL-related functions like CONCAT or DATE() supported in COQL?

Answer:
No, COQL in Zoho CRM API Version 7 currently supports only aggregate functions and does not include other SQL-related functions like CONCAT or DATE().
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12. Is it possible to select more than 50 fields in the SELECT column?

Answer:
Yes, from Zoho CRM API Version 7, the limit has been increased from 50 to 500 fields in the SELECT column.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

13. Can Multi-Module Lookup inner fields be queried?

Answer:

Yes, you can query fields from the associated module in a Multi-Module Lookup (e.g., Appointments module). 

Use the following format:

select 'What_Id->{associated_module_API_name}.{field_API_name_from_associated_module}'

Example:

{
  "select_query": "select 'What_Id->Leads.Last_Name','What_Id->Accounts.Account_Type' from Events where id is not null"
}



Note:
From Zoho CRM API Version 7, you can also query the "Appointment_For" field.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

14. Is Display Name available for all types of lookup fields?

Answer:
From V7, the display name is available for Lookup and User Lookup fields when you specify them in the SELECT column, but it is not available for Consent Lookup and Multi-Module Lookup (MML) fields.
Please note, for the Users module, only the "last_name" is shown as the display field for the Users module is last_name.

Example:

{
    "select_query": "select Account_Name, Owner, Data_Processing_Basis_Details from Contacts where Data_Processing_Basis_Details is not null"
}


Response:

{
    "data": [
        {
            "Owner": { //user lookup field
                "name": "Boyle",
                "id": "5725767000000411001"
            },
            "Account_Name": { //lookup field
                "name": "Zoho",
                "id": "5725767000003464060"
            },
            "Data_Processing_Basis_Details": { //consent lookup field
                "id": "5725767000005083039"
            },
            "id": "5725767000005091053"
        }
    ],
    "info": {
        "count": 1,
        "more_records": false
    }
}


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

15. Is it possible to get a Full Name based on User Preference?

Answer:
The Full Name field is supported in the Leads, Contacts, and Users modules.

Leads and Contacts modules:
  • Below V7: You must query the first_name and last_name fields separately and concatenate them to form the Full Name.
  • From V7: You can directly query the full_name field in the SELECT column, and it will return data based on the User Preference.
Users module:
In all versions, the full_name field is not directly supported. You need to query the first_name and last_name fields separately and concatenate them to construct the Full Name.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

16. Is it possible to use Profile Image and Rollup Summary fields in criteria?

Answer:
From V7, you can use Profile Image and Rollup Summary fields in criteria.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

17. Which fields are restricted in all clauses?

Answer:
The following fields are restricted from being included in all columns:
  • Multi-select lookup fields: These cannot be queried directly from the parent module. Instead, query them from their respective linking modules.
  • Line items: Pricing_Details and Product_Details
    • Pricing_Details: This field cannot be queried as it is not a subform but a separate section.
    • Product_Details: This is a subform. You cannot query data from the parent module. Instead, query it directly from the respective subform module.
  • Participants in the Events module.
  • File/Image upload fields
  • Availability Information fields in the Services module
    • Choose Date(s)
    • Choose Day(s)
Check the following image for reference.



------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

18. Which fields are restricted only in criteria?

Answer:
The following fields have restrictions when used in criteria:
  • Multiline fields: Cannot be used in criteria.
  • Encrypted numeric fields: Support limited comparators (is null, is not null, =, != ).
  • Encrypted non-numeric fields: Support only is null and is not null comparators.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

19. Which fields are restricted only in the Group By clause?

Answer:
Encrypted fields are restricted from being used in the Group By clause.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

20. Which fields are restricted only in the ORDER BY clause?

Answer:
Encrypted fields are restricted from being used in the ORDER BY clause.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

21. Is External ID supported in COQL?

Answer:
Yes, External ID has been supported from Zoho CRM API's Version 4. Please note that operators such as "is null" and "is not null" are not supported in the criteria when using External ID.

Supported operators are "=", "!=", "in" and "not in".

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

22. How to resolve a 408 error (Request Timeout)?

Answer:
If your query takes more than a second to parse, a request timeout error will occur.

To avoid this, ensure the query is not overly complex and that all parentheses are properly balanced. Simplifying the query or fixing any mismatched parentheses can help resolve the issue.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

23. Is it necessary to query the records based only on the User Time Zone?

Answer: 
No, users can query records based on any time zone. However, the response will always be returned in the time zone of the user who made the query.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

24. Which fields are restricted when using aggregate functions, for example, SUM(field_API_name)?

Answer: 
Encrypted fields are restricted and cannot be used in the aggregate functions like SUM, AVG, MIX, or MAX.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

25. Where can we use Alias?

Answer:
Alias can be used in the SELECT clause and in the ORDER BY clause. You can assign an alias in the SELECT clause, and the assigned alias can be referenced in the ORDER BY clause. But you cannot assign an alias directly in the ORDER BY clause. 

Note: Alias cannot be used in the other clauses, such as WHERE and GROUP BY.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Info
More enhancements in the COQL API are now live in Zoho CRM API Version 7. Check out the V7 Changelog for detailed information on these updates.

We trust that this post meets your needs and is helpful.
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section or reach out to us at support@zohocrm.com

    • Sticky Posts

    • Kaizen #198: Using Client Script for Custom Validation in Blueprint

      Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – 1 More to the Big Two-Oh-Oh! Do you have any questions, suggestions, or topics you would like us to cover in future posts? Your insights and suggestions help us shape future content and make this series better for everyone.

    • Kaizen #226: Using ZRC in Client Script

      Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of Kaizen. In today's post, lets see what is ZRC (Zoho Request Client) and how we can use ZRC methods in Client Script to get inputs from a Salesperson and update the Lead status with a single button click. In this

    • Kaizen #222 - Client Script Support for Notes Related List

      Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of Kaizen. The final Kaizen post of the year 2025 is here! With the new Client Script support for the Notes Related List, you can validate, enrich, and manage notes across modules. In this post, we’ll explore how

    • Kaizen #217 - Actions APIs : Tasks

      Welcome to another week of Kaizen! In last week's post we discussed Email Notifications APIs which act as the link between your Workflow automations and you. We have discussed how Zylker Cloud Services uses Email Notifications API in their custom dashboard.

    • Kaizen #216 - Actions APIs : Email Notifications

      Welcome to another week of Kaizen! For the last three weeks, we have been discussing Zylker's workflows. We successfully updated a dormant workflow, built a new one from the ground up and more. But our work is not finished—these automated processes are

    • Recent Topics

    • How do i integrate google analytics to Zoho Campaigns?

      Looking to track Zoho Traffic from email Current topic is outdated

    • How do teams manage meeting follow-ups across Zoho tools?

      We’re using Zoho tools for collaboration and tracking, but managing meeting notes, action items, and follow-ups across teams is still challenging. Curious how others are handling this within Zoho workflows. Are there best practices or integrations that

    • Mejoras urgentes para ZOHO MEETING

      Tengo unos meses usando Zoho Meeting. En general, es buena, pero hay cosas vitales que no logra cumplir con mínima calidad. 1) Calidad de audio y video: urge mejoras. Audio con retraso, imagen borrosa, mal recorte de silueta con fondos virtuales. Además,

    • Saving sent email campaign as PDF

      I'm looking to add all campaigns sent to an archive folder in sharepoint. Is there anyway to accomplish this in Zoho Flow ? I'm falling at the first hurdle ... can I automatically save a sent campaign as a PDF to a folder location ?

    • Exporting All Custom Functions in ZohoCRM

      Hello, All I've been looking for a way to keep about 30 functions that I have written in Zoho CRM updated in my own repository to use elsewhere in other instances. A github integration would be great, but a way to export all custom functions or any way

    • Conditional Layouts On Multi Select Field

      How we can use Conditional Layouts On Multi Select Field field? Please help.

    • Appreciation to Qntrl Support Team

      We are writing this topic to appreciate the outstanding level of support from Qntrl Team. We have been using Qntrl since 2022 after shifting from another similar platform. Since we joined Qntrl, the team has shown a high level of professionalism, support,

    • How can I hide "My Requests" and "Marketplace" icon from the side menu

      Hello everybody, We recently started using the new Zoho CRM for Everyone. How can I hide "My Requests" and "Marketplace" from the side menu? We don't use these features at the moment, and I couldn't find a way to disable or remove them. Best regards,

    • Whatsapp Integration on Zoho Campaign

      Team: Can the messages from Zoho Campaign delivered through Whatsapp... now customers no longer are active on email, but the entire campaign module is email based.... when will it be available on whatsapp.... are there any thirdparty providers who can

    • Mandatory Field - but only at conversion

      Hello! We use Zoho CRM and there are times where the "Lead Created Date & Time" field isn't populated into a "Contractor" (Account is the default phrase i believe). Most of my lead tracking is based on reading the Lead Created field above, so it's important

    • Using data fields in Zoho Show presentations to extract key numbers from Zia insights based on a report created

      Is it possible to use data fields in Zoho Show presentations along with Zoho Analytics to extract key numbers from Zia insights based on a report created? For example, using this text below: (note that the numbers in bold would be from Zia Insights) Revenue

    • Free webinar: AI-powered agreement management with Zoho Sign

      Hi there! Does preparing an agreement feel like more work than actually signing it? You're definitely not alone. Between drafting the document, managing revisions, securing internal approvals, and rereading clauses to make sure everything still reflects

    • WhatsApp Channels in Zoho Campaigns

      Now that Meta has opened WhatsApp Channels globally, will you add it to Zoho Campaigns? It's another top channel for marketing communications as email and SMS. Thanks.

    • CRM For Everyone - Bring Back Settings Tile View

      I've been using CRM for Everyone since it was in early access and I just can't stand the single list settings menu down the left-hand side. It takes so much longer to find the setting I need. Please give users the option to make the old sytle tile view

    • Lets have Dynamics 365 integration with Zohobooks

      Lets have Dynamics 365 integration with Zohobooks

    • Add notes in spreadsheet view

      It would be great if we could Add/edit notes in the spreadsheet view of contacts/leads. This would enable my sales teams to greatly increase their number of calls. Also viewing the most recent note in the Contact module would also be helpful.

    • Opening balances - Accounts Receivable and Payable

      Our accounting year starts on 1st August 2013 and I have a Trial Balance as at that date, including Accounts Receivableand Accounts Payable balances, broken down by each customer and supplier. Q1 - do I show my opening balance date as 31st July 2013 or

    • Cancel Subscription

      Hi , Im want to cancel my account but without success please help me to do it

    • Making an email campaign into a Template

      I used a Zoho Campaign Template to create an email. Now I want to use this email and make it a new template, but this seems to be not possible. Am I missing something?

    • Direct Access and Better Search for Zoho Quartz Recordings

      Hi Zoho Team, We would like to request a few enhancements to improve how Zoho Quartz recordings are accessed and managed after being submitted to Zoho Support. Current Limitation: After submitting a Quartz recording, the related Zoho Support ticket displays

    • Multiple Cover Letters

      We are using the staffing firm edition of Recruit and we have noticed that candidates cannot add more than one cover letter. This is a problem as they might be applying for multiple jobs on our career site and when we submit their application to a client,

    • URGENT: Deluge issue with Arabic text Inbox

      Dear Deluge Support, We are facing an issue that started on 12/Feb/2026 with custom functions written using Deluge within Qntrl platform. Currently, custom functions do not accept Arabic content; it is replaced with (???) characters. Scenario 1: If we

    • File Conversion from PDF to JPG/PNG

      Hi, I have a question did  anyone every tried using custom function to convert a PDF file to JPG/PNG format? Any possibility by using the custom function to achieve this within zoho apps.  I do know there are many third parties API provide this with

    • Now in Zoho One: Orchestrate customer journeys across apps with Zoho CommandCenter

      Hello Zoho One Community! We’re excited to introduce Zoho CommandCenter as a new capability available in Zoho One. For the whole customer journey As Zoho One customers adopt more apps across sales, marketing, finance, and support, a common challenge emerges:

    • annualy customer report

      we need a report per customer that looks like this invoic number cleaning laundry repair management 01 january xxx euro xx euro xx euro xxx euro 02 february xxx euro xxx euro x euro xxxx euro and so on the years 12 months is that possible to make and

    • Totals for Sales Tax Report

      On the sales tax report, the column totals aren't shown for any column other than Total Tax. I can't think of a good reason that they shouldn't be included for the other columns, as well. It would help me with my returns, for sure. It seems ludicrous

    • Free Webinar: Zoho Sign for Zoho Projects: Automate tasks and approvals with e-signatures

      Hi there! Handling multiple projects at once? Zoho Projects is your solution for automated and streamlined project management, and with the Zoho Sign extension, you can sign, send, and manage digital paperwork directly from your project workspace. Join

    • Exported Report File Name

      Hi, We often export reports for information. It is time consuming to rename all the reports we export on a weekly basis, as when exported their default name is a seemingly random string of numbers. These numbers may be important, I'm not sure, but I am

    • Automatic Refresh on Page?

      Hi everyone, We use a page as a dashboard which shows data for the laboratory and tasks pending etc. Is there a way to set the page to automatically refresh on a X time? Many thanks TOG

    • Add RTL and Hebrew Support for Candidate Portal (and Other Zoho Recruit Portals)

      Dear Zoho Recruit Team, I hope you're doing well. We would like to request the ability to set the Candidate Portal to be Right-to-Left (RTL) and in Hebrew, similar to the existing functionality for the Career Site. Currently, when we set the Career Site

    • Default Reminder Time in New Tasks or New Event?

      Any way to change this from 1:00am? Thanks, Gary Moderation Update (February 2026): With the Calendar preferences, the default reminder time for Meetings, Appointments and All-Day Meetings can be set. Read more: Calendar preferences in Zoho CRM Regarding

    • Dynamic Field Folders in OneDrive

      Hi, With the 2 options today we have either a Dynamic Parent Folder and lots of attachments all in that one folder with only the ability to set the file name (Which is also not incremented so if I upload 5 photos to one field they are all named the same

    • Right Shift key not sending to Zoho Assist environments

      I'm unable to use Right Shift key in Zoho environments. Zoho environments are Win10. Computer I access from is Win 11. Issue started when I changed to Win 11. Have tried: - Multiple browsers - web client AND desktop client - 3rd party mapping tools to

    • About Meetings (Events module)

      I was working on an automation to cancel appointments in zoho flow , and in our case, we're using the Meetings module (which is called Events in API terms). But while working with it, I'm wondering what information I can display in the image where the

    • PDF Annotation is here - Mark Up PDFs Your Way!

      Reviewing PDFs just got a whole lot easier. You can now annotate PDFs directly in Zoho Notebook. Highlight important sections, add text, insert images, apply watermarks, and mark up documents in detail without leaving your notes. No app switching. No

    • Ability to assign Invoice Ownership through Deluge in FSM

      Hi, As part of our process, when a service appointment is completed, we automated the creation of the invoice based on a specific business logic using Deluge. When we do that, the "Owner" of the invoice in Zoho FSM is defaulted to the SuperAdmin. This

    • How do you do ticket add ons in Backstage?

      Hi Everyone, If you wanted to have general admin tickets and allow for add ons, like camping, or car or Carbon offset. What would you do? Peace Robin

    • From Zoho CRM to Paper : Design & Print Data Directly using Canvas Print View

      Hello Everyone, We are excited to announce a new addition to your Canvas in Zoho CRM - Print View. Canvas print view helps you transform your custom CRM layouts into print-ready documents, so you can bring your digital data to the physical world with

    • validation rules doesn't work in Blueprint when it is validated using function?

      I have tried to create a validation rule in the deal module. it works if I try to create a deal manually or if I try to update the empty field inside a deal. but when I try to update the field via the blueprint mandatory field, it seems the validation

    • Pull cells from one sheet onto another

      Hello all! I have created an ingredients database where i have pricing and information and i want to pull from that database into a recipe calculator. I want it to pull based on what ingredient I choose. The ingredients database has an idea and i want

    • Next Page