Kaizen #124 - Manipulating Subform using Zoho CRM APIs

Kaizen #124 - Manipulating Subform using Zoho CRM APIs

Hello everyone!

Welcome back to another post in our Kaizen series. 
In this post, we will discuss how to manipulate the Subform data using Zoho CRM APIs.

Subforms

A Subform is a data section embedded in the primary form to collect details related to the parent record. It helps in maintaining multiple records under a single parent record. 

Using subform, you can create a parent-child relationship between modules, where the parent module represents the primary data and the child module contains the related data. 

Data Model Representation
The above diagram shows the data model representation when you create a subform in a module.
Consider adding a subform field named Project Details in the Leads module (parent module). Zoho CRM will automatically create a separate module for the subform field with the specified subform field name - Project Details. Each record within the subform module can have multiple fields, in addition to the system-defined Parent_Id lookup field, establishing a connection between the parent (Leads module) and child (subform module) modules. Through this linking process, one can easily identify which subform record corresponds to which specific lead record.

Use Case

Consider Zylker Consulting organization using Zoho CRM to maintain their leads and their projects. Zylker uses the Project Details subform in the Leads module to collect project-specific information collected from their Leads.
The Project Details subform includes fields such as Project Title,Type, Budget, and Status, in addition to the Parent_Id lookup field.
Now, the Zylker's sales team needs to retrieve all the details of the projects from the Leads module for further project analysis, expected budgets, and status. Let's see how to manipulate these data in CRM using Zoho CRM APIs.

The APIs used in this post

API
Methods
Subforms API
GET, POST, UPDATE
Records API
POST, UPDATE, DELETE
Search API
GET
COQL API
POST
Bulk Read API
POST, GET

How to retrieve subform records using the Zoho CRM APIs?

To retrieve subform records from the subform module, specify the subform module's API name to access their records or fields.

Step - 1
To know the API names of the subform fields in a module, make a GET - Fields Metadata API call. Among all the Leads' fields, subform field can be identified by the json key data_type with the value subform. Corresponding subform module can be found from the json associated_module. Below is the API call & response for such a subform field.

Request URL :
{api-domain}/crm/v6/settings/fields/{subform_field_id}?module=Leads

Request Method: GET

Sample Response:


Step - 2
Using the api_name of the subform module, make a GET Fields metadata API call to get the list of fields (along with their api_name) in the subform. One of the fields of the subform module will be Parent_Id with the data_type as lookup, pointing to the parent module (here it is Leads).

Request URL 
Request Method: GET
Sample Response:
Now you know how to get the API name of the subform and its corresponding fields.

Step - 3
Sample Request and Response to retrieve subform records
The below request will retrieve all the subform records in the Leads module. The linking of subform record to the Lead's module will be available in the Parent_Id field, which is highlighted. The id key inside the Parent_Id json object is the id of the Leads records.
 


How to add data to the subforms?

To add records to the subform, you need the API name of the subform and its corresponding field API names.
Request URL:
Request Method:  POST
Sample Input
{
    "data": [
        {
            "Last_Name": "Patricia",
            "Company": "Info Technology",
            "Email" : "patricia@mail.com",
            "Project_Details": //API name of the subform
     [ 
                {
                    "Project_Name": "Mobile App Development for Productivity",
                    "Project_Type": "Mobile App Development",
                    "Expected_Budget": 50000,
                    "Status": "Negotiation in Process"
                }, //API names of the subform fields
                {
                    "Project_Name": "Big Data Infrastructure Implementation",
                    "Project_Type": "Infrastructure Upgrade",
                    "Expected_Budget": 30000,
                    "Status": "Proposal Submitted"
                },
                {
                    "Project_Name": "Big Data Infrastructure Implementation",
                    "Project_Type": "Infrastructure Upgrade",
                    "Expected_Budget": 30000,
                    "Status": "Proposal Submitted"
                }
            ] 
        }
    ]
}

The above highlighted syntax is used for adding data to the subform records. 

Sample Response:

Kaizen #33 - Subforms API explains in detail how to Fetch, Update, and Delete the subform data with sample requests, inputs, and responses.

Retrieve Subform Data via Search API and COQL API

There may be situations where you need to fetch records based upon certain conditions.  

Criteria :
The sales team wants to retrieve the subform records whose budget is greater than or equal to $40000. In this case, we will use Zoho CRM's Search API and COQL API. Let's see how to achieve this. 

Search API

To retrieve the records that match your search criteria, retrieve subform data using its corresponding module API name.  Note that using Search API, you can fetch data quickly from a single module.

Request URL:

Request Method: GET
Sample Response :
The above response shows all records that meet the specified criteria.

How to retrieve subform records from a particular parent record?

To retrieve subforms records in a particular lead record that meet the above criteria, follow the below sample request.

Sample Request URL:

Sample Response:



Retrieving Subforms Data via COQL API

We know that the subform is maintained in a separate module. So, retrieve subform data by querying the subform module's API name and it's parent module via the Parent_Id lookup field. 

Request URL:
Request Method : POST

Sample Input:
{
 "select_query" : "select Expected_Budget from Project_Details where ((Expected_Budget >=40000) and (Parent_Id = 5725767000002105043))"
}

Sample Response:
Using a Parent_Id (lookup field pointing to Leads module) in the COQL criteria automatically adds a left join to the child module (Project_Details). With that join, criteria can be applied to the fields of the parent module also. Below example illustrates that we want to fetch the Expected_Budget field of the Project_Details module where the Expected_Budget is greater than or equal to 40000 for the corresponding Leads with Annual Revenue greater than 1000000. 

{
 "select_query" : "select Expected_Budget from Project_Details where ((Expected_Budget >=40000) and (Parent_Id.Annual_Revenue > 100000 ))"
}

From the SQL perspective, above COQL can be interpreted as

select pd.Expected_Budget from Project_Details as pd left join Leads as l on pd.Parent_Id=l.id where pd.Expected_Budget>=40000 and l.Annual_Revenue > 1000000

For more information on COQL API, refer to the Kaizen posts  COQL Part -1 and COQL Part - 2

Bulk Read API

Bulk Read API allows you to fetch a large set of data i.e., you can fetch a maximum of 200,000 records in a single API call. 
To export subform records in the Leads module in CSV file format, use the subform's API name.

Request URL:
Request Method: POST

Sample input to export subform records:
{
    "callback": {
        "method": "post"
    },
    "query": {
        "module": {
            "api_name": "Project_Details" //API name of the Subform module
        },
        "file_type": "csv"
    }
}


Export subform records that meet the specified criteria

To export subform records based on the given criteria above (similar to the criteria for Search and COQL APIs).

Sample Input:
{
        . . .
     "query": {
        "module": {
            "api_name": "Project_Details"
        },
        "fields": [
            "Project_Name",
            "Project_Type",
            "Expected_Budget",
            "Status"
        ],
        "criteria": {
            "field": {
                "api_name": "Expected_Budget"
            },
            "comparator": "greater_equal",
            "value": "40000" //Retrieving subform records with an expected budget greater than or equal to $40,000
        }
    }
}


Export subform records that meet the specified criteria for the particular parent record

To export the subform records of a particular parent record in the Leads module. Check the below sample request.

Sample Input:

{
       . . .
        "query": {
        "module": {
            "api_name": "Project_Details"
        },
        "fields": [
            "Project_Name",
            "Project_Type",
            "Expected_Budget",
            "Status"
        ],
        "criteria": {
            "group": [
                {
                    "field": {
                        "api_name": "Expected_Budget"
                    },
                    "comparator": "greater_than",
                    "value": "39999"
                },
                {
                    "field": {
                        "api_name": "Parent_Id"
                    },
                    "comparator": "equal",
                    "value": "5725767000002105043"
                }
            ],
            "group_operator": "AND"
        }
    }
}


As the API is an asynchronous API, the response will not be available instantly; the bulk read job is scheduled, and the status can be checked. Once the job is completed, it'll be notified in the callback URL. The records are available in a downloadable CSV file or ICS file (for events). You can export subform records in a module using the subform module API name. See Kaizen #12 Bulk Read API to know how to view the status of the scheduled job and download the file, along with more sample requests and responses.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q.  Is the API name of the subform case-sensitive? Also, how can I view the API name of a subform field in the web UI?
Yes, the API name of a subform is case-sensitive. To know the API name of a subform module (e.g. Project Details) Please go to Setup -> Developer Hub -> APIs -> CRM API -> API names -> Click on the parent module where the subform was created (e.g. Leads) and scroll down there you can view the subform field's API name.

Q. I changed the order of subform records and made a GET - Records API call. The system listed the records in the same order as displayed in the UI, rather than the order of their creation. Is this the system design? 
When you make a GET - Records API call for a module, it lists the subform records ordered in the UI. Note that you can re-order the subform records. So, when you retrieve those records via the API, they will be listed in the same order as they are arranged in the UI.

Q. Can we change a subform field's API name via API?
You can change the API name of the subform field only through the UI. Go to Setup -> Developer Hub -> APIs -> CRM API -> API names -> Click on the parent module where the subform was created (e.g. Leads) and go to the Field Label section. There you can view the subform field name and edit the API by clicking on the Edit option.

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

Stay tuned for more insights in our upcoming Kaizen posts!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Previous Kaizen Post : Kaizen #123 Data Synchronization from a third party application
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Cheers!

Additional Reading:

Kaizen Posts:





    • Sticky Posts

    • Kaizen #197: Frequently Asked Questions on GraphQL APIs

      🎊 Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – We want to hear from you! 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 #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.

    • Celebrating 200 posts of Kaizen! Share your ideas for the milestone post

      Hello Developers, We launched the Kaizen series in 2019 to share helpful content to support your Zoho CRM development journey. Staying true to its spirit—Kaizen Series: Continuous Improvement for Developer Experience—we've shared everything from FAQs

    • Kaizen #193: Creating different fields in Zoho CRM through API

      🎊 Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – We want to hear from you! 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.

    • Client Script | Update - Introducing Commands in Client Script!

      Have you ever wished you could trigger Client Script from contexts other than just the supported pages and events? Have you ever wanted to leverage the advantage of Client Script at your finger tip? Discover the power of Client Script - Commands! Commands

    • Recent Topics

    • Live webinar: Craft the ideal sales pitch deck with Show

      Every great sale starts with a great story. And your pitch deck? That’s where the story takes shape. But too often, these presentations end up looking generic, overloaded with text, or lacking structure. The good news is, it's easier to fix than you think!

    • Project Statuses

      Hi All, We have projects that sometimes may not make it through to completion. As such, they were being marked as "Cancelled". I noticed that these projects still show as "Active" though which seems counter intuitive. In fact, the only way I can get them

    • 👋 Welcome to the Zoho MCP Community

      Hello all, glad to have you here! This is your space for everything AI agents, MCP tools, and intelligent business apps. This community is for you — developers, partners, creators, and businesses exploring how agents can transform work. Whether you’re

    • Suitability of Zoho One (Single User License) for Multi-State GST Compliance & Cost Analysis

      Hello Zoho Team, I am an e-commerce business owner selling on platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, and Meesho, and I'm currently using their fulfillment warehouses. I have two GSTIN registrations and am planning to register for an additional 2-3 to expand

    • DNS Manager

      Where Can I find my DNS manager so I can link this to click funnels or AWEBER

    • Forwarder

      Hi, I tried to add a forwarder from which emails are sent to my main zoho account email . However, it asks me for a code that should be received at the forwarder email, which is still not activated to send to my zoho emial account. So how can I get the

    • Forwarder

      Hi, I tried to add a forwarder from which emails are sent to my main zoho account email . However, it asks me for a code that should be received at the forwarder email, which is still not activated to send to my zoho emial account. So how can I get the

    • How do I sync multiple Google calendars?

      I'm brand new to Zoho and I figured out how to sync my business Google calendar but I would also like to sync my personal Google calendar. How can I do this so that, at the very least, when I have personal engagements like doctor's appointments, I can

    • Need to extract date from datetime field

      I have a datetime field and need only the date part from it. I am unable to find a built-in function that would be <DateTime>.Date(). I don't think I want to go the string conversion route of converting the datetime to string and then parsing out values and create a date out of it. Any one out there has a better solution to this? Thanks in adavnce. Regards Moiz Tankiwala Smart Training & IT Solutions

    • How to Hide Article Links in SalesIQ Answer Bot Responses

      I have published an article in SalesIQ, and the Answer Bot is fetching the data and responding correctly. However, it is also displaying the article link, which I don’t want. How can I remove the link so that only the message is shown?

    • New in Cadences: WhatsApp follow-ups, upgraded limits, and options for add-ons

      Hello everyone, We're rolling out two key updates to help you engage better and scale smarter with Cadences in Zoho CRM. Reach customers on WhatsApp, directly from Cadences Previously, Cadences have enabled you to automate follow-ups through emails, calls,

    • additional accounts

      If I brought 5 emails to my account. Can I later buy additional emails.

    • Issue in Zoho People Regularization – Incorrect Hour Calculation

      I have noticed that when applying attendance regularization in Zoho People for previous dates, the total working hours are not calculated correctly. For example, even if the check-in is 10:00 AM and check-out is 6:00 PM, the system shows an incorrect

    • Why I am unable to configure Zoho Voice with my Zoho CRM account?

      I have installed Zoho Voice in my Zoho CRM, but as per the message there is some config needed in Zoho Voice interface. But when I click on the link given in the above message, I get an access denied page.

    • Issue with Hour Calculation in Zoho People Attendance Module

      I have noticed an issue in the attendance regularization feature of Zoho People. When trying to regularize past dates, the total working hours are not calculated correctly. For example, if I enter a check-in and check-out time for a previous day, the

    • Cliq Meeting Calls No Audio and Screen Share

      When in a Cliq channel meeting, the audio does not work at all on pc. When i use my phone as audio source, screen share on pc does not work. I have updated audio drivers but the strangest thing is that during a 1 on 1 call, it works well. Therefore the

    • Bug in Total Hour Calculation in Regularization for past dates

      There is a bug in Zoho People Regularization For example today is the date is 10 if I choose a previous Date like 9 and add the Check in and Check out time The total hours aren't calculated properly, in the example the check in time is 10:40 AM check

    • Work anniversary and birthdays on connect

      Hello, I like the idea of having employee's work anniversary and birthdays on the dashbaord. Do you have to have the employee complete this information themselves in connect settings, or does it pull from their directory settings? (ie. we use Zoho one

    • Alias Email Id already exists

      Hi I'm trying to create an alias : contact @ yoavarielevy.co.il but i get the message  Alias Email Id already exists I had an account with the same name but I deleted it. Can you help? Thanx Yoav

    • BANK FEED - MAYBANK , provider from YODLEE IS NOT WORKING

      As per topic, the provider YODLEE is not working for the BANK FEED. It have been reported since 2023 Q3, and second report on 2023 Q4. now almost end of 2024 Q1, and coming to 2024 Q2. Malaysia Bank Maybank is NOT working. can anyone check on this issue?

    • Feature Request: Ability to Set a Custom List View as Default for All Users

      Dear Zoho CRM Support Team, We would like to request a new feature in Zoho CRM regarding List Views. Currently, each user has to manually select or favorite a custom list view in order to make it their default. However, as administrators, we would like

    • Adding Multiple Products (Package) to a Quote

      I've searched the forums and found several people asking this question, but never found an answer. Is ti possible to add multiple products to a quote at once, like a package deal? This seems like a very basic function of a CRM that does quotes but I can't

    • Zoho Commerce in multiple languages

      When will you be able to offer Zoho Commerce in more languages? We sell in multiple markets and want to be able to offer a local version of our webshop. What does the roadmap look like?

    • webinar registration confirmation are landing in SPMA folders

      I am trialing zoho webinar and do not have access to custom domains. When I test user registrations, they are working but the resulting confirmation email is landing in a spam folder. How can I avoid this?

    • Making digital signatures accessible to all: Introducing accessibility controls in Zoho Sign

      Hi there! At Zoho Sign, we are committed to building an inclusive digital experience for all our users. As part of our ongoing efforts to align with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), we’re updating the application with support that will go

    • Is there a way to set Document Owner/Sender via the API

      When sending requests for zoho sign, it would seem zoho uses the id of the person that created the zoho api cred to determine the owner_id, is there a way to set a default for this?

    • Delegates should be able to delete expenses

      I understand the data integrity of this request. It would be nice if there was a toggle switch in the Policy setting that would allow a delegate to delete expenses from their managers account. Some managers here never touch their expense reports, and

    • Add Save button to Expense form

      A save button would be very helpful on the expense form. Currently there is a Save and Close button. When we want to itemize an expense, this option would be very helpful. For example, if we have a hotel expense that also has room service, which is a

    • Multiple organizations under Zoho One

      Hello. I have a long and complicated question. I have a Zoho One account and want to set it up to serve the needs of 6 organizations under the same company. Some of the Zoho One users need to be able to work in more than 1 organization’s CRM and other

    • Error AS101 when adding new email alias

      Hi, I am trying to add apple@(mydomain).com The error AS101 is shown while I try to add the alias.

    • Unbundle feature for composite items

      We receive composite items from our vendors and sell them either individually or create other composite items out of them. So, there is a lot of bundling and unbundling involved with our composite items. Previously, this feature was supported in form

    • Regarding the integration of Apollo.io with Zoho crm.

      I have been seeing for the last 3 months that your Apollo.io beta version is available in Zoho Flow, and this application has not gone live yet. We requested this 2 months ago, but you guys said that 'we are working on it,' and when we search on Google

    • MTD SA in the UK

      Hello ID 20106048857 The Inland Revenue have confirmed that this tax account is registered as Cash Basis In Settings>Profile I have set ‘Report Basis’ as “Cash" However, I see on Zoho on Settings>Taxes>Income Tax that the ‘Tax Basis’ is marked ‘Accrual'

    • workflow not working in subform

      I have the following code in a subform which works perfectly when i use the form alone but when i use the form as a subform within another main form it does not work. I have read something about using row but i just cant seem to figure out what to change

    • Fetch data from another table into a form field

      I have spent the day trying to work this out so i thought i would use the forum for the first time. I have two forms in the same application and when a user selects a customer name from a drop down field and would like the customer number field in the

    • Record comment filter

      Hi - I have a calendar app that we use to track tasks. I have the calendar view set up so that the logged in user only sees the record if they are assigned to the task. BUT there are instances when someone is @ mentioned in the record when they are not

    • How to View Part Inventory and Warehouse Location When Creating a Work Order in Zoho FSM

      Hi everyone, We’re currently setting up Zoho FSM and would like to improve how our team selects parts when creating a Work Order. Right now, when we add a part or item to a Work Order, we can select it from our Zoho Inventory list but we don’t see any

    • FSM too slow today !!

      Anybody else with problem today to loading FSM (WO, AP etc.)?

    • Not able to Sign In in Zoho OneAuth in Windows 10

      I recently reset my Windows 10 system, after the reset when I downloaded the OAuth app and tried to Sign In It threw an error at me. Error: Token Fetch Error. Message: Object Reference not set to an instance of an object I have attached the screenshot

    • Mapping a custom preferred date field in the estimate with the native field in the workorder

      Hi Zoho, I created a field in the estimate : "Preferred Date 1", to give the ability to my support agent to add a preferred date while viewing the client's estimate. However, in the conversion mapping (Estimate to Workorder), I'm unable to map my custom

    • Next Page