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:





    • Recent Topics

    • reset admin access.

      I am a user under the domain @lanutraceuticals.com. I do not have admin access. Kindly let me know the administrator contact or help me reset admin access.”

    • Unsubscripation booked domin

      Kindly Un subscription booked domain

    • How to change Super Admin

      Good Day, Can someone kindly guide me on how to change the super Administrator. I have tried many times but could not succeed.

    • Events disappearing in Calendar

      To reproduce the bug: 1.- Add a new event in Calendar 2.- Type any name for the Event 3.- Click "Create" 4.- The event appears 5.- Click on the event to open it 6.- Optional: Edit the event 7.- Click OK 8.- After two seconds, the event disappears Now, click on another day and then come back to the inserted event's day. The event appears.

    • Mail transfer to a contact with multiple accounts

      Hi, Since we can only associate one email for a Contact across Zoho, would it be a problem if we want to merge our mailbox in the future? For example, Mr. Jones is the main POC for 5 accounts, once we merge our mail where would the messages go-- is it

    • @mention not working in Mail

      Am I missing something? When trying to forward a message there is a hint you could do this also by "@mention" at the end of the message. When typing (for example) "@s.." there should appear addresses from my contacts, shouldn´t it? But nothing happens! So what can I do? Best regards and thanks for any help in advance! JH P.S.: Sorry for my bad English.

    • Enable Zia-Powered Deluge Assistance and AI Agent Without Mandatory OpenAI Integration

      Hi Zoho Creator Team, Hope you're doing well. We’d like to request a feature enhancement related to Zia's AI capabilities in Zoho Creator, particularly regarding Deluge Assistance and the AI Agent. Currently, as shown in your documentation (Generate Deluge

    • Zoho Sign community meetup series - India

      Hello everyone! Zoho Sign is a comprehensive digital signature application tailor-made for Indian businesses with unique features like Aadhaar eSign, eStamping, USB/PFX signing. We are now excited to announce our first meetup series for Zoho Sign in India,

    • Product Updates in Zoho Workplace applications | June 2025

      Hello Workplace Community, Let’s take a look at the new features and enhancements that went live across all Workplace applications this June. Zoho Mail Slideshow view for inline images in Notes View all your inline images added in a notes in a effortlessly

    • Assign multiple vendors to the same product

      Guys, My business often purchase the same product from several vendors (based on price and availability). Is it possible to assign more than one vendor to the same product? I saw this same question in this forum, from some time ago. Is this feature available or, at least, in Zoho's roadmap? If not, is there any trick to solve my problem? Without this feature, I simply cannot manage my company's inventory, limiting very much the use of Zoho CRM. Waiting for your reply. Leonardo Kuba Sao Paulo / Brazil

    • Is there as way to shut off the invitation when you set up a new user?

      Is there as way to shut off the invitation when you set up a new user?  I would like to get all my users in the system, my org structure set up and tested, etc, BEFORE I invite the users.  I did not see a way to shut of the automatic invitation email.  The only way to get around it is to set up the users with no Email ID.  However, when you do that - you get into the problem of not being able to update a user's Email ID (which makes NO sense whatsoever).  If I set up a user with an incorrect email

    • Manage Engine login issue

      App not available The app you're trying to access isn't yet available in the in data center region, where your account is present. To use ManageEngine, you can sign up for a new account in another data center region. Learn How Go to Zoho accounts Please

    • Zoho Creator - users "Name" Column

      Hi, When you add user to an application inside Zoho Creator, the system generate an account name for it. We don't have the  ability to change this name. According to Zoho creator Support (Case:11523656) : "The values displayed under 'Name' column of 'Users & permissions' section, is actually the respective account's username and not the actual name specified on the account. Usernames are system designated based on the account email address and cannot be modified from your end." We need to have the

    • Zoho Assist Unattended - devices disappearing

      Hello, I've recently introduced a new model of laptops into our environment (Lenovo Legion). We are experiencing an issue where only the latest installed agent - laptop is visible in Assist. This issue does not appear with our Dell inventory. Example:

    • Searchable email tab in Bigin

      Hi team, Could I please request a feature update, to be able to search emails within the email tab of Bigin. We have large correspondence with some agents and it would be very helpful if we are able to search from this section:

    • The silent force behind great customer service

      Customer service is known to be a demanding role. Customer service agents are expected to bring empathy, clarity, and human connection to every voice call, chat, and remote session, even if the situation requires some time for customers facing stressful,

    • New From Email in Zoho Desk

      Dear ZohoSupport, We are trying to establish a new From Address in Zoho Desk but we are facing difficulties. When trying to use the smtp.office365.com SMTP Server, after clicking the Save and Verify button, the Authentication Failed error pops up although,

    • Option in pipeline deal to select which hotel or branch or store if client has more than one local store

      Hi, I would like to know if there is an option in the deal pipeline to select which hotel, branch, or store a deal is related to—if the company has more than one location. For example, I have a client that owns several hotels under the same company, and

    • Aggregate SalesIQ Knowledge Base Interactions into Zoho Desk Knowledge Base Dashboard

      Hello Zoho Desk Team, We hope you're doing well. We’d like to request a feature enhancement related to the Zoho Desk Knowledge Base dashboard and its integration with Zoho SalesIQ. 🎯 Current Limitation When customers interact with knowledge base articles

    • Add Prebuilt "Partner Finder" Template with Native Zoho CRM Integration in Zoho Sites To: Zoho Sites Product Team

      Hi Zoho Team, We hope you're doing well. We would like to request a prebuilt "Partner Finder" template for Zoho Sites, modeled after your excellent implementation here: 🔗 https://www.zoho.com/partners/find-partner-results.html ✅ Use Case: Our organization

    • Admin Visibility and Control Over Group Chats in Zoho Cliq

      Hello Zoho Cliq Team, We hope you're doing well. While we appreciate the current capabilities in Zoho Cliq — including the ability to restrict who can create group chats and configure user permissions — we would like to request several enhancements to

    • Update Regarding Zoho Finance Applications' Domains For API Users

      Hi users, Until now, both the Zoho Finance apps and their APIs shared a common domain. We've recently introduced separate domains for APIs. You can now start using the new domains for API calls. The old domains will not work for API users starting April

    • Ability for Agents to Initiate Voice Calls With Site Visitors Without Active Chat Session

      Dear Zoho SalesIQ Team, Greetings, We would like to request a feature enhancement related to the voice call functionality in Zoho SalesIQ. Current Limitation: At the moment, voice calls can only be initiated by agents after a chat session has been started

    • Add new Card

      How do you add a new credit card to a contact with Zoho API as can be done on web.  I am not able to find way to do this with Books API, CRM API or Subscriptions API.  This is an issue for our company as we do migration from a different system.  I can add card to a subscription through Subscriptions API, but some of our customers may not have a subscription, but only invoices set up in Zoho Books.  Is there any way in Zoho API to add new credit card to contact/customer?

    • Benchmark for Using Mail Merge in Service Order Scopes

      Hello, I was wondering if Zoho CRM has a benchmark or best practices for utilizing Mail Merge in service order scopes. Specifically, I'm looking for guidance on how to effectively integrate this feature for creating and managing service orders, especially

    • This user is not allowed to add in Zoho. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details

      Hello, Just signed up to ZOHO on a friend's recommendation. Got the TXT part (verified my domain), but whenever I try to add ANY user, I get the error: This user is not allowed to add in Zoho. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details I have emailed as well and writing here as well because when I searched, I saw many people faced the same issue and instead of email, they got a faster response here. My domain is: raisingreaderspk . com Hope this can be resolved.  Thank you

    • Why don't we have better integration with Mercado Pago or Pagseguro?

      Currently, the integration between Zoho Commerce and Mercado Pago for Brazil is very poor... Since it is old, it does not include the main payment method in Brazil today, which is PIX. Is there a date for this to finally be launched? There are numerous

    • two columns layout

      it's actually frustrating to not have this feature, I actually had to convince my employer to subscribe to zoho forms and integrate it with zoho crm, but because of this feature not beeing provided, our forms looks unnecessarly long and hideous. 

    • Sync Zoho Desk Help Center Category Icons to SalesIQ Articles

      Dear Zoho SalesIQ Team, Greetings, We are using the integration between Zoho SalesIQ and Zoho Desk to sync articles from our Zoho Desk Knowledge Base into SalesIQ. While this integration works well for syncing article content, we’ve noticed a visual inconsistency:

    • Company Name not pre-populating when using Quick Create: Contact

      Hi Devs, This has bugged me for a long time, and it's a simple UX design change to solve it. Problem: Users creating Contacts not linked to Companies/Accounts Cause: When a user creates an Opportunity where after browsing the Contacts they realise they

    • Spell Checker in Zoho desk

      Is there a way to set always check spelling before sending? Outlook does this and it is a handy tool to avoid typos

    • Enable Sync of SalesIQ Article Interactions to Zoho Analytics for Unified Knowledge Base Reporting

      Dear Zoho SalesIQ and Zoho Analytics Teams, Greetings, We’d like to formally request an enhancement to enable SalesIQ article interaction data to be synced with Zoho Analytics, so that we can obtain a unified view of our knowledge base performance metrics

    • How to enter membership share, sold or reimburse

      Hello, First, I am just begining taking care of the accounting of my organisation, and new also to Books. In Books, our accounting plan has an account #3900 - Share capital, that cumulates the share our member pay. How do I write a sale or a reimbursement

    • Ability for me to take the issued PDF certification on successful completion of a course then push to zoho sign in order that it is digitally certified

      How can I take the issued PDF certification on successful completion of a Zoho Learn course then trigger a workflow to push to Zoho Sign in order that it is digitally certified, hosted on the blockchain and then push to Zoho Workdrive to be hosted off

    • Candidates rejection process

      Is there a way to get ZOHORecruit to automatically send out an email to candidates that are rejected?

    • Multi file upload

      Hi, I just wonder if one could upload multiple files in one shot, say between one and three files, without adding multiple File Upload fields? Thanks, Alalbany

    • Passing the image/file uploaded in form to openai api

      I'm trying to use the OpenAI's new vision feature where we can send image through Api. What I want is the user to upload an image in the form and send this image to OpenAI. But I can't access this image properly in deluge script. There are also some constraints

    • Calendar Year View?

      Is there a way I can view the calendar in year view? Maybe create a page with a view like this?

    • ABN Amro

      Hi, We are trying to add Abn AMRO as a bank in Zoho Books. However we get the following error: Type of Error: User Action Required Description: The request cannot be completed because the site is no longer supported for data updates. Possible workaround: Please deactivate or remove the account. Suggested Action: The site will no longer be supported by Zoho Books and should be removed. Does that mean it's no longer supported? Thanks!

    • Add bank transfers via a webhook or API

      Hello ZOHO Books Community, is there anyway to add single transactions to bank accounts via an API or webhook? I found in docs to upload a bank statement. But i want to add a transaction from an external (unsupported bank) in the moment there is a transaction

    • Next Page