Kaizen #149: Using GraphQL APIs to fetch data in a consolidated way

Hello everyone!

Welcome to this week's post in the Kaizen Series! This week, we will discuss GraphQL APIs, a query language that provides an efficient, powerful, and flexible method for fetching and manipulating data from Zoho CRM.

Let us consider the scenario of a large industrial equipment manufacturer,  Zylker Manufacturing.  They utilize Zoho CRM to streamline their sales processes and customer relationship management. Their sales support team uses a legacy system to manage their activities. When a contact seeks support, the support team must have access to the latest data from Zoho CRM to assist them better. They need:

• details of the contact, such as email, phone, and Account details
• details of the ongoing deals of the contact, including potential revenue and stages .
  

With GraphQL APIs, with a single API call, you can create custom unified view that combine information from multiple Zoho CRM modules. This allows the support team to view all relevant information in one place, making it easier to manage sales processes and customer interactions. To create the view, metadata of the fields is also required.  This structured approach in GraphQL allows Zylker Manufacturing to efficiently aggregate data.

You need to construct a GraphQL query to fetch specific data related to a contact and associated deals, as well as metadata about the fields in the Contacts and Deals modules. Let's break down each part of the query that can achieve this.

1. Fetching Contact and Deal Information

Records: Records comprises the records from the different Zoho CRM modules. Contacts: Specifies that we want to query the records of the Contacts module. The where clause filters the contacts based on their email address. _data: This indicates the fields we want to retrieve from the records. In this case: Email: Fetches the email of the contact. Full_Name: Fetches the full name of the contact. Deals__r: Fetches the related deal record of the Contact.  Expected_Revenue: Fetches the expected revenue from each deal. Deal_Name: Fetches the name of each deal. Stage: Fetches the current stage of each deal.

Records {     Contacts(where: { Email: { equals: "krismarrier@noemail.com" } }) {         _data {             Email {                 value}             Full_Name {                 value}             Deals__r {                 _data {                     Expected_Revenue {                         value}                     Deal_Name {                         value}                     Stage {                         value                     }}}}}}

2. Fetching Metadata for Contacts

Meta: This fetches the details of the metadata for Contacts module. It uses the alias "contact_meta" Modules(filter: { api_name: "Contacts" }): Specifies that we want to fetch the metadata of the Contacts module. _data: This indicates the fields we want to retrieve. In this case: id: The unique identifier for the module. api_name: The API name for the module. module_name: The name of the module. description: The description of the module. plural_label, singular_label: Labels used for the module. fields: Retrieves metadata for specific fields within the module. filter: { api_names: ["Last_Name", "Email"] }: Specifies which fields' metadata to retrieve.For each field, it retrieves: id: Field identifier. api_name: API name for the field. display_label: The display name of the field. json_type: The data type as represented in JSON. data_type: The Zoho CRM data type of the field.

contact_meta: Meta {     Modules(filter: { api_name: "Contacts" }) {       _data {         id         api_name         module_name         description         singular_label         plural_label         fields(filter: { api_names: ["Last_Name", "Email"] }) {           _data {             id             api_name             display_label             json_type             data_type           }         }       }     }  }

3. Fetching Metadata for Deals

Meta: This fetches the details of the metadata for Deals module. It uses the alias "deal_meta" Modules(filter: { api_name: "Deals" }): Specifies that we want to fetch the metadata of the Deals module. _data: This indicates the fields we want to retrieve. In this case: id: The unique identifier for the module. api_name: The API name for the module. module_name: The name of the module. description: description of the module. plural_label, singular_label: Labels used for the module. fields: Retrieves metadata for specific fields within the module. filter:  api_names: ["Expected_Revenue", "Deal_Name","Stage"] }: Specifies which fields' metadata to retrieve.For each field, it retrieves: id: Field identifier. api_name: API name for the field. display_label: The display name of the field. json_type: The data type as represented in JSON. data_type: The Zoho CRM data type of the field.

deal_meta: Meta {     Modules(filter: { api_name: "Deals" }) {         _data {             id             api_name             module_name             description             singular_label             plural_label             fields(filter: { api_names: ["Expected_Revenue", "Deal_Name","Stage"] }) {                 _data {                     api_name                     id                     display_label                     json_type                     data_type                 }             }         }     } }

The complete query will look this:

query {   Records {     Contacts(where: { Email: { equals: "krismarrier@noemail.com" } }) {       _data {         Email {           value         }         Full_Name {           value         }         Deals__r {           _data {             Expected_Revenue {               value             }             Deal_Name {               value             }             Stage {               value             }           }         }       }     }   }   contact_meta: Meta {     Modules(filter: { api_name: "Contacts" }) {       _data {         plural_label         id         api_name         module_name         description         singular_label         fields(filter: { api_names: ["Last_Name", "Email"] }) {           _data {             id             api_name             display_label             json_type             data_type           }         }       }     }   }   deal_meta: Meta {     Modules(filter: { api_name: "Deals" }) {       _data {         plural_label         id         api_name         module_name         description         singular_label         fields(           filter: { api_names: ["Expected_Revenue", "Deal_Name", "Stage"] }         ) {           _data {             api_name             id             display_label             json_type             data_type           }         }       }     }   } }

If you were to fetch this data using REST APIs, it will involve multiple calls to the 

• Query API
• Related Records API
• Modules meta API, and 
• Fields meta API.
  

Using the GraphQL query you can fetch the required data alone in a less round trip time. While constructing a query for your custom requirement, please note that you can query up to three levels of depth (nesting levels of a field) for Records and 7 levels of depth for Metadata. 

Constructing GraphQL query using Postman

To construct a GraphQL query in Postman to suit your requirements, type {api_domain}/crm/graphql in the URL box. Postman will automatically fetch the query schema in the schema explorer, which can be used to explore the types of queries that can be made, including what fields are available on each type, what arguments those fields accept, and what other types they return.   

Constructing a Zoho CRM GraphQL query in Postman using schema explorer

You can refer to the help documentation on GraphQL APIs for more details on GraphQL APIs. 

Update 25th Sep 2024:

GraphQL APIs are now open across all DCs including IN DC for Enterprise, Zoho One Enterprise, CRM Plus and Ultimate edition orgs. Please note that GraphQL APIs are not available for Trial Edition of these editions.

We hope you found this post useful. We will meet you next week with another interesting topic!

If you have any questions, let us know in the comment section or reach out to us directly at support@zohocrm.com.

Further Reading.                                                                                                                                

• Kaizen Series
  
• GraphQL Documentation
  

Previous Kaizen Post

• Kaizen #148 - 'trigger' in Records APIs

• Topic Participants

• Mable Mary M P

  

• 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

• Bug in allowing the user to buy out of stock items

  Hi i want to allow the user to buy out of stock items, according to the commerce documentation if i disable Restrict "Out of stock" purchases it will, but it doesnt work, so i want to know if it had any relation with zoho inventory, and if theres any

• Zoho CRM Calendar | Custom Buttons

  I'm working with my sales team to make our scheduling process easier for our team. We primary rely on Zoho CRM calendar to organize our events for our sales team. I was wondering if there is a way to add custom button in the Calendar view on events/meeting

• Replace Lookup fields ID value with their actual name and adding inormation from subforms

  Hi everyone,  I wanted to see if someone smarter than me has managed to find any solutions to two problems we have. I will explain both below.  To start we are syncing data from Zoho CRM to Zoho Analytics and I will use the Sales Order module when giving

• Can a Zoho Sites page be embedded into another website (outside Zoho)

  Hi All, We have a request from a client - they'd like to take one of our information pages created in Zoho Sites and embed it into their own website? I was told through an email with Zoho that this was possible >>Thank you for your patience regarding

• Bug in allowing the user to buy out of stock items

  Hi i want to allow the user to buy out of stock items, according to the commerce documentation if i disable Restrict "Out of stock" purchases it will, but it doesnt work, so i want to know if it had any relation with zoho inventory, and if theres any

• Transition Criteria Appearing on Blueprint Transitions

  On Monday, Sept. 8th, the Transition criteria started appearing on our Blueprints when users hover over a Transition button. See image. We contacted Zoho support because it's confusing our users (there's really no reason for them to see it), but we haven't

• Zoho CRM Sales Targets for Individual Salespeople

  Our organistion has salespeople that are allocated to different regions and have different annual sales targets as a result. I am building an CRM analytics dashboard for the sales team, which will display a target meter for the logged in salesperson.

• All new Address Field in Zoho CRM: maintain structured and accurate address inputs

  The address field will be available exclusively for IN DC users. We'll keep you updated on the DC-specific rollout soon. It's currently available for all new sign-ups and for existing Zoho CRM orgs which are in the Professional edition. Managing addresses

• Transfer all Related Data to new Account Owner

  Currently when I change the account Owner I only see the option to change only the open deals But I want the new account owner to take over all the related modules and all the deal stages Is it not possible right now? Am I missing something? Do I really

• Can i connect 2 instagram accounts to 1 brand?

  Can i connect 2 instagram accounts to 1 brand? Or Do i need to create 2 brands for that? also under what subscription package will this apply?

• How to Calculate MTTR (Mean Time to Resolve)

  We want to calculate MTTR (Mean Time to Resolve) in our Zoho Analytics report under Tickets. Currently, we are using the following fields: Ticket ID Ticket Created Time Ticket Closed Time Ticket On Hold Time We are planning to calculate MTTR (in days)

• How to export project tasks, including the comments

  Hi, how can I export the project tasks, whereby I can also see the comments associated to a specific task? The use-case is that often we use comments to discuss or update a task related ideas. I would like to export the tasks, where we can also see the

• How to Install Zoho Workdrive Desktop Sync for Ubuntu?

  Hi. I am newbie to Linux / Ubuntu. I downloaded a tar.gz file from Workdrive for installing the Workdrive Desktop Sync tool. Can someone give me step by step guide on how to install this on Ubuntu? I am using Ubuntu 19.04. Regards Senthil

• Introducing Version-3 APIs - Explore New APIs & Enhancements

  Happy to announce the release of Version 3 (V3) APIs with an easy to use interface, new APIs, and more examples to help you understand and access the APIs better. V3 APIs can be accessed through our new link, where you can explore our complete documentation,

• Does Zoho Sheet Supports https://n8n.io ?

  Does Zoho Sheet Supports https://n8n.io ? If not, can we take this as an idea and deploy in future please? Thanks

• Bigin Android app update: User management

  Hello everyone! In the most recent Bigin Android app update, we have brought in support for the 'Users and Controls' section. You can now manage the users in your organization within the mobile app. There are three tabs in the 'Users and Controls' section:

• Share records with your customers and let them track their statuses in real time.

  Greetings, I hope everyone is doing well! We're excited to introduce the external sharing feature for pipeline records. This new enhancement enables you to share pipeline records with your customers via a shareable link and thereby track the status of

• Live webinar: Discover Zoho Show: A complete walkthrough

  Hello everyone, We’re excited to invite you to our upcoming live webinar, Discover Zoho Show: A Complete Walkthrough. Whether you’re just getting started with Show or eager to explore advanced capabilities, this session will show you useful tips and features

• Deal Stage component/widget/whatever it is... event

  Deal Stages I am trying to access the event and value of this component. I can do it by changing the Stage field but users can also change a Deal Stage via this component and I need to be able to capture both values. Clicking on 'Verbal' for instance,

• Create advanced slideshows with hybrid reports using Zoho Projects Plus

  Are your quarterly meetings coming up? It’s time to pull up metrics, generate reports, and juggle between slides yet again. While this may be easier for smaller projects, large organizations that run multiple projects may experience the pressure when

• Add an option to disable ZIA suggestions

  Currently, ZIA in Zoho Inventory automatically provides suggestions, such as sending order confirmation emails. However, there is no way to disable this feature. In our case, orders are automatically created by customers, and we’ve built a custom workflow

• Email Integration - Zoho CRM - OAuth and IMAP

  Hello, We are attempting to integrate our Microsoft 365 email with Zoho CRM. We are using the documentation at Email Configuration for IMAP and POP3 (zoho.com) We use Microsoft 365 and per their recommendations (and requirements) for secure email we have

• Formula field with IF statement based on picklist field and string output to copy/paste in multi-line field via function

  Hello there, I am working on a formula field based on a 3-item picklist field (i.e. *empty value*, 'Progress payment', 'Letter of credit'). Depending on the picked item, the formula field shall give a specific multi-line string (say 'XXX' in case of 'Progress

• CRM x WorkDrive: File storage for new CRM signups is now powered by WorkDrive

  Availability Editions: All DCs: All Release plan: Released for new signups in all DCs. It will be enabled for existing users in a phased manner in the upcoming months. Help documentation: Documents in Zoho CRM Manage folders in Documents tab Manage files

• Zoho CRMの流入元について

  Zoho CRMとZoho formsを連携し、 formsで作成したフォームをサイトに埋め込み運用中です。 UTMパラメータの取得をformsを行い、Zoho CRMの見込み客タブにカスタム項目で反映される状況になっています。 広告に関してはUTMパラメータで取得できているため問題ないのですが、オーガニック流入でフォーム送信の場合も計測したいです。メールやGoogle、Yahoo、directなどの流入元のチャネルが反映されるようにしたいのですが、どのように設定したら良いでしょうか。 また、

• Error While Sign in on Zoho Work Drive

  Dear Team, I hope this email finds you well. I have recently created a Zoho account and started using it. But while I am trying to log in to Zoho work drive it won't log me in its crashing every time I try it. I have tried it on android app, phone browser

• Choosing a portal option and the "Unified customer portal"?

  I am trialling Zoho to replace various existing systems, one of which is a customer portal. Our portal allows clients to add and edit bookings, complete forms, manage their subscriptions and edit some CRM info. I am trying to understand how I might best

• Elevate your CX delivery using CommandCenter 2.0: Simplified builder; seamless orchestration

  Most businesses want to create memorable customer experiences—but they often find it hard to keep them smooth, especially as they grow. To achieve a state of flow across their processes, teams often stitch together a series of automations using Workflow

• Unified Directory : How to Access ?

  I signed in to Zoho One this morning and was met with the pop up about the upgraded directory (yay!) I watched the video and pressed "Get Started" ... and it took me back to the standard interface. How do I actually access the new portal/directory ?

• Translation support expanded for Modules, Subforms and Related Lists

  Hello Everyone!   The translation feature enables organizations to translate certain values in their CRM interface into different languages. Previously, the only values that could be translated were picklist values and field names. However, we have extended

• Unified task view

  Possible to enable the unified task view in Trident, that is currently available in Mail?

• Bigin, more powerful than ever on iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe, and watchOS 26.

  Hot on the heels of Apple’s latest OS updates, we’ve rolled out several enhancements and features designed to help you get the most from your Apple devices. Enjoy a refined user experience with smoother navigation and a more content-focused Liquid Glass

• Importing data into Assets

  So we have a module in Zoho CRM called customers equipments. It links to customers modules, accounts (if needed) and products. I made a sample export and created extra fields in zoho fsm assets module. The import fails. Could not find a matching parent

• Allow instruction field in Job Sheets

  Hello, I would like to know if it is possible to have an instruction field (multi line text) in a job sheet or if there is a workaround to be able to do it. Currently we are pretty limited in terms of fields in job sheets which makes it a bit of a struggle

• Streamlining Work Order Automation with Zoho Projects, Writer & WorkDrive

  Hello Community, Here is the first post in 'Integration & Automation' Series. Use Case :: Create, Merge, Sign & Store Documents in Zoho WorkDrive. Scenario :: You have a standard Work Order template created in Zoho Writer. When a task status is chosen

• The dimensions of multilingual power

  Hola, saludos de Zoho Desk. Bonjour, salutations de Zoho Desk. Hallo, Grüße von Zoho Desk. Ciao, saluti da Zoho Desk. Olá, saudações da Zoho Desk. வணக்கம், Zoho Desk இலிருந்து வாழ்த்துகள். 你好，来自 Zoho Desk 的问候。 مرحباً، تحيات من Zoho Desk. नमस्ते, Zoho

• Multi-line address lines

  How can I enter and migrate the following 123 state street Suite 2 Into a contact address. For Salesforce imports, a CR between the information works. The ZOHO migration tool just ignores it. Plus, I can't seem to even enter it on the standard entry screen.

• Accessing Zoho Forms

  Hi all, We're having trouble giving me access to our company's Zoho Forms account. I can log in to a Forms account that I can see was set up a year ago, but can't see any shared forms. I can log into Zoho CRM and see our company information there without

• Archiving Contacts

  How do I archive a list of contacts, or individual contacts?

• Cost of good field

  Is there a way we can have cost of good sold as a field added to the back end of the invoicing procedure and available in reports?

• Next Page