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

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.                                                                                                                                



    • Recent Topics

    • TrueSync regularly filling up my local disk

      Seems that WorkDrive's TrueSync randomly starts filling up my local hard drive space. None of the folders have been set as "Make Offline" but still it seems to randomly start making file offline. The settings of the app is so minimal and is of no real

    • Check out in Meetings

      Why there is no check out in Meetings of Zoho CRM, very difficult to track

    • Issue with Zoho Projet

      Zoho Project on all the cellphones of my customer is crashing. He has mixed brands (Samsung and Pixel). Everything is fine on website and mobile website. Could not reproduce the issue in workshop using Samsung/Pixel/iPhone Uninstallation of Zoho Project

    • SecurePass email English language issue -- please hire someone to correct the English language issues sprinkled throughout your interface

      I wrote previously about some incorrect English in your SecurePass offering. After about six months it was corrected. I have never revoked permission before today and just discovered another language mistake that was not corrected. When you revoke a SecurePass

    • Published Components

      @zoho team, Checking if we can add a password for the public links as we have non-licensed users

    • Zoho Creator customer portal users

      Hi, I'm in a Zoho One subscription with our company. I'm running a project now that involves creating a Zoho Creater application and using the Zoho Creator Customer Portal.  At most we need 25 customer portal users. In our Zoho One plan we only get 3

    • Please Enable Snippets for Agents Adding Comments

      Snippets and templates are currently enabled for agents when they use the reply functionality. There is currently no way to add a template or snippets when an agent comments. This is really weird. Our agents don't use the reply functionality, only the

    • Tip of the Week - Extracting Data from JSON Columns

      Let's say you are importing a CSV or Excel file into Zoho Analytics. What if the file contains a few columns in JSON format? This is where Zoho DataPrep, embedded right within Zoho Analytics, comes in handy. This week's tip explains how to extract data

    • Deluge UI Updates

      Are there any updates planned for the Deluge UI in Zoho Desk? It feels quite dated and lack-lustre after you've spent some time in the CRM Deluge UI.

    • Zia Agents - Follow Ups

      It would be nice to have Zia Agents do follow ups. A lot of times agents are trying to schedule things with users and they say "can we set your printer up tomorrow?" and the user never says anything. A way to have a personalized reminder to the user automatically

    • Hide Agents name in Ticket Responses in "My Area"

      We were able to hide the agents name in the emails, however, the customer is able to see which agent has responded to a ticket in the thread of emails by going into their Help Center thread. Is there any way we can hide that information?

    • Option to Automatically Update Extensions

      Hello Zoho Desk Team, We recently received an email notifying us about an extension update that must be done manually. We’d like to request a feature that allows extensions to be updated automatically without requiring manual intervention. This would

    • Embed Report with Auto Height

      Hello Developers, When we embed report within Page, we are getting one awesome feature to adjust the report height. "Auto" and "Custom' height. This "Auto" option works well when we have no records. But I want to embed report based on some conditions

    • Zoho Payroll: Product Updates - August 2025

      This month’s updates to Zoho Payroll bring enhanced efficiency and smarter features, simplifying payroll management for users in India, UAE, KSA, and US. Read on to explore how these updates can streamline your workflow. Filter Pay Runs by Type (India,

    • Numerical Rating for Interviewer Assessments

      Introducing Numerical Rating, a powerful new addition to interviewer assessments that brings precision and flexibility to candidate evaluations. ✅ What is Numerical Rating? Numerical Rating lets interviewers assign a score for each question in the assessment,

    • User Tips: Adding Multiple Products (Package) to a Quote v2.0 (with Client Script)

      This solution is an improvement on the original idea which used deluge. My solution was posted in the comments are: https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/community/topic/adding-multiple-products-package-to-a-quote The updated version uses client script instead

    • Are downloadable product available in Zoho Commerce

      Hi all. We're considering switching to Zoho Commerce for our shop, but we sell software and remote services. Is there a features for downloadable products? I can't find any information about this. Thank you very much Alice

    • Need Faster Help? Try Live Chat Support

      Hello there, We understand that sometimes, whether you’re facing an issue, exploring a feature, or need quick clarification, sending an email and waiting for a response just doesn’t cut it. You need answers, and you need them now. That’s exactly why we

    • Custom image for each contact using merge tag

      Hi, I'm wondering if it's possible to set up an email campaign to display a different image for each contact using a custom field for the image url. I tried inserting custom html: <img src='$[UD:APP_IMAGE_URL||]$'/> but the editor seemed to reject this and did not actually add anything to the email template. Has anyone got any ideas? cheers, Jeremy

    • Comment Reactions like a Thumbs Up

      Can we please have the ability to emoji react on comments or at the very least, thumbs a comment up? Literally every other project management system out there can support this and it is very much needed to just acknowledge a comment instead of completely

    • Zoho Mail Search Engine Sucks

      Hello There! I really like all the features of Zoho Mail and I believe is way better than Gmail except for the Search Function. I believe Zoho Mail has a very poor search function, if you misspelled a word in the search box, Zoho Mail won't display any

    • Allow Subtasks and Task Lists to have their own Layout

      I'd like to have the ability for subtasks and task lists to have their own layout.  A subtask for us doesn't require all the fields that a parent task has.  The subtask seems cluttered with all the extra fields. Within a project Task List had different purposes.  I'd like the task layout to be different for some task lists.

    • How to update Customers in Zoho Books through Zoho Flow?

      Updating customers in Zoho Flow using a "update customer" action is deleting contact persons in Zoho Books.

    • Conect chat of salesiq with zoho cliq

      Is there any way to answer from zoho cliq  the chat of salesiq initiated by customers?

    • How to transfer credit between customers?

      Hi All, We have a slightly odd situation. It happens that we have two separate customers that are related to each other personally. One customer has an amount of credit, and would like to use that credit to pay the *other* customers invoice. How would

    • Zoho Books Reports: Basic report with total items sold and Cost of goods sold

      How can books show a report with Item Name || Qty Sold || Total Revenue || Total Cost of Goods Sold || Margin I need to factor in also invoices that have been credited where customers returned good. This seems like such a basic report, I'm sure I'm missing

    • The amount entered is more than the balance due for the selected bills."

      Hi Team i am trying to record payments for vendors using API and getting this error in response as { "code": 28011, "message": "The amount entered is more than the balance due for the selected bills." } JSON is prepared according to Documentation and

    • VBA handling named ranges

      In VBA I'm able to work with a single cell named range. E.g. Set Jr = Range ("Year").Value. Also other options are working fine, like Range("Year").Address shows $L$3. However a named range refering to multiple cells is not working for me. Eg. tbl_Test

    • Kaizen #176 - Optimizing the Use of Record ID Variables in Zoho CRM Queries

      Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of Kaizen! Since the release of Queries, we have covered Handling Query Variables in Zoho CRM, Serialization and Schema Management, and Leveraging the 'crmAPIResponse' object in Queries in previous posts. Today,

    • Unbilled Items Report?

      Hello! Is there any way to display a list of items that remain unbilled, without creating an invoice for each customer to see if the unbilled items box is displayed? ;-) Ben

    • Consolidation of Multi currency

      Would like to discuss on the possibility of consolidating the ZOHO companies

    • Landed Cost Allocation / Custom Duty manual data entry

      My client is an import business. They must manually enter the duty for each item with landed cost allocation in Bill. This is because customs duties cannot be allocated based on Quantity, Value, Weight, and Dimensions. Manual data entry is highly time-consuming

    • Territories Just Don't Work

      I have been on chat and screenshare support for the past 3 days and am getting no resolution so hopefully, someone here can help me. I am the Super Admin of my organization. We publish books globally. I want to break down the books into territories so

    • Negative Opening Balance

      How can I add Negative Opening balance - meaning a credit balance to a Customer or a debit balance to a vendor? If I go thru Sales-->Customers, and if the opening balance is Rs. 1000 (credit balance), it does not allow me to enter a "minus" sign or mention

    • Single-Line Invoicing from Sales Order Despite Multiple SKUs Shipped

      We deal mostly with Government Tenders And Lets say we got a tender that needs 125 XYZ Laptops Then we found 95 Laptops with a different SKUs and 30 Laptops with different SKUs We talk with the IT department of the government company and they approve

    • 📣📣 Zoho Bookings Schedulathon 2025 is here!

      Hey Zoho Bookings fam, We're excited to invite you to our first-ever hackathon: Yes, Zoho Bookings Schedulathon 2025 is live now. This is a virtual event and you can participate anywhere from the world. Businesses should be able to set up meetings from

    • I want to send out a new newsletter each month

      Without rebuilding a whole journey is there a way to create a new newsletter that is sent to an existing journey monthly?

    • Reinstalling Workdrive Truesync client

      Hi, I attempted to update to the beta version of TrueSync, but it was unstable and kept crashing, so I need to revert to the stable version. How do I properly reinstall TrueSync on a Windows PC? I couldn't install the 3.15.x version directly over the

    • Evaluating Creator; yesterday fine; today connection times out

      Yesterday I spent hours creating a new app, and it worked fine. Today I cannot access creator.zoho.com. Is this common? I'm in the evaluation mode, but I'm thinking I'm going to keep looking. It worked from my home computer, and now I'm checking it from my work computer. My work computer always works just fine, so I shouldn't htink there would be special settings or anything. If there are, how to find out what they could be? Using Chrome on Windows XP The error I get is: The webpage at https://creator.zoho.com

    • Pivot Chart seems to show "old" data - how do I make it update?

      I wonder how to make a Pivot Chart "update" its data contents. Here is the background: I need to report a subset of data that is so complicated that it is easier to make a calculation and put the result in a "reporting form", and then display the data from that form.  So, I get data from the "original form" GRANTS, make some calculations and put the result in the "reporting form" PERIOD.  Now I can watch the result in a list called LIST, which works fine. The list LIST shows that form PERIOD contains

    • Next Page