Kaizen #166 - Handling Query Variables in Zoho CRM

Kaizen #166 - Handling Query Variables in Zoho CRM


Hello, Code Enthusiasts! 

Welcome to another week of Kaizen!

This week, we'll dive into handling variables in Zoho CRM Queries and see how they can be deployed in Kiosk to dynamically retrieve data. This technique is especially useful for integrating data from third-party applications or CRM itself into your custom interface, such as Canvas and Kiosk. 

Variables

Variables are placeholders in Queries that are replaced with real values at runtime. Instead of hard coding data, you can use variables to make your Queries flexible and reusable.

Syntax: {{Variable_Name}}

Query variables in Zoho CRM function differently from conventional Zoho CRM variables. While CRM variables act as containers for dynamic values that can be stored and reused anywhere within the organization, query variables are designed to receive their values at runtime.

Query variables enhance flexibility and are specifically used in:
  • COQL: To dynamically filter and retrieve data.
  • REST API: For runtime data fetching based on specific parameters.
  • Query Criteria: To define conditions dynamically for fetching records.

How to Use a Variable?

To use variables, ensure the fields providing the variable values are available in the context where the Query is executed.

Let’s say you want to evaluate a marketing campaign's performance. For this, you need to fetch all leads with a specific lead source. Since each campaign is associated with a different lead source, you can define the lead source as a variable. When viewing a campaign's details, the lead source will be passed dynamically to the Query.

Business Scenario : Nearby Delivery Hubs

Imagine a telecommerce platform using Zoho CRM to manage sales and deliveries. When a customer provides their PIN code, the salesperson must confirm with the customer for a nearby post office for package pick-ups and drop-offs in Kiosk.

With Zoho CRM Queries, you can achieve this by dynamically fetching the nearby post offices list based on the customer's PIN code and displaying it on the Contact record’s detail page. Here's how to set it up using the Kiosk feature.

Setting Up the Query in Kiosk

1. Access Kiosk Studio

  • Log in to Zoho CRM.
  • Go to Setup > Customization > Kiosk Studio and click Create Kiosk.

2. Configure the Current Module

  • Choose the module where the Kiosk will be deployed.
    For this example, select Contacts to use the PIN code from the Contact record.

  • Configuring this Current Module is mandatory to use variables from the current record. 

3. Add a Screen

  • Click the + icon on the flowchart and select Screen.
  • Name the screen and click Add.

4. Add a Query

  • Under Display Elements, choose Get Data Via Queries.
  • Click New Query and then Add Query to create a new one.

5. Set Up the Data Source

  • Any custom source has to be enrolled either in the Trusted Domains or in the Connections. For demo, 
  • In the Add Query pop-up, click Source and create a new source.
    For this demo, we’ll add India Post to fetch post offices based on PIN codes.
  • Add default Headers and Parameters to the source if any. This will be added by default whenever the source is used in a query. 

6. Define the Query

  • In the Information section, provide the query’s Name and API Name to refer to the query wherever needed.
  • Use the endpoint URL with a variable, e.g., https://api.example.com/post_offices/{{Mailing_Zip}}.
  • You can add headers and parameters specific to the query, but let us skip that for the demo. 
  • Add a JavaScript serializer to process the Query response. For our case, we will serialize the response with return result[0].PostOffice;. 
  • You can test your serializer with the help of Preview. Once finished, provide a test value to the variable for generating Schema for the Query Response.
    The test value you provide is temporary and not permanent. The value of a variable will be declared using merge fields when you associate the query with a component. Check Step 7 to know how it is used in our demo. 

    You can also manipulate the response by changing data types of keys in the raw response. To keep the demo simple, let's go with the raw response. 

7. Link the Query to Kiosk

  • Use Dynamic Parameters to map the variable to the Mailing Zip field from the Contact record. Enter # to merge the fields. 
  • In Choose Fields, select which data to display in the Kiosk.
  • You can further manipulate the query response in the Record Preferences section.
    Select your preference to view the response as a Single Record or Multiple Records.
    • For Single Record, choose the data that has to be displayed from the query response and click Save.
    • For Multiple Records, fill in the following details as shown in this image. 
    • The Selection Limit helps you with the maximum number of records that have to be chosen in the kiosk after publishing. 
    • Identifier field functions as the primary field to identify each record. 
    • In the fields section, choose the data that has to be displayed from the query response.

  • Customize the Kiosk button and click Done to save your configuration.

    • 8. Test and Publish

    Test the Kiosk using a sample Record ID from the Contacts module. If successful, the list of nearby post offices will display in an iframe as it would appear on the Contact detail page.


    Once satisfied, publish the Kiosk to make it live. 
    Let us check the Kiosk from the Contacts detail page. 

    Example Scenarios

    • Loan Approval: You can display a customer's CIBIL score using their Social Security Number (SSN) directly within a Canvas. The SSN serves as a runtime variable, allowing you to approve loans without manual data entry and shifting tabs.
    • Customer Support: In a Records Detail View kiosk, display all high priority tickets linked to an account. The current account's ID acts as a runtime variable, ensuring that support agents have immediate access to relevant queries and resolve issues faster.
    • Insurance Verification: In a Records Detail View kiosk, the customer's ID proof number can be used to verify their details on official government sites. The ID proof number dynamically functions as a variable, streamlining the insurance verification process.
    We hope you found this post informative and beneficial.

    If you have any queries or a topic to be discussed, reach out to us at support@zohocrm.com or drop your comments below. 

    Cheers!

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

      • Recent Topics

      • New user After moving over from QBO

        New user observations/suggestions. QBO took away a lot of features I was used to with the desktop version. Chaos ensued. Zoho Books has a lot of what I was used to and a bit more. Good deal Some things I have run into and suggest some upgrades. 1: The

      • Sales without an invoice

        Sales without an invoice is not included on the “payments received” report. Also, sales without an invoice is not listed in the transactions under the customer’s profile, also making it easy to do a double entry. Is there a way for me to see my sales

      • Zoho Sign API - Create a document from template.

        1. I would like to create a document from a template and send the document to the customer for signing. Is this possible using the Zoho Sign API? If so, please share the api reference link. 2. Is there sand box for Zoho Sign to test the APIs without using

      • Zoho Sign embedded iframe

        Hello, we are looking for any of these options: a) some iframe that we can paste into our website for every signer, for onpage signing document. b) or get direct link for signers from Zoho sign API which we can redirect manually. Is any of these options

      • Goods in transit

        When creating a purchase order in Zoho Books, how can I properly reflect the inventory as "Goods in Transit" until it reaches its final destination?

      • how to coming soon, holding site, or "under construction"

        Hi! I was wandering if was possible to create a website with the simple sign of "Under construction or coming soon" while i work on the site. if possible, how? Cheers

      • Announcing Agentic AI - Ask Zia!

        We are delighted to roll out the new agentic AI capabilities in Ask Zia, where every stage of the BI workflow is assisted by AI. With a human-in-the-loop approach, Ask Zia ensures that you’re in command of the decision, while AI handles the complexity.

      • Zoho People LMS VS Zoho Connect Manuals VS Zoho Learn

        in the past I came accross Zoho WIKI but did not like the platform because it could use a lot of upgrade. Over the time I have noticed Zoho People come out with a LMS module which allows us to created a shared knowledge for our internal team I also came across Zoho Connect which as a knowledge-based for internal team referred to as Manual Now I am seeing Zoho Learn which is a new and fine-tuned version of Zoho Wiki. All of these platforms are very similar but I am wondering what are the differences

      • Marketing Automation Activities in Zoho CRM

        Hello, I've connected Zoho CRM and Marketing Automation, sent a campaign, but no data are displayed in CRM, neither in "campaigns" section inside contact profile. It is possible to display Marketing Automation activities in CRM? Also in CRM Timelines?

      • How do we get a follow up to Experts 22: Scale up your customer support with integrations & extensibility

        Hi, How do we get a followup and answers to the questions we have asked during 'Experts 22: Scale up your customer support with integrations & extensibility'. I have repsonded to the answers but have no way of following up. Thanks Brett

      • Frustrating Email Duplication and Timeline Issues Between Zoho Mail and CRM

        Hi Zoho team, Can someone please help clarify what’s going on here? Here’s what’s happening: I initiate an email to a lead using Zoho Mail. The lead is created in Zoho CRM via the integration, and the email is correctly associated with that lead. Sometimes,

      • Best Strategy to import contacts and when to create leads

        Hi, I'm new to Bigin and looking for a "best" strategy. I had and have the following idea for an use case: 1. Search for websites which I want to contact 2. Create a contact in Bigin with all the required information based on this website (via API if

      • Better implementation of Item Category on Invoices and Estimates

        1) I have added Item Category as a custom field. Honestly, this should be a native part of the item itself, and either required, optional, or not used.  2) When entering an item on an invoice, you have to enter the first character(s) of the item, otherwise

      • Bulk Update (via the 'Accountant' menu)

        Why can't we bulk update Expenses to Owner's Drawings? It always ends in failure with the error "Involved account types are not applicable". If such conversion isn't possible, why make the option available? Better to allow it though.

      • Set Reply_to parameter for "Email an Invoice" API Endpoint

        Is there a way to set "Reply To" email address when using the Email an invoice API endpoint? It doesn't seem to be in documentation, but sometimes there are undocumented parameters. If it doesn't exist, please consider adding it as parameter since all

      • Zoho Books adaptado a la legislación española. ¿Sustitutos?

        Buenas a tod@s No tenemos información sobre la adaptación de Zoho Books a la nueva ley de facturación en España. Me preguntan usuarios de zoho que deberían hacer. Propongo una lista de alternativas, si al final se opta por no desarrollar la funcionalidad

      • A Question about Email Handling (Sending and Receiving)

        Hello! I was looking into setting up Email Aliases for my domain that I purchased a while ago through Zoho Mail. I set up a singular alias already and have it linked with Gmail, and it seems to be working out well. However, I set up another alias today,

      • Kaizen #201 - Answering Your Questions | Webhooks, Functions, and Schedules

        Hello everyone! Welcome back to another post in the Kaizen series! We are incredibly grateful for all the feedback we received, and as promised, we will answer all the queries in this Kaizen series. Last week, in our 200th post, we addressed one of the

      • Zoho Projects Strict Dates for Tasks

        Hi Zoho Projects team, I would love to see a feature to allow Strict Dates for Tasks. Sometimes in projects you have dates which must not move, even if predecessor Task dates change. For example, perhaps you need to book access to a facility to perform

      • No Mark as filed buton in GSTR -3b

        We are filing our GST in GST portal -and want to mark GST in Zoho books as filed. It is possible to mark GSTR 1 as filed through Mark as filed button. But there is no such button in GSTR-3B.  How to mark corrosponding GSTR-3B as filed?

      • ranking by drag the choices instead of rank by number

        is the option of draging the choice is available instead of selecting the ranking number for each choice?

      • TASKS - Dashboard to show ALL Tasks from ALL apps.

        The Unified Tasks View is useless without the other main zoho apps (Desk, Books & even FSM now) We need to see all our tasks under on pane of glass. The Zoho developers are out of touch with real business workflows. So how it was designed they want us

      • Function #13: Transaction level profitability

        In Zoho Books, the Profit & Loss report provides valuable insights into the overall profitability of your business, indicating whether you have made a profit or incurred a loss. However, there may be occasions when you wish to assess whether a specific

      • Zoho CRM with Sap Business One

        I need information about integration CRM with Sap BO, thank.

      • Allow bill to nest multiple projects

        A bill (purchase) is more often than not used across multiple projects and this functionality is missing and very urgently needed for accurate reporting of purchases across projects

      • Amazon invoice in Zoho Books

        I have just made my first few sales on Amazon India. Amazon Seller account generates invoices for the sales made on Amazon. These invoices are sent to customers also. Now when I was only making offline sales, I used to create Invoices in Zoho Book. Now

      • How can I change iOS display setting at night?

        It seems like at night the two light daytime settings themes (white with blue on top or just white) are not available and I am forced to choose among a few other colours that I really don’t want, I.e., black, blue or orange. Is there a way for me to always

      • Celebrate WWW day with Zoho Desk

        Let's recall the times when we learned 'WWW' stands for World Wide Web. Whether you like to call it wuh-wuh-wuh or double-u double-u double-u, or World Wide Web, we all owe a lot to this groundbreaking invention that reshaped how we connect, communicate,

      • The power of camaraderie

        In the days before the internet boom, conversations happened face-to-face or over the phone. Phone calls were precious; every minute counted, and every word mattered. We looked forward to those moments of real connection. Even today, nothing quite matches

      • Message Content is missing/invalid fault

        We cannot create a complete template over zoho. Some features - like button adding - is missing. The templates are created on Zoho and edited on Meta to solve the problem. But still then, some features cannot be used and the message returns this failure

      • Können bereits gesendete Kampagnen im Nachhinein einer Mailing-Liste zugeordnet werden, ohne dass die Kampagne erneut versendet wird?

        Wir haben unsere älteren Kampagnen in Campaigns über Kontaktkategorien versendet. Dann haben wir umgestellt auf Mailing-Listen, damit alte Kampagnen auch in einem Archiv aufgerufen werden können. Jetzt ist die Frage, ob die Kampagnen, die über die Kategorieauswahl

      • Newsletter Templates Are Not Mobile Responsive

        Hi, I've already submitted this request to ZOHO once this morning, but for some reason your system logged me out, wouldn't accept my username/password login, and isn't showing any evidence that I've submitted this issue. So here we go again... I am under the impression that your newsletter templates are supposed to be mobile optimised: https://www.zoho.com/campaigns/blog/responsive-email-marketing.html This is clearly not the case, as the last 2 newsletters I've created in Campaigns look perfect

      • Digest Juillet - Un résumé de ce qui s'est passé le mois dernier sur Community

        Bonjour à toutes et à tous, Zoom sur les nouveautés de juillet dernier au sein de Zoho Community France. Zoho Commerce vous propose une expérience améliorée grâce à sa nouvelle interface ergonomique et à ses fonctionnalités avancées, conçues pour faciliter

      • 100 Rows in a Subform is too limited

        We have a custom Module in CRM called Price Sheets, when we get a PO from a client we add the items from the PO to it and then check with our vendors for pricing and add our margin etc And after it is complete we have setup custom scripts to create a

      • Uninstall unattended agent

        Hello, I'm testing many use case before we purchase assist for our remote support. While we are testing what is the proper way to uninstall agent?  I did uninstall from systray, from windows control panel but still ZohoURservice is running. How can I uninstall client side?

      • Zoho Commerce Down?

        Is anyone else's storefront down at the moment? Ours has been down for at lease an hour.

      • Zoho Projects iOS app update: Dashboard widget on the home screen

        Hello everyone! We are excited to introduce the 'Dashboard' widget in the latest version(v3.10.8) of the Zoho Projects iOS app. Dashboard widgets allow you to view the project progress visually without having to open the app. The widget enables you to

      • Idea: Workflow Rule Trigger Only When Subform Row Is Updated (Thanks to New Inline Row Feature)

        Hi Zoho team and community, With the recent update to Zoho CRM, we can now add or delete rows inside subforms without entering edit mode, using the inline Add row button. This is a fantastic improvement for user experience — seamless, fast, and efficient.

      • Auto add new section based on document choices

        Hi team, I'm wondering if the below is a possilibity within Zoho sign. We have an application process to become a customer of ours, we currently use Zoho Sign to manage this application and this works quite well. However, if the customer indicates 'YES'

      • Change rate after xxxx kilometers

        Is there a way to change the miileage rate after a certain mileage. After 5000 kilometers, we want the rate to automaticly change. Thank !

      • Next Page