Kaizen #171: FAQs on COQL API

Kaizen #171: FAQs on COQL API

Hello all!!
Welcome back to another post in the Kaizen series!

In this post, we will address some of the most frequently asked questions about Zoho CRM's COQL API from the Zoho CRM Developer Community Forum.




COQL API

Query API lets you query for records based on queries using the CRM Object Query Language(COQL). COQL is based on the SQL query syntax, and supports the SELECT query to fetch records. Using this API, you can query for data across different modules that are linked using lookup fields. 

1. Why did I get a SYNTAX error for the following query?


{
    "select_query":"select External from Contacts where id is not null"
}


Answer: 
The error occurs because the query uses an SQL reserved keyword, "External", as a column name without enclosing it in quotes. When using SQL reserved keywords like "External", you must enclose them in single or double quotes.

The above-query can be written as:

{
    "select_query":"select 'External' from Contacts where id is not null"
}



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

2. Why does the following query throw an error?


{
    "select_query":"select id from Contacts where id is not null and Account_Name is not null and Vendor_Name is not null"
}


Answer: 
When the query involves more than two criteria, ensure that you enclose your criteria properly by grouping them in pairs, such as ((A and B) and C).

The above-query can be written as:

{
    "select_query": "select id from Contacts where ((id is not null and Account_Name is not null) and Vendor_Name is not null)"
}


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

3. How to escape single quotes within single quotes and double quotes within double quotes?

Answer: 
For single quote:

If you want to retrieve a value that contains a single quote, for example, 1' 2 in the Designation field (a single-line field), you need to escape the single quote in the value by adding another single quote.

Example:
1'' 2

Sample Input and Response:



For double quotes:

If you want to retrieve a value which contains double quotes, for example, 1' ' 2 in the Designation field (any single-line field), then you have to escape each double quotes with backslash (\) in the value.



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

4. Why does the following query throw an error?


{
    "select_query":"select What_Id->Leads.Last_Name from Tasks where id is not null"
}


Answer: 
Special characters such as "-",  ">"  "*", and "!" in a query must be enclosed within quotes, either in single or double quotes. 
Your query can be written as:


{
    "select_query":"select 'What_Id->Leads.Last_Name' from Tasks where id is not null"
}



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

5. How can I retrieve records from a subform module using COQL?

Answer: 
To retrieve subform data within a module, specify the respective subform module's API name in your query instead of querying the parent module. For more details, refer to Kaizen #124 on managing Subforms using Zoho CRM APIs.

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

6. How to retrieve Multi Select lookup field data using COQL?

Answer: 
To query Multi-Select Lookup fields (MxN fields), you need to retrieve the data through the corresponding linking module instead of querying them directly from the parent module. For more details, refer to Kaizen #125 on manipulating Multi-Select Lookup fields using Zoho CRM APIs.

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

7. Can I query more than 50,000 records?

Answer: 
Up to V6, you can retrieve up to 10,000 records without changing the criteria by using the LIMIT and OFFSET in your query. When retrieving the initial 10,000 records, make an API call with Created_Time, Modified_Time, or ID in the ORDER BY clause. To fetch more than 10,000 records, apply a condition based on the fields used in the initial ORDER BY clause in the query.
Refer to the Pagination section for more details. 
From V7 onwards, we support retrieving up to 1,00,000 records without changing the criteria by using LIMIT and OFFSET in your query. To fetch more than 1,00,000 records, please refer to the Pagination section for more details.

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

8. Is territory field supported in COQL?

Answer: 
Yes,  you can use the territory field in the COQL from V7. Refer to the Territories section in COQL document for sample.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

9. Is CVID support provided in COQL?

Answer: 
Yes, from V7, you can use the CVID in your query. Refer to the CVID section in the COQL document for details.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

10. What are the supported aggregate functions, and why do they not work with values like Avg or avg?

Answer:
The aggregate functions are case-sensitive and only work when specified in all capital letters.  Using values like Avg or avg will result in an error.
The supported aggregate functions are MIN, MAX, AVG, SUM, and COUNT

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

11. Are other SQL-related functions like CONCAT or DATE() supported in COQL?

Answer:
No, COQL in Zoho CRM API Version 7 currently supports only aggregate functions and does not include other SQL-related functions like CONCAT or DATE().
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12. Is it possible to select more than 50 fields in the SELECT column?

Answer:
Yes, from Zoho CRM API Version 7, the limit has been increased from 50 to 500 fields in the SELECT column.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

13. Can Multi-Module Lookup inner fields be queried?

Answer:

Yes, you can query fields from the associated module in a Multi-Module Lookup (e.g., Appointments module). 

Use the following format:

select 'What_Id->{associated_module_API_name}.{field_API_name_from_associated_module}'

Example:

{
  "select_query": "select 'What_Id->Leads.Last_Name','What_Id->Accounts.Account_Type' from Events where id is not null"
}



Note:
From Zoho CRM API Version 7, you can also query the "Appointment_For" field.

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

14. Is Display Name available for all types of lookup fields?

Answer:
From V7, the display name is available for Lookup and User Lookup fields when you specify them in the SELECT column, but it is not available for Consent Lookup and Multi-Module Lookup (MML) fields.
Please note, for the Users module, only the "last_name" is shown as the display field for the Users module is last_name.

Example:

{
    "select_query": "select Account_Name, Owner, Data_Processing_Basis_Details from Contacts where Data_Processing_Basis_Details is not null"
}


Response:

{
    "data": [
        {
            "Owner": { //user lookup field
                "name": "Boyle",
                "id": "5725767000000411001"
            },
            "Account_Name": { //lookup field
                "name": "Zoho",
                "id": "5725767000003464060"
            },
            "Data_Processing_Basis_Details": { //consent lookup field
                "id": "5725767000005083039"
            },
            "id": "5725767000005091053"
        }
    ],
    "info": {
        "count": 1,
        "more_records": false
    }
}


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

15. Is it possible to get a Full Name based on User Preference?

Answer:
The Full Name field is supported in the Leads, Contacts, and Users modules.

Leads and Contacts modules:
  • Below V7: You must query the first_name and last_name fields separately and concatenate them to form the Full Name.
  • From V7: You can directly query the full_name field in the SELECT column, and it will return data based on the User Preference.
Users module:
In all versions, the full_name field is not directly supported. You need to query the first_name and last_name fields separately and concatenate them to construct the Full Name.

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

16. Is it possible to use Profile Image and Rollup Summary fields in criteria?

Answer:
From V7, you can use Profile Image and Rollup Summary fields in criteria.

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

17. Which fields are restricted in all clauses?

Answer:
The following fields are restricted from being included in all columns:
  • Multi-select lookup fields: These cannot be queried directly from the parent module. Instead, query them from their respective linking modules.
  • Line items: Pricing_Details and Product_Details
    • Pricing_Details: This field cannot be queried as it is not a subform but a separate section.
    • Product_Details: This is a subform. You cannot query data from the parent module. Instead, query it directly from the respective subform module.
  • Participants in the Events module.
  • File/Image upload fields
  • Availability Information fields in the Services module
    • Choose Date(s)
    • Choose Day(s)
Check the following image for reference.



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

18. Which fields are restricted only in criteria?

Answer:
The following fields have restrictions when used in criteria:
  • Multiline fields: Cannot be used in criteria.
  • Encrypted numeric fields: Support limited comparators (is null, is not null, =, != ).
  • Encrypted non-numeric fields: Support only is null and is not null comparators.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

19. Which fields are restricted only in the Group By clause?

Answer:
Encrypted fields are restricted from being used in the Group By clause.

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

20. Which fields are restricted only in the ORDER BY clause?

Answer:
Encrypted fields are restricted from being used in the ORDER BY clause.

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

21. Is External ID supported in COQL?

Answer:
Yes, External ID has been supported from Zoho CRM API's Version 4. Please note that operators such as "is null" and "is not null" are not supported in the criteria when using External ID.

Supported operators are "=", "!=", "in" and "not in".

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

22. How to resolve a 408 error (Request Timeout)?

Answer:
If your query takes more than a second to parse, a request timeout error will occur.

To avoid this, ensure the query is not overly complex and that all parentheses are properly balanced. Simplifying the query or fixing any mismatched parentheses can help resolve the issue.

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

23. Is it necessary to query the records based only on the User Time Zone?

Answer: 
No, users can query records based on any time zone. However, the response will always be returned in the time zone of the user who made the query.

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

24. Which fields are restricted when using aggregate functions, for example, SUM(field_API_name)?

Answer: 
Encrypted fields are restricted and cannot be used in the aggregate functions like SUM, AVG, MIX, or MAX.

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

25. Where can we use Alias?

Answer:
Alias can be used in the SELECT clause and in the ORDER BY clause. You can assign an alias in the SELECT clause, and the assigned alias can be referenced in the ORDER BY clause. But you cannot assign an alias directly in the ORDER BY clause. 

Note: Alias cannot be used in the other clauses, such as WHERE and GROUP BY.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Info
More enhancements in the COQL API are now live in Zoho CRM API Version 7. Check out the V7 Changelog for detailed information on these updates.

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

    • 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

    • Two currencies

      More and more I am finding that internattional payments' fees are unpredictable. I would like, on my invoices that are in a foreign currency (eg. USD$ or EUR€) for there to be a GBP£ TOTAL display alongside the invoice's currency total. This would make
    • Automatic Matching from Bank Statements / Feeds

      Is it possible to have transactions from a feed or bank statement automatically match when certain criteria are met? My use case, which is pretty broadly applicable, is e-commerce transactions for merchant services accounts (clearing accounts). In these
    • Generate leads from instagram

      hello i have question. If connect instagram using zoho social, it is possible to get lead from instagram? example if someone send me direct message or comment on my post and then they generate to lead
    • Kaizen #71 - Client Script ZDKs for Detail (Canvas) Page

      Hello everyone! Welcome back to another interesting Kaizen post. In this post, we can discuss Client Script ZDKs support for Detail (Canvas) Page. What is Detail (Canvas) Page? A Detail(Canvas) Page allows you to customize the record detail page to your
    • Where is the desktop app for Zoho Projects???

      As a project manager, I need a desktop app for the projects I manage. Yes, there's the web app, which is AWESOME for cross browser and platform compatibility... but I need a real desktop app for Projects that allow me to enter offline information where
    • Prevent duplicate with custom fields?

      I was wondering something about custom field/custom modules in Zoho Desk. For some reason you can make a custom field mandatory but not unique? For example, if I create a custom module to manage equipment and renewal and make a field serial number no
    • How to Automate Monthly PDF Reports with Filters in Zoho Creator

      Hi everyone, I’m trying to build an automated monthly reporting process in Zoho Creator and would appreciate suggestions or best practices from anyone who has done something similar. What I’m trying to do: I have a form called New_Customer with fields
    • Feedback: Streamlining Note Management in Zoho Notebook

      Dear Team/Support, I would like to share some feedback regarding the note management system that could help improve usability and accessibility for users like myself. Notebook 1 (screenshot attached): Currently, the system does not allow selecting and
    • showing Limit exceeded

      Good afternoon...trust you're good. I've been having issues working with but it's not responding. it's showing Limit exceeded, sorry it seems like too many people are working on the sheet right now please try again later. meanwhile no one is working on
    • Converting Sales Order to Invoice via API; Problem with decimal places tax

      We are having problems converting a Sales Order to an Invoice via API Call. The cause of the issue is, that the Tax value in a Sales Order is sometimes calculated with up to 16 decimal places (e.g. 0.8730000000000001). The max decimal places allowed in
    • Sorting columns in Zoho Projects

      Hi, In project management best practice, sorting columns (ascending, descending) is an important tool. Sorting dates to see the order of tasks starting, sorting on priority or even on planned hours is a must for an efficient project control. Currently,
    • CRM : Function to add user name to text field

      I have a lookup field in a module that is linked to the CRM users so we can assign a Project Lead to the customer. Sadly Zoho Marketing Automation doesn't sync Lookup fields so I need to extract information from the lookup to text fields: Lookup field
    • Upload API

      I'm trying to use the Upload API to upload some images and attach them to comments (https://desk.zoho.com/DeskAPIDocument#Uploads#Uploads_Uploadfile) - however I can only ever get a 401 or bad request back. I'm using an OAuth token with the Desk.tickets.ALL
    • Losing description after merging tickets

      Hello, We merge tickets when they are about the same topic from the same client. It happens sometimes. We recently noticed that after the merger only the description from the master ticket is left in a thread. And the slave-ticket description is erased.
    • Option to Empty Entire Mailbox or Folder in Zoho Mail

      Hello Zoho Mail Team, How are you? We would like to request an enhancement to Zoho Mail that would allow administrators and users to quickly clear out entire folders or mailboxes, including shared mailboxes. Current Limitation: At present, Zoho Mail only
    • update linked contacts when update happens in account

      Hi, I have a custom field called Licence in the Accounts module. When someone buys a licence, I’d like to update a custom field in the related Contacts. How can I achieve this? I noticed that workflows triggered on Accounts only allow me to update fields
    • Problem Management Module

      I am looking for a Problem Management module within Zoho Desk. I saw in some training videos that this is available, and some even provided an annual price for it. I want an official confirmation on whether this is indeed available. This is not a particularly
    • Deluge sendmail in Zoho Desk schedule can't send email from a verified email address

      I am trying to add a scheduled action with ZDesk using a Deluge function that sends a weekly email to specific ticket client contacts I've already verified the email address for use in ZDesk, but sendmail won't allow it in its "from:" clause. I've attached
    • Unable to explore desk.zoho.com

      Greetings, I have an account with zoho which already has a survey subscription. I would like to explore desk.zoho.com, but when I visit it while logged in (https://desk.zoho.com/agent?action=CreatePortal) I just get a blank page. I have tried different
    • Offline support for mobile app

      Accessing your files and folders from your mobile devices is now quicker and simpler, thanks to the power of offline support. Whether on an Android or iOS device, you can use the Offline function to save files and folders, so you can review them even
    • Zoho Desk KB article embedded on another site.

      We embed KB articles from Zoho Desk on another site (our application). When opening the article in a new tab, there is no issue, but if we choose lightbox, we are getting an error "To protect your security, help.ourdomain.com will not allow Firefox to
    • Transitioning to API Credits in Zoho Desk

      At Zoho Desk, we’re always looking for ways to help keep your business operations running smoothly. This includes empowering teams that rely on APIs for essential integrations, functions and extensions. We’ve reimagined how API usage is measured to give
    • List of packaged components and if they are upgradable

      Hello, In reference to the article Components and Packaging in Zoho Vertical Studio, can you provide an overview of what these are. Can you also please provide a list of of components that are considered Packaged and also whether they are Upgradable?
    • Does Attari Messaging app have Bot option and APIB

      Hi, Does Attari also have Bot and API as we use in WhatsApp??
    • how to use validation rules in subform

      Is it possible to use validation rules for subforms? I tried the following code: entityMap = crmAPIRequest.toMap().get("record"); sum = 0; direct_billing = entityMap.get("direct_billing_details"); response = Map(); for each i in direct_billing { if(i.get("type")
    • How to add application logo

      I'm creating an application which i do not want it to show my organization logo so i have changed the setting but i cannot find where to upload/select the logo i wish to use for my application. I have seen something online about using Deluge and writing
    • Introducing Keyboard Shortcuts for Zoho CRM

      Dear Customers, We're happy to introduce keyboard shortcuts for Zoho CRM features! Until now, you might have been navigating to modules manually using the mouse, and at times, it could be tedious, especially when you had to search for specific modules
    • Empowered Custom Views: Cross-Module Criteria Now Supported in Zoho CRM

      Hello everyone, We’re excited to introduce cross-module criteria support in custom views! Custom views provide personalized perspectives on your data and that you can save for future use. You can share these views with all users or specific individuals
    • Send Automated WhatsApp Messages and Leverage the Improved WhatsApp Templates

      Greetings, I hope all of you are doing well. We're excited to announce a major upgrade to Bigin's WhatsApp integration that brings more flexibility, interactivity, and automation to your customer messaging. WhatsApp message automation You can now use
    • Verifying Zoho Mail Functionality After Switching DNS from Cloudflare to Hosting Provider

      I initially configured my domain's (https://roblaxmod.com/) email with Zoho Mail while using Cloudflare to manage my DNS records (MX, SPF, etc.). All services were working correctly. Recently, I have removed my site from Cloudflare and switched my domain's
    • Zoho Analytics Regex Support

      When can we expect full regex support in Zoho Analytics SQL such as REGEXP_REPLACE? Sometimes I need to clean the data and using regex functions is the easiest way to achieve this.
    • Change of Blog Author

      Hi, I am creating the blog post on behalf of my colleague. When I publish the post, it is showing my name as author of the post which is not intended and needs to be changed to my colleague's name. How can I change the name of the author in the blogs?? Thanks, Ramanan
    • Show Attachments in the customer portal

      Hi, is it possible to show the Attachments list in the portal for the particular module? Bests.
    • Does Zoho Docs have a Line Number function ?

      Hi, when collaborating with coding tasks, I need an online real time share document that shows line numbers. Does Zoho's docs offer this feature ? If yes, how can I show them ? Regards, Frank
    • Please make it easier to Pause syncing

      right now it takes 3 clicks to get there. sounds silly, but can you make it just 2 clicks to get it done instead? thats how dropbox does it, 2 clicks to pause instead of 3.
    • Feature Request - Insert URL Links in Folders

      I would love to see the ability to create simple URL links with titles in WorkDrive. or perhaps a WorkDrive extension to allow it. Example use case: A team is working on a project and there is project folder in WordDrive. The team uses LucidChart to create
    • Organization Emails in Email History

      How can I make received Org Emails to show up here?
    • how to differentiate if whatsapp comes from certain landing page?

      I create a Zobot in SalesIQ to create a Whatsapp bot to capture the lead. I have 2 landing pages, one is SEO optimized and the other want is optimized for leads comes from Google Ads. I want to know from which landing page this lead came through WhatsApp
    • How to sync from Zoho Projects into an existing Sprint in Zoho Sprints?

      Hi I have managed to integrate Zoho Projects with Zoho Sprints and I can see that the integration works as a project was created in Zoho Sprints. But, what I would like to do is to sync into an existing Zoho Sprints project. Is there a way to make that
    • How to record company set up fees?

      Hi all, We are starting out our company in Australia and would appreciate any help with setting up Books accounts. We paid an accountant to do company registration, TFN, company constitution, etc. I heard these all can be recorded as Incorporation Costs, which is an intangible asset account, and amortised over 5 years. Is this the correct way to do it under the current Australian tax regulations? How and when exactly should I record the initial entry and each year's amortasation in Books? Generally
    • Next Page