Kaizen #81 - COQL API - Part II

Kaizen #81 - COQL API - Part II

Hello everyone! 
Welcome to another week of Kaizen! 
In continuation to last week's post on COQL API, we will discuss the rest of the field types and their supported operators with detailed examples in this post. 

Supported field types and Operators

Please refer to the COQL API - Part I Kaizen post for the first three field types and their supported operators.

4) Boolean

The supported operator for Boolean field is =. You should provide the value as either true or false.

Sample Query

{
 "select_query" : "select Product_Name, Product_Code from Products where Product_Active = 'false' limit 2"
}

This sample query selects the Product_Name and Product_Code fields from the Products module where Product_Active is false, and limits the result to only 2 records.
Sample Response:
{
    "data": [
        {
            "Product_Code": "SR-001",
            "Product_Name": "Sigma",
            "id": "4876876000001036109"
        },
        {
            "Product_Code": "SR-003",
            "Product_Name": "Alpha",
            "id": "4876876000001039006"
        }
    ],
    "info": {
        "count": 2,
        "more_records": false
    }
}

what_Id support in COQL

=, !=, in, not in, is null, is not null are the supported operators. what_Id support is extended only to Tasks, Calls and Events. The what_Id field could be a lead or a contact.

Sample Query

{
    "select_query": "select 'What_Id->Leads.Last_Name' from Tasks where (('What_Id->Leads.id' in ('4876876000000900134','4876678000000900987')) AND ('What_Id->Leads.Industry' != 'ERP'))"
}

This sample query queries for the last name of leads associated with tasks where the lead ID is either '4876876000000900134' or '4876678000000900987', and the lead's industry is not 'ERP'.
Sample Response:
{
    "data": [
        {
            "What_Id->Leads.Last_Name": "Perry",
            "id": "4876876000001103044"
        }
    ],
    "info": {
        "count": 1,
        "more_records": false
    }
}

Roles and Profiles support in COQL

COQL supports roles and profiles lookup fields, allowing users to retrieve the owner's profile details such as ID, name etc, and the owner's role details using COQL queries. The supported comparators are =, !=, in, not in, is null, is not null.

Sample Query

{
    "select_query": "select Owner.role.id,Owner.role.name,Owner.role.reporting_to, Owner.role.share_data_with_peers, Owner.role.description, Owner.profile.id from Leads where Last_Name is not null LIMIT 1"
}

This query fetches the Profile details and Role details of the owner of one record from the Leads module. 

Sample Response:
{
    "data": [
        {
            "Owner.role.reporting_to": null,
            "Owner.profile.id": "4876876000000026011",
            "Owner.role.name": "CEO",
            "Owner.role.description": "crm.security.role.admin.desc",
            "Owner.role.share_data_with_peers": true,
            "Owner.role.id": "4876876000000026005",
            "id": "4876876000000333403"
        }
    ],
    "info": {
        "count": 1,
        "more_records": true
    }
}

Alias support

Supported operators : =, !=, in, not in, is null, is not null
Alias support in COQL allows users to simplify complex SELECT field names by giving them custom names or aliases. Using aliases in the SELECT column and ORDER BY class can make column names easier to understand and remember. For instance,  What_Id->Leads.Last_Name from our previous example can be given an alias in the SELECT query as follows.

Sample Query

{
    "select_query": "select 'What_Id->Leads.Last_Name' AS 'Lead Name' from Tasks where (('What_Id->Leads.id' in ('4876876000000900134','4876678000000900987')) AND ('What_Id->Leads.Industry' != 'ERP'))"
}

Sample Response:
{
    "data": [
        {
            "id": "4876876000001103044",
            "Lead Name": "Perry"
        }
    ],
    "info": {
        "count": 1,
        "more_records": false
    }
}

If you compare this response with the sample response in the what_Id section above, you can see that the key 'What_Id->Leads.Last_Name'  is replaced with the Alias 'Lead Name'  in here. 

Aggregate Function Support in COQL

Aggregate functions in COQL allow you to perform calculations on groups of records in a module. The available aggregate functions include SUM, MIN, MAX, AVG, and COUNT.

1. SUM

Use this function to sum up the values of an aggregate field in a module. 

Sample Query 1

{
    "select_query":"select SUM(Grand_Total) from Quotes WHERE Quote_Stage = 'Draft' "
}

This Query uses the SUM function to calculate the total value of the Grand_Total field for all quotes in the Draft stage in the Quotes module.
Sample Response:
{
    "data": [
        {
            "SUM(Grand_Total)": 1073660
        }
    ],
    "info": {
        "count": 1,
        "more_records": false
    }
}

Sample Query 2

{
    "select_query": "select SUM(Grand_Total), Account_Name.Account_Name AS 'Account Name', Billing_Country from Invoices where ((Status != 'Paid') and ((Billing_Country ='USA') OR (Billing_Country = 'Canada'))) GROUP BY Account_Name.Account_Name, Billing_Country ORDER BY 'Account Name' ASC"
}

This query retrieves the total SUM of the Grand_Total field, along with the Account_Name and Billing_Country from the Invoices module for those records whose Status field is not equal to 'Paid' and the Billing_Country field is either 'USA' or 'Canada'. The results are grouped by the Account_Name and Billing_Country fields and ordered in ascending order based on the 'Account Name' field.

Note that the 'Account Name' field is specified using the AS keyword to provide an alias for the Account_Name.Account_Name field. We have used the alias for the ORDER BY clause.
Sample Response:
{
    "data": [
        {
            "Account Name": "SR Systems",
            "Billing_Country": "USA",
            "SUM(Grand_Total)": 2430000
        },
        {
            "Account Name": "SR Systems",
            "Billing_Country": "Canada",
            "SUM(Grand_Total)": 60000
        },
        {
            "Account Name": "Zylker systems",
            "Billing_Country": "Canada",
            "SUM(Grand_Total)": 378000
        }
    ],
    "info": {
        "count": 3,
        "more_records": false
    }
}

The response JSON contains the SUM of the Grand_Total fields, Account Name and Billing_Country for each unique combination of Account Name and Billing Country fields that satisfies the filter criteria specified in the query. 

2. MAX

Use this aggregate function to find the largest value of a field in a module. 

Sample Query

{
    "select_query": "select MAX(Amount) AS 'Maximum Deal Amount', Account_Name.Account_Name from Deals where ((Stage = 'Closed Won') AND  (Type = 'Existing Business')) Group by Account_Name.Account_Name"
}

This Query selects the maximum Deal Amount for each account from the Deals module where the stage is Closed Won and the type is Existing Business.
Sample Response:
{
    "data": [
        {
            "Maximum Deal Amount": 6750000,
            "Account_Name.Account_Name": "Benton"
        },
        {
            "Maximum Deal Amount": null,
            "Account_Name.Account_Name": "King"
        },
        {
            "Maximum Deal Amount": 945000,
            "Account_Name.Account_Name": "Morlong Associates"
        }
    ],
    "info": {
        "count": 3,
        "more_records": false
    }
}

3. MIN

Use this aggregate function to find the smallest value of a field in a module. For example, you can use this function to find the Lowest Annual Revenue in the Leads module.

Sample Query: 1:

{
        "select_query": "select MIN(Annual_Revenue) from Leads where Annual_Revenue is not null"
}

Sample Response:
{
    "data": [
        {
            "MIN(Annual_Revenue)": 348.3
        }
    ],
    "info": {
        "count": 1,
        "more_records": false
    }
}

4. AVG

Use this aggregate function to find the average value of a field in a module. 

Sample Query

{
    "select_query": "SELECT AVG(Amount) AS 'Average Deal Amount' FROM Deals WHERE Type = 'New Business'"
}

This query calculates the average deal amount for all new business deals in the "Deals" module. 
Sample Response:
{
    "data": [
        {
            "Average Deal Amount": 877366.8359999999
        }
    ],
    "info": {
        "count": 1,
        "more_records": false
    }
}

5. COUNT

Use this aggregate function to count the number of records in a module satisfying a certain criteria. You can use this aggregate function only for number, lookup, and picklist fields.

Sample Query:

{
    "select_query": "SELECT COUNT(Product_Category) FROM Products WHERE Product_Active = 'false'"
}
This sample query queries for the total number of inactive products in the Product module. Please be aware that if there are any products with no value for the product category field, they will not be included in the count.

Important points to remember

  • COQL keywords are not case-sensitive.
  • To prevent ambiguity, the criteria listed in the WHERE clause must be properly enclosed in brackets. If WHERE has more than two criteria such as A, B, and C, use them as either of the following:
    • (A and (B and C))
    • ((A and B) and C)
    • A and (B and C)
    • (A and B) and C.
  • COQL supports only SELECT queries with WHERE, FROM, ORDER BY, LIMIT, and OFFSET clauses and aggregate functions SUM(), MAX(), MIN(), AVG(), and COUNT().
  • The default sort order is ascending based on record ID if ORDER BY is not specified.
  • Use the following format for :
    • Date : YYYY-MM-DD
    • DateTime : YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ss+/-HH:mm
  • The default value for LIMIT is 200 and OFFSET is 0.
  • A maximum of 10,000 records can be fetched using the API.
  • Multi-line fields cannot be used in criteria.
  • COQL doesn't support consent_lookup, subform, profileimage, multiselectlookup, fileupload datatypes.
  • A maximum of 25 criteria can be included in the WHERE clause.
  • A maximum of 50 field API names can be used in the SELECT column of the query.

     Data Type
     Supported Operators
     text
     =, !=, like, not like, in, not in, is null, is not null
     picklist
     =, !=, like, not like, in, not in, is null, is not null
     ownerlookup
     =, !=, in, not in, is null, is not null
     lookup
     =, !=, in, not in, is null, is not null
     date
     =, !=, >=, >, <=, <, between, not between, in, not in, is null, is not null
     datetime
     =, !=, >=, >, <=, <, between, not between, in, not in, is null, is not null
     currency
     =, !=, >=, >, <=, <, between, not between, in, not in, is null, is not null
     boolean
     =
     email
     =, !=, like, not like, in, not in, is null, is not null
     phone
     =, !=, like, not like, in, not in, is null, is not null
     website
     =, !=, like, not like, in, not in, is null, is not null
     double
     =, !=, >=, >, <=, <, between, not between, in, not in, is null, is not null
     bigint
     =, !=, >=, >, <=, <, between, not between, in, not in, is null, is not null
     integer
     =, !=, >=, >, <=, <, between, not between, in, not in, is null, is not null
     formula
     If the return type is:
          Decimal/Currency/Date/Datetime : =, !=, >=, >, <=, <, between, not between, in, not in, is null, is not null
          String : =, !=, like, not like, in, not in, is null, is not null
          Boolean : =
     autonumber
     =, !=, like, not like, in, not in, is null, is not null
We hope you found this post useful. We will meet you next week with another interesting topic.

If you have any questions or feedback, please let us know in the comments below, or write to us at support@zohocrm.com. We would love to hear from you! 


Additional Reading:








    • Sticky Posts

    • 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.

    • Kaizen #226: Using ZRC in Client Script

      Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of Kaizen. In today's post, lets see what is ZRC (Zoho Request Client) and how we can use ZRC methods in Client Script to get inputs from a Salesperson and update the Lead status with a single button click. In this

    • Kaizen #222 - Client Script Support for Notes Related List

      Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of Kaizen. The final Kaizen post of the year 2025 is here! With the new Client Script support for the Notes Related List, you can validate, enrich, and manage notes across modules. In this post, we’ll explore how

    • Kaizen #217 - Actions APIs : Tasks

      Welcome to another week of Kaizen! In last week's post we discussed Email Notifications APIs which act as the link between your Workflow automations and you. We have discussed how Zylker Cloud Services uses Email Notifications API in their custom dashboard.

    • Kaizen #216 - Actions APIs : Email Notifications

      Welcome to another week of Kaizen! For the last three weeks, we have been discussing Zylker's workflows. We successfully updated a dormant workflow, built a new one from the ground up and more. But our work is not finished—these automated processes are

    • Recent Topics

    • Lightbox Pop-up form

      I would like to embed my form using the lightbox pop up. I don't want it to load automatically. I want it to load when some clicks the button. I can see this option, however when I use the "show pop-up launch button" on the website, the button automatically

    • Connecting Portals from different Zoho apps

      Hi, I note that Zoho has functionality for customer portals for several of the Zoho apps, like CRM, Projects, Desk etc. Is there any way to connect these portals?  It would be great if we could give our customers access to a portal in which they could

    • Customer Management: #5 Never Let the Customer Slip

      When Rahul started Knight's Watch Consulting, his focus was simple: deliver good work and keep clients happy. He offered one-time consulting projects, monthly advisory retainers and usage-based support for growing clients. Business was steady, and customers

    • Deluge date time issue

      The deluge function info zoho.currentdate.toString("MMM/YYYY") returns Dec 2026 instead of 2025

    • Zoho Projects Android and iOS app update: Mobile device permission based on user profiles

      Hello everyone! We have brought in support for mobile device permissions based on the user profiles which are configured in organization level. Administrators can now configure the permissions on the web app(projects.zoho.com) by following the steps mentioned

    • treatment for rehires

            Hello,  we are aware of the fact that Zoho People at the moment does not has a provision for rejoining exited employees. But is there any quick fix or hack to this? It will be appreciated a lot. 

    • Zoho Projects Android and iOS app update: Timesheet module is now renamed as 'Time Logs', delete option has been renamed to 'Trash'.

      Hello everyone! We have now renamed the Timesheet module as Time Logs and the delete option as 'Trash' on the Zoho Projects Android and iOS app. Time Logs Android: Time Logs iOS: Trash option Android: Trash option iOS: Please update the app to the latest

    • Zoho Mail app update: Manage profile picture, Chinese (Traditional) language support

      Hello everyone! In the latest version (v3.1.9) of the Zoho Mail app update, we have brought in support to manage profile picture. You can now set/ modify the profile picture within the app. To add a new profile picture, please follow the below steps:

    • Reminders for Article Approval

      Is there a way to send reminders for approvers to review articles and approve/deny them? I'm not seeing that option anywhere.

    • Add Full-Screen Viewing for Quartz Recordings in the Client Interface

      Hi Zoho Team, We would like to request an enhancement to the Zoho Quartz client interface when viewing submitted recordings. Current Limitation: When viewing a Quartz recording from the client (user) interface, there is currently no option to switch the

    • 2025 Recap: A Year to Remember | Zoho Inventory

    • Important Update : Pipedrive deprecated fields no longer supported in Zoho Analytics

      Dear Pipedrive users, We would like to inform you about a recent update related to your Pipedrive integration with Zoho Analytics. The Pipedrive team has deprecated certain fields from their application. You can find more details in the official Pipedrive

    • Product Updates in Zoho Workplace applications | November 2025

      Hello Workplace Community, Let’s take a look at the new features and enhancements that went live across all Workplace applications this November. Zoho Mail Format comments easily using Slash Commands With Slash commands, you can easily format text, insert

    • Right-Click Pipeline to Open in New Tab

      Please add the ability to right-click on a pipeline to open it in a new tab

    • Adjusting Physical Inventory

      Not getting very far with support on this one, they say they are going to fix it but nothings happened since November. Please give this a thumbs up if you would like to see this feature or comment if you have some insight. Use Case: Inventory set to be

    • sync views to sheet

      Im looking to sync my views aka reports in analytics to zoho sheets, when data is updated in analytics it also should be updated in sheets, till now zoho sheets only offer raw data connection and it is not enough as these reports are difficult to re-do

    • How to update the Status in a custom module?

      Hi, I have a custom module "cm_payment_registry" in Billing, I am trying to change the status which is "Draft" with: array = {"custom_status":"Approved"}; zoho.billing.update("cm_payment_registry",organization.get("organization_id"), XXXXXXXXXXXXXX, array,"connectionname");

    • Replace Zoho Invoice with QuickBooks

      We are implementing Zoho FSM for a cleaning business in the US with 50+ field workers. This business has been using Quickbooks for accounting for decades and will not migrate to Zoho Books. A major issue in the integration is the US sales tax calculation.

    • 2025 Highlights: A Year of Steady Progress and Significant Developments

      As we come to the end of 2025, let's take a moment to reflect on the significant progress and developments we've made to improve your travel and expense management. In the Spotlight Introducing Online Booking (US edition only - Early access) Enable online

    • Function #42: Show the actual rate of items on invoices

      Hello everyone, and welcome back to our series! In Zoho Books, you have the ability to create Price Lists, wherein you can mark up and mark down the item rates by a specific percentage or set custom rates. Generally, when you apply a price list to an

    • Ability to Set Text Direction for Individual Cells in Zoho Sheet

      Dear Zoho Sheet Team, We hope you are doing well. We would like to request an enhancement in Zoho Sheet that allows users to set the text direction (right-to-left or left-to-right) for individual cells, similar to what is available in Google Sheets. Use

    • Warehouse fast processing

      Hey guys, would anyone be interested in something like the attached image ? If there's any interest I'd be willing to develop it further for others to use, it's much faster than using Zohos native solutions, it can part pack, pack in full, part ship,

    • Can I create a CODE 128 custom field for my items in Zoho Inventory and then use it for generating Sales Orders?

      Can anyone helps me, I don't want to use the SKU code for scanning my products.  ​Because all my products have a CODE-128 label attached.

    • Start/Stop Timmer in Chrome Extension

      The chrome extension is great and allows you to do allot however one of the most common things employees working on projects need to do is track their time. Having an easy start/stop timer to track time would be great.

    • Invalid collection string

      I haven't changed anything in one of my functions. I'm trying to run it manually and suddenly "Invalid collection string" appears. My code has 6 lines and the error says that the error is on 7th line. Why? What does this error mean? Nothing has been changed

    • Zoho Directory 2025: New Features | Security Enhancements | Enriched UI

      Hello everyone, Greetings from the Zoho Directory team! 2025 has been a highly successful year for Zoho Directory. We are delighted to introduce a fresh set of features, an enriched UI, and major product enhancements. These updates aim to deliver a smoother

    • zoho people 5 report

      How do I customize my report in Zoho People Report? I understand that I can get the results of multi-table queries through SQL join statements, but I don't know the relationship between each table. I tried to create a report using Attendance User Report

    • Leave Report Emailed Weekly

      I am wondering if someone knows how to have a report generated either weekly or monthly or both for department heads and ownership of upcoming employee leave. For instance, it would be nice to get an emailed report on Friday for the upcoming week of who

    • Zoho Flow Decision Continuing Despite Not Meeting Conditions

      I have a picklist field called Lead Status in the leads module, with the following lead Statuses: New Lead Attempted Contact - 1 Attempted Contact - 2 Attempted Contact - 3 Attempted Contact - 4 Attempted Contact - 5 Attempted Contact - 6 Attempted Contact

    • Tip #55- Accessibility Controls in Zoho Assist: Exploring Vision Settings- 'Insider Insights'

      As we approach the end of the year, it’s a good moment to reflect on how we can make our tools more inclusive and easier to use for everyone. Remote support often involves long hours in front of screens, varied lighting conditions, and users with different

    • Zoho Recruit Slow and Freezing on all screens

      We have had an issue with Zoho Recruit for weeks being extremely slow and at times freezing.  We have 100 mega internet, and I went into each computer and updated the virtual memory so there is more available.  Also restarted all computers daily.  Still having the issues.  Almost unable to work.

    • Credit Management: #2 Configuring Right Payment Terms for Credit Control

      Think about the last time you ordered something online and saw that little note at the checkout, "Pay on Delivery" or "Pay later". It's simple, but it actually sets the tone. As a business owner, you know exactly when payment is expected. Now, imagine

    • Dependent (Conditional) Fields in Zoho Bookings Forms

      Hello Zoho Bookings Team, Greetings, We would like to request the ability to create dependent (conditional) fields in Zoho Bookings registration forms. Current Limitation: There is currently no way to make one field’s available options depend on the value

    • Bug Report: Search fails to find existing notes after Evernote import

      Hello, I recently migrated from Evernote (~2600 notes across 23 notebooks), but the search functionality is currently broken. The Issue: I can manually browse to a specific note and see it exists. However, when I type the exact or partial title of that

    • Marketing Tip #13: Win repeat customers with post-purchase emails

      The relationship with your customer doesn’t end after the sale; that’s when it begins. A thoughtful post-purchase message shows customers you appreciate them, keeps your brand top of mind, and can even lead to another sale. You can thank them, ask for

    • Zoho Form

      I have problem with Zoho Form. One of form i don't received the PDF version. Others okay except this one. W904533

    • Create & Update Zoho Vault Passwords via Zoho Flow

      Hi Zoho Flow / Zoho Vault Team, We’d like to request an enhancement to the Zoho Vault integration in Zoho Flow. Current Limitation: At the moment, Zoho Flow supports only the following selected Zoho Vault actions, such as: Fetch passwords, Share passwords

    • Custom Related List Inside Zoho Books

      Hello, We can create the Related list inside the zoho books by the deluge code, I am sharing the reference code Please have a look may be it will help you. //..........Get Org Details organizationID = organization.get("organization_id"); Recordid = cm_g_a_data.get("module_record_id");

    • Migrate different zoho subscription to zoho one

      Dear We have different zoho subscription we need to migrate it to zoho one. Currently we are paying for zoho email, zoho expense, zoho payroll etc under different admin We need to move it too zoho one flexlible plan for all my employees

    • Features, Feedback and Votes

      We’re launching the Feedback Forum for our customers. This is 'THE' place where you can add everything you’d like to see in Zoho Books. If you don't find the specific feature you need, simply add it so others can also vote for it. While we cannot promise

    • Next Page