Kaizen #90 - CRM Variables and APIs

Hello everyone!

Welcome back to another post in the Kaizen series!

This week, we will discuss what are CRM Variables and variable groups, how to create, update, and delete them through an API and the UI, and a simple example in Deluge of using a CRM variable in a function. 

Let's get started!

What are CRM Variables?

Often, we have the need to reuse certain data in CRM at various places. Instead of creating separate fields to hold such values in every module, we can create an org-level field and use the same value across the CRM system. This field is called a CRM Variable. 

These variables can be of any of the following data types:

• Decimal
• Single line
• Multi line
• Integer
• Long integer
• Percent
• Currency
• Date
• DateTime
• Email
• Phone 
• URL
• Checkbox

Where can you use CRM Variables?

You can use CRM variables in mail merge templates, email templates, functions, workflows, buttons etc,.

What are Variable Groups?

When you have multiple variables, you can group them together for easy accessibility. For example, it makes sense to group all the authentication variables such as access token, refresh token etc., under a group called "Auth parameters".

How can you create a CRM Variable?

You can create CRM Variables from the UI or through the CRM API.

1. From the UI

1. Go to Setup > Developer Space > Zoho CRM Variables > Create New Variable.
2. In the Create Zoho CRM Variable pop up, enter the following details:
   a. The name of the variable in the Variable Name field.
   b. The API name of the variable in the API name field.
   c. A brief description of the variable in the Description field.
   d. The data type of the variable from the Variable Type drop-down.
   e. The group that the variable must belong to in the Grouped Under drop-down.
3. Click Save.
   

2. Creating a variable through an API

Request URL: {api-domain}/crm/{version}/settings/variables

Request method: POST

Scope: ZohoCRM.settings.variables.ALL or ZohoCRM.settings.variables.CREATE

Input JSON keys

{     "variables": [        {             "name": "Company Address",             "api_name": "Company_Address",             "variable_group": {                 "api_name": "General",                 "id": "3652397000004992001"             },             "type": "textarea",             "value": "#24, Austin, TX",             "description": "The address of the company when the state is Texas"         }     ] }

where,

Key name and data type	Description
name string, mandatory	The name of the variable.
api_name string, mandatory	The API name you want to set for the variable.
variable_group JSON object, mandatory	The API name and the ID of the variable group you want to group your variable under. If you do not have a variable group, you can only group it under "General". Use the Get Variable Groups API to get the ID and name of the variable group.
type string, mandatory	The data type of the variable. The possible values are integer, text(for single line), percent, decimal, currency, date, datetime, email, phone, url, checkbox(for Boolean), textarea(for multi-line), and long.
value string, mandatory	The value of the variable.
description string, optional	A short description of the variable.

Sample Response

How can you update a CRM variable?

1. From the UI

1. Go to Setup > Developer Space > Zoho CRM Variables.
2. Hover over the variable you want to edit. 
3. Click the "Edit" icon on the left-corner of the variable.
4. In the Edit Zoho CRM Variable pop up, update the relevant details.
   
   
5. Click Save.

Note

You cannot edit the Variable Type and Grouped Under fields.

2. Through an API

Request URL: {api-domain}/crm/{version}/settings/variables (or)

{api-domain}/crm/{version}/settings/variables/{variable_API_name or Variable_ID}

Request method: PUT

Scope: ZohoCRM.settings.variables.ALL or ZohoCRM.settings.variables.UPDATE

Input JSON keys

Note that besides "id", all the keys are optional based on what details you want to update.

{     "variables": [        {  "id":"3652397000012482002";             "name": "Company_Address",             "api_name": "Company_Address",             "value": "#24, Austin, TX",             "description": "The address of the company when the state is Texas"         }     ] }

where,

Key name and data type	Description
id string, mandatory	The ID of the variable you want to update. You can get this ID from the Get Variables API.
name string	The name of the variable.
api_name string	The API name you want to set for the variable.
value string	The value of the variable.
description string	A short description of the variable.

Sample Response

How can you delete a CRM variable?

1. From the UI

1. Go to Setup > Developer Space > Zoho CRM Variables.
2. Hover over the variable you want to delete. 
3. Click the "Delete" icon on the left-corner of the variable.
   
   
4. Click Delete in the pop up that asks for confirmation.

2. Through an API

Request URL: {api-domain}/crm/{version}/settings/variables/{variable_id} (or) 
                       {api-domain}/crm/{version}/settings/variables?ids=id1,id2..

Request method: DELETE

Scope: ZohoCRM.settings.variables.ALL or ZohoCRM.settings.variables.DELETE

Sample Response

Use cases

Here are a few use cases where you can use CRM Variables.

• Consider that you have integrated with RazorPay and want to send payment links to deals that you have won. Here, you can store the payment link in a variable and use it in the function that sends the link to the deal through an email.
• You can improvise the above function, and have a condition that checks whether the payment link is valid or has expired. If it is invalid or expired, you can send an alternate payment link that is stored in another CRM variable.
• Consider you have scheduled a function to run everyday. Now, you want to run this function except on Saturday and Sunday of a particular month. In this case, you can hard-code the Saturday and Sunday in CRM variables of the DateTime type, and check this while running your function. You case would be "if datetime =={CRM variable}, stop execution".
• Another classic example of using CRM Variables would be in the banking sector. Consider that you have multiple modules that deal with the rate of interest. This rate will differ based on the tenure, the type of loan, the age of a person etc, and used at multiple places across the org. Here, you can set up variables for the different rates of interests and use them in various places. The best part is, when the rate of interest changes, you have to just change it at one place - CRM Variable. 
  

Let us see this example in detail.

I have a module called Loans. For home loans, the rate of interest is 10% for all, irrespective of the tenure. 

So, I have created a CRM variable called Interest, whose data type is decimal, and has the value 10.

In the Loans module, I have the following fields:

• Customer Name(single line) to represent the name of the customer who has opted for the loan.
• Principal(decimal) to represent the principal they have borrowed.
• Tenure(number) that depicts the number of years they will repay the loan in.
• EMI(decimal) to represent the monthly installment.
• Total(decimal) to represent the total amount they will repay including the interest.

I have a function that calculates the EMI and the Total. Here is the code.

// In this function, we are getting principal, tenure and record id from the record and Interest from CRM Variables.  //Calculate Total  Total = Principal + Principal * Interest / 100 * Tenure; info Total; //Calculate EMI  EMI = Total / (Tenure * 12); info EMI; //Variable with MAP type to hold the fields and values record_info = {"EMI":EMI,"Total":Total}; info record_info; info zoho.crm.getRecordById("Loans",record_id); //Updating the record zoho.crm.updateRecord("Loans",record_id,record_info);

The following image shows the function argument mapping.

I have now set up a workflow that is triggered upon record creation. This workflow has the Calculate EMI function associated to it as shown in the following image.

As you can see, in Argument Mapping, I have chosen the CRM variable Interest.

Here is a demo of how the workflow is triggered and function execution.

As you can see, based on the value in the CRM variable, the Total and EMI is calculated through the function triggered by the workflow upon record creation.

We hope you liked this post. We will see you next week with another interesting topic.

Please let us know if you have any questions in the comment section or write to us at support@zohocrm.com.

Cheers!

• Topic Participants

• Shylaja S

  

• Sticky Posts

• 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

• Kaizen #152 - Client Script Support for the new Canvas Record Forms

  Hello everyone! Have you ever wanted to trigger actions on click of a canvas button, icon, or text mandatory forms in Create/Edit and Clone Pages? Have you ever wanted to control how elements behave on the new Canvas Record Forms? This can be achieved

• Recent Topics

• How to Associate multiple contacts with deal in Sales Inbox

  Hello, I have many deals that have multiple potential customers associated with a single deal, for example an engineer and a manager. The manager is the Deal's primary contact in CRM and the Engineer is added to the deal in the "Contact Roles" Associated

• "code": "500","description": "Account not exists", mail api

  I have been through all the steps and have a functioning Oath access_token etc etc... I then GET https://mail.zoho.com/api/organization And get my zoid then GET http://mail.zoho.com/api/organization/<hidden>/accounts and get the account details, which

• RTL Support for Webforms in Zoho CRM

  Dear Zoho CRM Support Team, We are writing to request an enhancement to the webform builder functionality within Zoho CRM. Currently, to create a webform in a right-to-left (RTL) language, the entire CRM instance must be set to RTL, which can be inconvenient

• Imported contacts succesful but contacts do not show up in Contacts

  I imported +300 contacts. I can see them in import history. When clicking on a contact in import history I see all the imported contact details for any given contact. So import seems to be successful.   However the imported contacts do not show up in the contacts tab. Not in All contacts, and not in a filtered view where they absolutely should show up. The search function also does not find any imported contact.   Help?

• Saving sent email campaign as PDF

  I'm looking to add all campaigns sent to an archive folder in sharepoint. Is there anyway to accomplish this in Zoho Flow ? I'm falling at the first hurdle ... can I automatically save a sent campaign as a PDF to a folder location ?

• Zoho Voice lance BYOC (Bring Your Own Carrier) : intégrez votre opérateur

  Pour accompagner sa croissance, une entreprise a besoin d’une infrastructure téléphonique flexible et évolutive. Les solutions de téléphonie s’adaptent aux exigences du centre de contact, tout en intégrant aisément les opérateurs locaux de votre choix.

• Zoho Social API for generating draft posts from a third-party app ?

  Hello everyone, I hope you are all well. I have a question regarding Zoho Social. I am developing an application that generates social media posts, and I would like to be able to incorporate a feature that allows saving these posts as drafts in Zoho Social.

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

  Bonjour chers utilisateurs, Avec l'arrivée du dernier mois de l'année, il est temps de résumer les activités de novembre dans la communauté Zoho France. Ce mois-ci, Zoho Webinar se dote de deux nouvelles intégrations ! La première est avec Zapier : connectez

• E-Invoicing in Belgium with Zoho Books

  Starting January 1, 2026, Belgium is introducing mandatory electronic invoices (e-invoicing) for all B2B transactions between VAT-registered businesses. This means that invoices and credits notes must be exchanged in a prescribed digital format. How E-Invoicing

• Announcing new features in Trident for Mac (1.30.0)

  Hello everyone! We’re excited to introduce the latest updates to Trident, bringing you a more seamless, intuitive, and secure communication experience. Let’s take a quick look at what’s new. Work with PST/EML files more efficiently. You can now do more

• Open Form in Same window as Page from embedded Report

  I have a page that has an embedded report, as shown below. When I click the + sign to add a new record, the form shows up inside the page where the report was embedded. I know that I can add a custom action to the report grid or report detail view and

• Pricing Strategies: #4 Counting on Discounts

  "Is there any chance I can get a little discount on this month's service?" Maya hears this almost every time at her fitness studio. She offers monthly subscription plans for various services, including yoga, strength training, wellness sessions, and personal

• Introducing Query Workbench in Zoho CRM

  Hello everyone! We’re excited to announce the Query Workbench, a brand-new interface designed to improve developer experience of building Queries in Zoho CRM faster, simpler, and more intuitive. In the past, constructing queries required navigating across

• Limitation with Dynamic Email Attachment Capture

  I've discovered a flaw in how Zoho Creator handles email attachments when using the Email-to-Form feature, and I'm hoping the Zoho team can address this in a future update. The Issue According to the official documentation, capturing email attachments

• Add Customer in Books on Creator Form Submit Params

  Hi guys, Were integrating a creator app with books however what were doing is adding a books customer on submit of creator form.  We have some parameters but some fields aren't coping, All were seeing is the contact name in books,.  Any help of the params for this would be great. below is a sample of the script... response = zoho.books.createRecord("contacts", "XXXXXXXXX", { "contact_name" : input.Name, "address" : input.Email }); 

• Weekly Tips: Protect Confidential Information with PGP in Zoho Mail

  We deal with confidential information almost every day, whether it is being sent out or received. Though emails sent using Zoho Mail are encrypted both during transit and at rest, attempts to access and steal your sensitive data are always a threat that

• Suggestion : link KB with Accounts

  Hi Zoho teams.  I think it could be good to link KB articles with  : accounts in order to easily  find articles dedicated to some account specificities. I tried to use tags , but tags are free text with not easy way  to retrieve it directly from ticket or list article for one tag. Tickets : It would be a good way to measure usage of KB directly from ticket when we don't need to copy/paste KB in solution. And : Great Tool , keep going ! 

• Drag and Drop in Creator Application

  Hi, I am in the planning phase of a new application and I would like to use 'Drag and Drop' in the user interface of my new Creator application that I am sketching out, but I don't seem to be able to find any reference that this is available to developers. In my instance I have table of entries and I would like to be able to allow users to move an entry to another table (much like you do in your own interface when creating a Pivot Table report. In addition, I would like the user to be able to re-order

• Is there any way to integrate Zoho with Zapier?

  Is there any way to integrate Zoho with Zapier? I'd like to use it to create a workflow, sharing posts from our Wordpress website to all our channels.

• Popular Articles Report

  From data to decisions: A deep dive into ticketing system reports Content management teams can use various metrics to assess the effectiveness of knowledge base articles, improve content quality, and ensure articles are regularly updated. Predefined article

• Invoice Ref. Field

  Hello Team, Currently, the Invoice Ref. field is set to a Number type with a maximum limit of 9 digits. However, we often receive customer invoices that contain up to 12 digits. In some cases, the invoice reference includes not only numbers but also letters

• 60 Days Into Zoho - Tiktok Branding Startup -7 Questions?!

  Wsp Everybody I co-own a TikTok Branding / Consulting Startup & have been using Zoho for the past 60 days - Am now looking to make our overall operations & processes more Efficient & Effective! Curious to know how others are using the platform & what's

• Turning off the new UI

  Tried the new 'enhanced' UI and actively dislike it. Anyone know how to revert back?

• XML format to import knowledgebase into Zoho Desk

  Hi, We just started to use Zoho Desk and want to import our knowledgebase from our old support system (Freshdesk) to Zoho Desk. Can anyone give us information about the format of xml file to import? There is no explanation on the related page.

• Pushing Zoho People leave into Microsoft calendar: how to chose how "event" is shown (busy, free etc)

  Hi, how can I select how a "leave" event is pushed into Microsoft calendar? I want for leave "working elsewhere" to show as working elsewhere and NOT as busy.

• Duplicate Accounts

  Hi There, I am looking for a solution, script, workflow or anything to solve an issue we have - in our customers section we have a rule that doesn't allow duplicates, however Zoho will allow customers with xxxxx and xxxxx PLC or LTD so effectivley we

• Error with If formula

  I've got this super simple If formula, what is the reason for the error? If ( LEN(${Leads.Trial Slot Option}) == 3,'y','n') Syntax Error. Check the examples for any functions you're using to see if you formatted them correctly. Make sure your fields are

• Announcing Multi-language Support in Zoho FSM

  Zoho FSM now speaks your language. The much-awaited multi-language support is now available in Zoho FSM. The following languages are supported in Zoho FSM: Dutch (Nederlands) English - United Kingdom English - United States French (français) French -

• Creating multiple CRM leads from a Zoho Forms subform

  Hi all, We have a heavily used intake form that is used for new leads as a part of our intake. There is a subform that allows the lead to add additional team members, their titles and other basic info. That form submission creates a new Lead and the subform

• Free webinar! Build smarter apps with Zoho Sign and Zoho Creator

  Hello, Bring the power of digital signatures to the apps you build in Zoho Creator! Connect Zoho Sign as a microservice and enable seamless e-signature workflows in your applications. This integration allows you to automate signing tasks using Deluge.

• Restrict Addresses in Zoho Forms?

  In the address field, is there a way to restrict the addresses that auto populate (via Zoho Maps or Google Maps) to a specific state (I know it's possible with the country). Additionally, how often does the address in Zoho Maps get updated? Certain addresses

• Weekly Tips: Secure your attachment downloads with Zoho Mail

  Safety is one of our main concerns, whether it’s about device security or online protection. We use tools like fingerprint scanners, facial recognition, and two-factor authentication to keep our devices and email accounts secure. We use methods like OTP

• Resume Harvester: New Enhancements for Faster Sourcing

  We’re excited to share a set of enhancements to Resume Harvester that make sourcing faster and more flexible. These updates help you cut down on repetitive steps, manage auto searches more efficiently, and review candidate profiles with ease. Why we built

• Looking for best practices to import data from SAP Business One (on-prem) into Zoho Analytics via Zoho DataPrep / Databridge — daily automated schedule

  Hi all, I’m using SAP Business One on-prem (SQL Server / or HANA — depending on DB backend) as our ERP. I want to build a pipeline that, every morning at 9:00 AM IST: pulls transactional data (invoices, customers, products, stock, etc.) from SAP B1, loads

• Zoho One Unified Portal - Applications

  Hello, It is great to see the work on the New Unified Customer Portal. Thanks for that. The number of applications is limited though. It is now only around the Zoho Books ecosystem (Books, Expense...) and Zoho Social. = Are other applications planned

• Marketing Tip #10: Start a customer loyalty program

  Winning a new customer is great, but keeping them coming back is even better. A loyalty program rewards repeat buyers with points, giving them more reasons to shop again. Over time, this builds trust and long-term relationships. Try this today: Set up

• Zia Actions: AI-powered Workflow Automation for Faster and Smarter Execution

  Hello everyone, Updated on 12th Dec 2025 Zia actions for Workflow is available for Enterprise edition ONLY. These features are currently available in the following DCs: US, CA, EU, IN, and AU Email Auto reply and Content Generation are available as Early

• Do Individual Forums within Categories, in Desk Community, Produce Their Own RSS Feed?

  Do Individual Forums within Categories, in Desk Community, Produce Their Own RSS Feed? If not, can anyone share a work-around that could help me get an RSS feed for individual category forums?

• Incremental Migration Issue – Ticket Showing Resolution on Dec 9 Despite Urgent MX Cutover (Ticket ID: 152080262)

  I am experiencing an issue with Zoho Mail incremental migration from Rackspace. The initial full migration completed successfully, but the incremental migration for one mailbox failed immediately with the message: “User not exist” This appears to be a

• Change Last Name to not required in Leads

  I would like to upload 500 target companies as leads but I don't yet have contact people for them. Can you enable the option for me to turn this requirement off to need a Second Name? Moderation update (10-Jun-23): As we explore potential solutions for

• Next Page