Kaizen #161: Global Sets using Zoho CRM APIs

Kaizen #161: Global Sets using Zoho CRM APIs

 Hello all!
In this week, we will see how to work on the Global Sets using our Zoho CRM APIs. Global Picklist APIs were introduced in Zoho CRM API version 6.

In this post, we will cover the following
  • Global Sets in Zoho CRM
  • Advantages of the Global Sets
  • Use case
  • Create a Global Set using the POST Global Picklist API
  • Use the Global Set with a Picklist Field in the Required Modules
  • Update the Global Set Values Using the PATCH Global Picklist Field API
  • Conclusion

Global Sets in Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM offers an efficient way to maintain a set of data that will be used commonly across the modules to maintain accuracy via the Global Sets or Global Picklists.
Global Sets or Global Picklists are collections of picklist values that can be associated with multiple picklists across modules. When you create Global Sets, you define a set of values that can be associated with fields in different CRM modules, ensuring uniformity in data input across your organization. Refer to this link to know more about Global Sets.

Advantages of Global Sets

  • Consistency: The same list of values is available across multiple modules, reducing errors and inconsistencies in data entry.
  • Time-saving: You do not have to update picklist values in each module manually. Once updated centrally, changes reflect across all associated fields in all modules.
  • Scalability: Easily expand your picklist when your business grows, adding new values (e.g., Adding new showroom location for franchises) without repetitive work.
  • Easy Management: Centralized management of picklist values means less administrative work.

Use case

Global Picklist for Showroom Locations at Zylker Electronic Franchise 
Zylker, an electronics business franchise, operates several showrooms across multiple cities, all managed in Zoho CRM. As the franchise expands, they need to add new showrooms to various modules such as Leads, Deals, and Services frequently.  Whenever a new showroom opens, they can update the Global Picklist, ensuring that all modules are updated instantly and preventing inconsistencies.
In these situations, different teams manually entering showroom locations in the picklist field can lead to mistakes like typos or different spellings of the same location.
By implementing a Global Picklist for "Showroom Location," Zylker ensures that all teams select from the same list of showroom locations.

Create a Global Set using the POST Global Picklist API

Create a Global Set with the desired values. 

Request URL:  {api-domain}/crm/{version}/settings/global_picklists
Request Method: POST

Request Body

{
    "global_picklists": [
        {
            "display_label": "Showroom Location",
            "description": "Use this picklist option to manage showroom locations across all modules in your CRM.",
            "pick_list_values": [
                {
                    "display_value": "New York Showroom",
                    "sequence_number": 1,
                    "actual_value": "New York Showroom"
                },
                {
                    "display_value": "Los Angeles Showroom",
                    "sequence_number": 2,
                    "actual_value": "Los Angeles Showroom"
                },
                {
                    "display_value": "Chicago Showroom",
                    "sequence_number": 3,
                    "actual_value": "Chicago Showroom"
                },
                {
                    "display_value": "Houston Showroom",
                    "sequence_number": 4,
                    "actual_value": "Houston Showroom"
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}


If the API call is successful, a global picklist will be created with the specified options. The following GIF demonstrates the newly created global picklist in the UI.



Use the Global Set with a Picklist Field in the Required Modules

Create picklist fields in the required modules, such as Leads and Contacts, and link the created Global Set with a picklist field in modules using the Create Custom Field API.

Follow the below steps to link the created Global Set with a picklist field in a module.

Step 1: Retrieve the unique ID of the Global Set 

Retrieve the unique ID of the created Global Set using the GET - Global Picklists API to link it with a picklist field. The below URL retrieves all Global Sets in your org.

Request URL: {api-domain}/crm/{version}/settings/global_picklists
Request Method: GET

Response:


The API retrieves all available Global Sets in the organization.

In this case, the "Showroom Location" field needs to be associated with the modules, and its unique ID is 5725767000004230002. Use the following request URL to view the specific global picklist field along with its options.

Request URL: {api-domain}/crm/{version}/settings/global_picklists/5725767000004230002
Request Method: GET

Response:



Step 2: Use the Global Set in the desired module

Create a new picklist field in the required modules and associate the "Showroom Location" Global Set with the picklist field.
  • Leads - To track customer inquiries by showroom location.
  • Deals - To monitor sales by showroom location.
  • Sales Orders - To process orders based on showroom location.
  • Service Requests - To handle customer service tickets by showroom location.
This post uses the "Leads" module as an example. Use the Create Custom Field API to associate the Global Set with the Leads module.

Request URL: {api-domain}/crm/{version}/settings/fields?module=Leads
Note: The module parameter is mandatory to create a field in a module.
Request Method: POST

Request Body:


{
    "fields": [
        //Associating the Showroom Location Global Set with the Leads module
        {
            "field_label": "Showroom",  //The Showroom field in the Leads module, where the "Showroom Location" Global Set is associated

            "data_type": "picklist", //To associate a global picklist, use the data type "picklist"
            "global_picklist": {
                "id": "5725767000004230002" //ID of the global picklist
            }
        }
    ]
}


Response in the UI:



Use the above process to create the Global Set across modules using the Create Custom Field API

Below are the request URLs to associate the field with other modules as per our use case:

  • {api-domain}/crm/{version}/settings/fields?module=Deals
  • {api-domain}/crm/{version}/settings/fields?module=Sales_Orders
  • {api-domain}/crm/{version}/settings/fields?module=Service_Requests


Update the Global Set Values Using the PATCH Global Picklist Field API

Any changes made to the Global Set will automatically reflect across all modules associated with it. Use the PATCH - Global Picklist Field API to update the values in a Global Set.

Request URL
{api-domain}/crm/{version}/settings/global_picklists/5725767000004230002
Request Method: PATCH

Request Body:


{
    "global_picklists": [
        {
            
            "pick_list_values": [
                {
                    //"display_value": "New York Showroom", 
                    "id": "5725767000004230003", 
                    "type": "unused" // to move the option to the unused state
                },
                {
                    "display_value": "Chicago Showroom",
                    "sequence_number": 3,
                    "actual_value": "Chicago Showroom",
                    "id": "5725767000004230007",
                    "type": "unused",
                    "_delete": null // deleting the option from the global Field
                },
                // Creating a new option or adding a new showroom location to the Global Set 
                {
                    "display_value": "San Francisco Showroom",
                    "actual_value": "San Francisco Showroom"
                },
                {
                    "display_value": "Boston Showroom",
                    "actual_value": "Boston Showroom"
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}



Using the PATCH Global Picklist API, you can easily manage and perform various operations. In the above request, Zylker performed the following operations:

  • Moving an Option to Unused State: The "New York Showroom" option is marked with "type": "unused", meaning the showroom is moved to the "unused" state, indicating the option is no longer active but has not been deleted from the system.
  • Deleting an OptionThe "Chicago Showroom" option is deleted from the picklist field using the  "_delete": null, meaning the option is removed or deleted from the system and is no longer valid.
  • Adding New OptionsIn addition to the above operations, two new showrooms namely "San Francisco Showroom" and "Boston Showroom", are added to the field using the "display_value"(mandatory) and "actual_value" (optional), as Zylker expands its franchise to new cities and manages them across the modules.
Note: The updated value will replace its old value in areas such as Records, Criteria, Workflow Actions, and Field Dependency. 

Conclusion

Hence, the Global Sets help Zylker keep the showroom location list up-to-date and consistent across modules, making it easier to manage showroom locations in their CRM system.

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
Stay tuned for more insights in our upcoming Kaizen posts!

Cheers!!!



    Access your files securely from anywhere







                            Zoho Developer Community




                                                  • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                  • Digest


                                                  • Functions


                                                  • Meetups


                                                  • Kbase


                                                  • Resources


                                                  • Glossary


                                                  • Desk Marketplace


                                                  • MVP Corner


                                                  • Word of the Day


                                                  • Ask the Experts



                                                            • Sticky Posts

                                                            • 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
                                                            • Kaizen #142: How to Navigate to Another Page in Zoho CRM using Client Script

                                                              Hello everyone! Welcome back to another exciting Kaizen post. In this post, let us see how you can you navigate to different Pages using Client Script. In this Kaizen post, Need to Navigate to different Pages Client Script ZDKs related to navigation A.


                                                            Manage your brands on social media



                                                                  Zoho TeamInbox Resources



                                                                      Zoho CRM Plus Resources

                                                                        Zoho Books Resources


                                                                          Zoho Subscriptions Resources

                                                                            Zoho Projects Resources


                                                                              Zoho Sprints Resources


                                                                                Qntrl Resources


                                                                                  Zoho Creator Resources



                                                                                      Zoho CRM Resources

                                                                                      • CRM Community Learning Series

                                                                                        CRM Community Learning Series


                                                                                      • Kaizen

                                                                                        Kaizen

                                                                                      • Functions

                                                                                        Functions

                                                                                      • Meetups

                                                                                        Meetups

                                                                                      • Kbase

                                                                                        Kbase

                                                                                      • Resources

                                                                                        Resources

                                                                                      • Digest

                                                                                        Digest

                                                                                      • CRM Marketplace

                                                                                        CRM Marketplace

                                                                                      • MVP Corner

                                                                                        MVP Corner









                                                                                          Design. Discuss. Deliver.

                                                                                          Create visually engaging stories with Zoho Show.

                                                                                          Get Started Now


                                                                                            Zoho Show Resources

                                                                                              Zoho Writer

                                                                                              Get Started. Write Away!

                                                                                              Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.

                                                                                                Zoho CRM コンテンツ



                                                                                                  Nederlandse Hulpbronnen


                                                                                                      ご検討中の方




                                                                                                              • Recent Topics

                                                                                                              • Copy paste from word document deletes random spaces

                                                                                                                Hello Dear Zoho Team, When copying from a word document into Notebook, often I face a problem of the program deleting random spaces between words, the document become terribly faulty, eventhough it is perfect in its original source document (and without
                                                                                                              • Is it possible to use module field filters via URL parameters?

                                                                                                                It would be really convenient if I could quickly link to a filter. For reference, this is the filter functionality I'm referring to: https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/crm/customize-crm-account/advanced-filters/articles/advanced-filters For example: My
                                                                                                              • Transitioning FESCO Bill Project to Zoho Sheets and Integration Options

                                                                                                                Hello Zoho Support, I'm considering transitioning my FESCO bill project from Google Sheets to Zoho Sheets and wanted to know if there are integration options to seamlessly migrate our existing work. You can view our platform here, any guidance would be
                                                                                                              • Support for Custom Fonts in Zoho Recruit Career Site and Candidate Portal

                                                                                                                Dear Zoho Recruit Team, I hope you're doing well. We would like to request the ability to use custom fonts in the Zoho Recruit Career Site and Candidate Portal. Currently only the default fonts (Roboto, Lato, and Montserrat) are available. While these
                                                                                                              • 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
                                                                                                              • Data Processing Basis

                                                                                                                Hi, Is there a way to automate the data processing for a candidate every time an application arrives from job boards, without requiring manual intervention? That is, to automatically acquire consent for data processing. I've seen a workflow that allows
                                                                                                              • 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
                                                                                                              • Zoho CRM for Everyone's NextGen UI Gets an Upgrade

                                                                                                                Hello Everyone We've made improvements to Zoho CRM for Everyone's Nextgen UI. These changes are the result of valuable feedback from you where we’ve focused on improving usability, providing wider screen space, and making navigation smoother so everything
                                                                                                              • 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.
                                                                                                              • To print Multiple delivery notes in batches

                                                                                                                In Zoho Books, we can print a Delivery Note from an Invoice using the Print Delivery Note option, but it is non-editable and always prints all line items from the invoice. Our requirement is to deliver invoiced items in batches and print delivery notes
                                                                                                              • 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
                                                                                                              • Sending automated messages that appear in the ticket's conversation thread

                                                                                                                Good morning, esteemed Zoho Desk community, warm greetings Today I am here to raise the following problem, seeking a solution that I can implement: I need to implement an automation that allows me to send reminder messages to customers when I am waiting
                                                                                                              • 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");
                                                                                                              • is it possible to add more than one Whatsapp Phone Number to be integrated to Zoho CRM?

                                                                                                                so I have successfully added one Whatsapp number like this from this User Interface it seems I can't add a new Whatsapp Number. I need to add a new Whatsapp Number so I can control the lead assignment if a chat sent to Whatsapp Phone Number 1 then assign
                                                                                                              • 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
                                                                                                              • e-mail bloqueado

                                                                                                                Estou com meu e-mail lucas@peplus.me bloqueado, preciso desbloquear para retorno de usos em minhas atividades.
                                                                                                              • 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
                                                                                                              • New in CRM: Dynamic filters for lookup fields

                                                                                                                Last modified on Oct 28, 2024: This feature was initially available only through Early Access upon request. It is now available to all users across all data centers, except for the IN DC. Users in the IN DC can temporarily request access using this form
                                                                                                              • 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,
                                                                                                              • Translation of Tooltip Messages

                                                                                                                The descriptive help messages should be available to provide translations for.
                                                                                                              • 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
                                                                                                              • Bulk Schedule for Posting TikTok

                                                                                                                Hallo, We have a client whose business is a social media agency specifically TikTok. Currently they are handling 30 TikTok accounts from. I think zoho Social can handle it with Agency License + with Add on 10 Brands. Their concern is related to posting
                                                                                                              • 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
                                                                                                              • Next Page