Bulk Write API in Zoho CRM with PHP SDK: A Comprehensive Guide

Bulk Write API in Zoho CRM with PHP SDK: A Comprehensive Guide

Hi everyone and welcome to another amazing Kaizen week!

This week, we will discuss and explore Bulk Write API in detail, and how to implement the same using Zoho CRM PHP SDK. Please note that the information in the article holds true for Zoho CRM PHP SDK supporting version 5 of Zoho CRM APIs.

What is Bulk Write API?

The Bulk Write API enables you to efficiently insert, update, or upsert a large dataset into your CRM account. As this is an asynchronous API, the records will not be added immediately, instead a job will be scheduled to do so. You will receive a notification at the specified callback URL or you can periodically check the job status.

The Bulk Write API allows you to insert, update, or upsert up to 25,000 records in a single API call. This is much more than the maximum of 100 records that you can insert, update, or upsert using the Insert, Update, and Upsert Records API. 

When to use Bulk Write API?

  • When you want to schedule a job to import a huge volume of data in your CRM account.
  • When you want to insert, update, or upsert more than 100 records in a single API call. 
  • When you want to perform background processes like migration and initial data sync between Zoho CRM and external services.

However, the Bulk Write API consumes 500 credits per job, while the Insert, Update, and Upsert records API consumes 1 credit per 10 records. So, if you only need to insert, update, or upsert a small number of records (5,000 or less), it is economical to use the Records API as it will consume fewer credits.

Here are the major differences between Record APIs and Bulk Write API.

Insert, Update, Upsert Records API
Bulk Write API
You can insert, update, or upsert only up to 100 records per API call.
You can insert, update, or upsert 25000 records per API call.
The response is available instantly.
The response to the Bulk Write API request will not be available immediately. You can check the status of the job by polling for it, or you can wait for the status to be available in the callback URL after the job has completed.
The API consumes 1 credit per 10 records.
Bulk Write API consumes 500 credits per API call. 

Bulk Write API 

To insert, update, or upsert records in bulk, follow the below steps:
  1. Prepare your CSV file
  2. Upload your file in zip format
  3. Create a bulk write job
  4. Check the job status
  5. Download the result

1. Prepare the CSV file

To use the Bulk Write API, you must first create a CSV file containing the data you want to import to Zoho CRM. The first row of the CSV file must contain the field API names, and each subsequent row must contain the data. You can insert, update, or upsert records in a single module using one Bulk Write API call.

Input format for each data type:

Datatype
Description
Single Line
Accepts up to 255 characters.
Accepts alphanumeric and special characters.
Ex: Mike O'Leary
Multi-Line
Small - accepts up to 2000 characters.
Large - accepts up to 32000 characters.
Ex: This is a sample description.
Email
Accepts valid email IDs.
Phone
Accepts up to 30 characters. This limit may vary based on the value configured in 'Number of characters allowed' in the properties pop-up of the field, in UI.

Accepts only numeric characters and '+' (to add extensions). 
Ex: 9800000099
Picklist
You can pass an existing pick list value. If you give a new one, it is automatically added to the pick list set.
The pick list value accepts all alphanumeric and special characters.
Ex: auto mobile
Multiselect Picklist
You can either pass the existing pick list values separated by a semicolon(;) or add a new one.
The pick list value accepts all alphanumeric and special characters.
Ex: Analytics;Bigdata
Date
Accepts date in different formats as mentioned here.
Ex: 2023-05-03
DateTime
Accepts date in different formats as mentioned here.
Ex: 2023-05-03T20:39:19+05:30
Number
Accepts numbers up to 9 digits. This limit may vary based on the value configured in 'Maximum digits allowed' in the properties pop-up of the field, in UI. The accepted formats are mentioned here.
Accepts numeric values.
Ex1: 350
Ex2: 123,344
Currency
Before decimal point - accepts numbers up to 16 digits.  This limit may vary based on the value configured in 'Maximum digits allowed' in the properties pop-up of the field, in UI.
After decimal point - accepts precision up to 9 digits. This limit may vary based on the value configured in 'Number of decimal paces' in the properties pop-up of the field, in UI.
Please note that comma separated digits are accepted.
Ex1: 250000.90
Ex2: 123,456.657483
Decimal
Before the decimal point - accepts numbers up to 16 digits. This limit may vary based on the value configured in 'Maximum digits allowed' in the properties pop-up of the field, in UI.
After the decimal point - accepts precision up to 9 digits. This limit may vary based on the value configured in 'Number of decimal places' in the properties pop-up of the field, in UI.
Accepts comma separated numeric values.
Ex1: 250000.50
Ex2: 123,235.345
Percent
Accepts numbers up to 5 digits.
Accepts only numeric values.
Ex: 25
Long Integer
Accepts numbers up to 18 digits. This limit may vary based on the value configured in 'Maximum digits allowed' in the properties pop-up of the field, in UI.
Accepts only numeric values.
Ex: 0012345600012
Checkbox
Accepts only Boolean values(true,false).
Ex: true
URL
Accepts valid URLs.
Lookup
Accepts the unique ID of the record, which you can get through the get records API.
Use the dot(.) operator to link the record. For instance, if there is an account lookup in the Contacts module, you can give the column name as - Account.id
Ex: Account.id : 4150868000001136302
User
This is a default look-up field for users in Zoho CRM. Accepts the unique ID of the user, which you can get through the get users API.
Ex: User.id

Note:
  • To give multiple values for a multi-select pick list field, enclose them in double quotes("") and separate each value with the semicolon(;).
  • If your multi-line field has more than one line, input them directly by enclosing them in double quotes("").
  • You can only zip one CSV file to upload for bulk write. Adding more than one CSV file into the zip file will result in an error.
  • You can specify a specific format for your number, currency, decimal, date and datetime fields using format key.

Subform Data in Bulk Write API:

The Bulk Write API allows you to import and update records with subforms. To insert or update records with subforms, you must import the parent records first with Bulk Write API, and then the subform records with another Bulk Write API. 

For example, consider an instance where you have a subform named "Contact Details" in the Account module. The subform has the following fields - Contact_Name, Contact_Email and Contact_Phone. You must first create a csv file with the parent records, compress it as a zip file, upload it, and create a bulk write job. 



This is an example csv file. Note the Field API names are in the first row, and the record data is in the subsequent rows.

Once you have imported the parent records, you can upload the subform data CSV. When you prepare the subform data CSV file, it is mandatory to have the parent record ID in the subform data file, along with the subform data. 



This is a sample CSV file for the subform data. The subform data in each row will be added to the corresponding parent record. 

Multiselect Lookup Fields in Bulk Write API

To upload records with multiselect lookup fields, you can follow the same steps as for subforms. First, import the parent records. Then, import the multiselect lookup field data. The CSV file should contain both the parent record ID and the multiselect lookup field data. Please note that this method does not work for line items.

User Lookup in Bulk Write API

To import records with user lookup fields, you can include them in the same CSV file as the parent records. Use the field API name of the user lookup field in the CSV header, and add the unique IDs of the lookup records in the data column for each record.

Once you have prepared the CSV file, compress it as a zip file to upload in the next step. We will add examples of how to add subform data, user lookup and multiselect lookup field data in subsequent sections.

2. Upload your zip file

Once you have your csv file ready and compressed into a zip file, you should upload the same using a POST request. Use the following code snippet to upload the file.


<?php
namespace bulkwrite;

use com\zoho\crm\api\bulkwrite\FileBodyWrapper;
use com\zoho\crm\api\bulkwrite\BulkWriteOperations;
use com\zoho\crm\api\util\StreamWrapper;
use com\zoho\crm\api\bulkwrite\UploadFileHeader;
use com\zoho\crm\api\HeaderMap;

require_once "vendor/autoload.php";

class UploadFile
{
  public static function initialize()
  {
      // Add init code here.
      // Refer to this post for more details
  }

  public static function uploadFile1(string $orgID, string $absoluteFilePath)
  {
    $bulkWriteOperations = new BulkWriteOperations();
    $fileBodyWrapper = new FileBodyWrapper();
    $streamWrapper = new StreamWrapper(null, null, $absoluteFilePath);
    $fileBodyWrapper->setFile($streamWrapper);
    $headerInstance = new HeaderMap();
    //To indicate that this a bulk write operation
    $headerInstance->add(UploadFileHeader::feature(), "bulk-write");
    $headerInstance->add(UploadFileHeader::XCRMORG(), $orgID);
    //Call uploadFile method that takes FileBodyWrapper instance and headerInstance as parameter
    $response = $bulkWriteOperations->uploadFile($fileBodyWrapper, $headerInstance);
    // Add your code to handle the response received in the $response.
  }
}

UploadFile::initialize();
$orgID = "add_your_org_id_here"; // add your zgid which you can obtain using Get Organization API.
$absoluteFilePath = "/Users/test/bulk-write.zip"; //add the absolute file path of your zip file here.
UploadFile::uploadFile1($orgID, $absoluteFilePath);

The uploadFile() method takes two parameters: the organization ID ($orgID) and the absolute file path ($absoluteFilePath) of the file to be uploaded. Within the uploadFile() method, an instance of BulkWriteOperations is created to call the Bulk Write API.  This API is used to upload files to the Zoho File System. The HeaderMap instance is created to hold the necessary headers for the API request. The UploadFileHeader::feature() and UploadFileHeader::XCRMORG() methods are used to set the feature and organization ID headers, respectively. These headers are required to identify the type of operation being performed and the organization that the file is being uploaded.
 The uploadFile() method is called on the BulkWriteOperations instance, passing the FileBodyWrapper and HeaderMap as parameters. The response from the API call will be stored in the $response variable, which contains the file ID as well. We will use this file ID in the next step, creating a bulk write job.

We hope you found this post on the Bulk Write API useful. In next week's post, we will cover how to create a bulk write job, including lookup and user lookup fields and subform data. We will also show you how to check the job status and download the job result.

If you have any specific questions about the Bulk Write API, please leave a comment below,  or reach out to us at support@zohocrm.com. We are happy to help!

Thank you for reading! Stay tuned for more useful posts in the series. See you all next week!

    Access your files securely from anywhere

          Zoho Developer Community




                                    Zoho Desk Resources

                                    • Desk Community Learning Series


                                    • Digest


                                    • Functions


                                    • Meetups


                                    • Kbase


                                    • Resources


                                    • Glossary


                                    • Desk Marketplace


                                    • MVP Corner


                                    • Word of the Day



                                        Zoho Marketing Automation


                                                Manage your brands on social media



                                                      Zoho TeamInbox Resources

                                                        Zoho DataPrep Resources



                                                          Zoho CRM Plus Resources

                                                            Zoho Books Resources


                                                              Zoho Subscriptions Resources

                                                                Zoho Projects Resources


                                                                  Zoho Sprints Resources


                                                                    Qntrl Resources


                                                                      Zoho Creator Resources



                                                                          Zoho Campaigns 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 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

                                                                                                  • Overwrite Option for custom modules

                                                                                                    Hi Team, I noticed that the overwrite option is unavailable in Zoho Books when importing data for custom modules. This limitation makes it challenging to bulk update old data, as the only option is the 'bulk update' feature, which is restricted to 25
                                                                                                  • Zoho Creator - Zoho Analytics

                                                                                                    I am facing an issue in Zoho Analytics where I am still seeing deleted data from the Zoho Creator form I created. Could you please look into this and let me know what needs to be done?
                                                                                                  • Unable to send emails

                                                                                                    I have this email parth@mrcolumbus.in, but I couldnt send outgoing email. Can you please help?
                                                                                                  • Notifications push : Encourager le réengagement et renforcer la fidélité des utilisateurs efficacement

                                                                                                    Vous avez déjà souhaité engager et communiquer de manière proactive avec les utilisateurs, y compris lorsqu'ils utilisent votre application de manière peu active ? Zoho Apptics vous offre déjà des fonctionnalités qui vous permettent d'évaluer la performance,
                                                                                                  • Easy way to delete attachments

                                                                                                    I've reached my data limit and would like to run a view/report, and mass delete attachments. Is there an easy, fast way to do this? Moderation Update: Post Summary: There are two features the post discusses a) Easy way to remove Email attachments Will
                                                                                                  • How to add new deal to existing contact

                                                                                                    Hi, I want to add new deal to existing contact.
                                                                                                  • Domain verification is in progress... (How long do I need to wait?)

                                                                                                    Trying to setup my first email domain by connecting with GoDaddy. Have been here for quite some time and the screen is not changing. How long should this take?Send DataSend Data
                                                                                                  • email address autocomplete

                                                                                                    Is there a way to eliminate certain addresses from showing up in auto complete when entering an address? Many old and unused addresses currently show up, many of which I would like to get rid of. Thanks
                                                                                                  • Linking an email to a Contact when the email is sent in deluge via sendmail

                                                                                                    The "to:" address in this code is a CRM Contact. Email address is forced unique in CRM This sendmail gets sent via a workflow which is in a custom module. It works, except that the outbound email does not appear (i.e, get linked to) the Contact such that
                                                                                                  • How to restore deleted Field

                                                                                                    I edited a field in zoho form and by accident I deleted a field (email address). The form is ongoing to be filled by respondent. Then, when I checked to the all entries and report, the email address is gone. I checked in audit log, there is a record that
                                                                                                  • How to select multiple notes at once in the PC client?

                                                                                                    In the PC client, you can select notes using ctr+LMB. But why can't you use shift+LMB? PC version 3.2.0
                                                                                                  • How I can add customized Invoice

                                                                                                    Hi, I wanna use a customized Invoice, how i can add that
                                                                                                  • Zoho Analytics Pivot Table - How to compare month vs last year same month

                                                                                                    Hi, I had created a pivot table with setup as below: Column: - Delivery Date Row: - Customer Group Data as column - Total amount (sum > normal) (show data of the month) - Total amount (sum > % difference from previous value) (compare between this month
                                                                                                  • Recorded imported goods

                                                                                                    I have imported some goods from a foreign vendor called ABC. to Bahrain. My Customs duty and VAT are paid by an agency called XYZ to authorities. I have paid the amounts to XYZ and they have paid to authorities in behalf of us using our TRN Number. Now
                                                                                                  • Notes created in mobile app not syncing with web notebook

                                                                                                    I have created certain notes in a new notebook in mobile app. The new notebook is also created using mobile app and when I logged in through web I am unable to see notebook that I have created using mobile app. there is no trace of notes in which i have created in mobile app on the web even after days of creating in mobile app This is not the case vise-a-versa. the notes and note book created on web are accessible on mobile app on real time.  this is very inconvenient and big demotivating factor
                                                                                                  • Match Transaction > Filter | Allow wildcards in search

                                                                                                    The Filter function is useful for narrowing down to a specific set of transactions. It would be useful to have the ability to use wildcards in search. e.g. customer name "starts with" or " * " as a placeholder. e.g. "National * " instead of "National
                                                                                                  • Marketing Automation Emails Going to Spam

                                                                                                    Google is trapping all the marketing automation emails in spam. My domain has a perfect reputation and it looks like Zoho has a low reputation which is sending it to spam. When I pull the email out of spam and click on a link in the email, I get this
                                                                                                  • Convert Request to Forum Topic

                                                                                                    I know you can convert a forum topic to a request and a request to a solution in the knowledge base, but how do you convert a request to a forum topic?  Is this possible?  If not is this a feature coming down the pipe in the near future? Thanks!
                                                                                                  • Zoho Sign / Prefill By You - Editable by Them!

                                                                                                    Zoho Sign seems to have two field options available - an empty field for signer(s) to complete or a field that has been prefilled by you, that becomes read only once sent.  What I would like is an option on the pre-filled by you fields, to leave them
                                                                                                  • Is the Contacts sync between Campaigns and CRM bi-directional?

                                                                                                    Is the Contacts sync between Campaigns and CRM bi-directional?
                                                                                                  • Task does not syncing to google calendar shedual

                                                                                                    Hi why does the tasks activities do not syncing with the google calendar like the event option does?
                                                                                                  • Bug with Zobot Human transfer

                                                                                                    I have configured the brand, the operator, and the Zobot in Spanish. However, no matter what I do, it always says "YES" instead of "Sí" or "Sure, why not " instead of "Claro, ¿por qué no?" when asking if the user wants to contact a human operator. The
                                                                                                  • This mobile number has been marked spam. Please contact support.

                                                                                                    Hi Support, Can you tell me why number was marked as spam. I have having difficult to add my number as you keep requesting i must use it. My number is +63....163 Or is Zoho company excluding Philippines from their services?
                                                                                                  • Something went wrong. One or more fields contain errors

                                                                                                    I am getting this error but there is no way to debug what field is causing the issue . I have over 100 fields. Everything was working fine and then i fixed some fields that should have the same field names but had a typo and i am getting this error. It
                                                                                                  • Integrating Zoho Desk Instances from two separate organizations

                                                                                                    Is it possible to integrate Zoho Desk with an instance from another organization? For example, creating a ticket in one organization can cause the creation of a ticket in the second organization? Or certain tickets from one organization be viewable by
                                                                                                  • Knowledge base bug - Error: Article couldn't be updated.

                                                                                                    It took me a while to figure this out, truly one of the most irritating bugs in Zoho. I hope you find this information helpful. When using the knowledge base to create articles, make sure your keywords are in lowercase and separated by commas. Otherwise,
                                                                                                  • Is this possible with Campaigns?

                                                                                                    My company is currently moving CRM's from Monday to Zoho One. Currently, our marketing lead process is send out 7 sms messages over 14 days if the lead is in a certain status. If we don't get a response the lead is put into a "Closed" status. Do we buy
                                                                                                  • How to view two portals (Zoho CRM & Zoho Books) in single login

                                                                                                    Hello there, I need to create a portal access for the Customers. Customer data present in two applications namely Zoho CRM & Zoho Books. My requirement is to show the two different portals(Zoho CRM Portal & Zoho books Portal) in single login. I could
                                                                                                  • Updating Bounced Contacts in Campaigns to the CRM

                                                                                                    The article explains how to update Opt-outs from Campaigns to CRM, but not bounces. While Campaigns will automatically remove any bounced emails from future campaigns, is there a process by which a bounce will update or make a notification in the CRM
                                                                                                  • Bandwidth, voice and poor video

                                                                                                    Dear Team, The webinar has made things quite easy and convenient for educators around the world. We are an art & culture-based organization where students and researchers are our major audience.  While using the Zoho webinar platform, we have observed that the audio lags and the video is of poor quality and often freezes. Some participants don't hear what is being spoken.  We also found that even a slightly slow internet connection disrupts the webinar while it should be working well even on lower
                                                                                                  • Zoho books and venmo

                                                                                                    Hi, Is there a way to hook Venmo into zoho books? I have a Venmo business account and want to be able to sync that. I know you can do it with the paypal integration but I dont want to use paypal for the fees and that doesnt allow me use/integrate my current
                                                                                                  • Global Sets for Multi-Select pick lists

                                                                                                    When is this feature coming to Zoho CRM? It would be very useful now we have got used to having it for the normal pick lists.
                                                                                                  • 550 5.4.6 Unusual sending activity detected. Please try after sometime. <a href=https://www.zoho.com/mail/help/usage-policy.html target=_blank>Learn more.</a>

                                                                                                    Please help me with this. Sending of mails is blocked.
                                                                                                  • The Social Wall: November 2024

                                                                                                    Hey everyone, As we move into December, we're excited to share all the updates that went live in Social during November. View, monitor, and respond to your WhatsApp and Telegram messages from Inbox Take your communication a step further by integrating
                                                                                                  • Segmenting Contacts Based on Product Purchased

                                                                                                    I am trying to organize our main Marketing Automation email list in a way that segments contacts based on products they have purchased (for example in this case it is 3 different products). To my knowledge, this would require the sync from Zoho CRM to
                                                                                                  • Urgent Assistance Needed with DKIM Verification

                                                                                                    Hi, I have been trying to verify the DKIM for the past month using your instructions as well as other resources. Unfortunately, I have not been able to resolve the issue, and it remains persistent. I need to address this problem as soon as possible so
                                                                                                  • How do I attach tasks from one task to other tasks in the same project

                                                                                                    How do I attach tasks from one task to other tasks in the same project
                                                                                                  • Incorrect Handling of XLSX data

                                                                                                    Trying to import an XLSX schedule of bills into Zoho Books I ran across the problem of date formatting. To replicate: Build a CSV file with bill dates in whatever format you like and import it - this should work if you match the "dd/MM/yyy" etc. format
                                                                                                  • Zoho Books Invoice Salesperson: requires ID but there is no "Fetch salesperson" action

                                                                                                    Hi, I am trying to attach a Salesperson to a Zoho Books invoice. In Zoho Flow, the salesperson field required an ID. However, I only have the salesperson name, I need to fetch salesperson by name and then provide the ID. There is no option to fetch salesperson...
                                                                                                  • Change format of quantity format

                                                                                                    Hi,  I would like to change the qunatity format from 1,00 to 1.  Is this possible?   thanks!
                                                                                                  • Next Page