Kaizen #124 - Manipulating Subform using Zoho CRM APIs
Hello everyone!
Welcome back to another post in our Kaizen series.
In this post, we will discuss how to manipulate the Subform data using Zoho CRM APIs.
Subforms
A Subform is a data section embedded in the primary form to collect details related to the parent record. It helps in maintaining multiple records under a single parent record.
Using subform, you can create a parent-child relationship between modules, where the parent module represents the primary data and the child module contains the related data.
Data Model Representation
The above diagram shows the data model representation when you create a subform in a module. Use Case
Consider Zylker Consulting organization using Zoho CRM to maintain their leads and their projects. Zylker uses the Project Details subform in the Leads module to collect project-specific information collected from their Leads.
The Project Details subform includes fields such as Project Title,Type, Budget, and Status, in addition to the Parent_Id lookup field.
Now, the Zylker's sales team needs to retrieve all the details of the projects from the Leads module for further project analysis, expected budgets, and status. Let's see how to manipulate these data in CRM using Zoho CRM APIs.
The APIs used in this post
API | Methods |
Subforms API | GET, POST, UPDATE |
Records API | POST, UPDATE, DELETE |
Search API | GET |
COQL API | POST |
Bulk Read API | POST, GET |
How to retrieve subform records using the Zoho CRM APIs?
To retrieve subform records from the subform module, specify the subform module's API name to access their records or fields.
Step - 1
To know the API names of the subform fields in a module, make a GET - Fields Metadata API call. Among all the Leads' fields, subform field can be identified by the json key data_type with the value subform. Corresponding subform module can be found from the json associated_module. Below is the API call & response for such a subform field.
Request URL :
{api-domain}/crm/v6/settings/fields/{subform_field_id}?module=Leads
Request Method: GET
Sample Response:
Step - 2
Using the api_name of the subform module, make a GET Fields metadata API call to get the list of fields (along with their api_name) in the subform. One of the fields of the subform module will be Parent_Id with the data_type as lookup, pointing to the parent module (here it is Leads).
Request URL
Request Method: GET
Sample Response:
Now you know how to get the API name of the subform and its corresponding fields.
Step - 3
Sample Request and Response to retrieve subform records
The below request will retrieve all the subform records in the Leads module. The linking of subform record to the Lead's module will be available in the Parent_Id field, which is highlighted. The id key inside the Parent_Id json object is the id of the Leads records.
How to add data to the subforms?
To add records to the subform, you need the API name of the subform and its corresponding field API names.
Request URL:
Request Method: POST
Sample Input
Retrieve Subform Data via Search API and COQL API
Search API
The above response shows all records that meet the specified criteria.
How to retrieve subform records from a particular parent record?
Retrieving Subforms Data via COQL API
Sample Response:
{ "data": [ { "Last_Name": "Patricia", "Company": "Info Technology", "Email" : "patricia@mail.com", "Project_Details": //API name of the subform [ { "Project_Name": "Mobile App Development for Productivity", "Project_Type": "Mobile App Development", "Expected_Budget": 50000, "Status": "Negotiation in Process" }, //API names of the subform fields { "Project_Name": "Big Data Infrastructure Implementation", "Project_Type": "Infrastructure Upgrade", "Expected_Budget": 30000, "Status": "Proposal Submitted" }, { "Project_Name": "Big Data Infrastructure Implementation", "Project_Type": "Infrastructure Upgrade", "Expected_Budget": 30000, "Status": "Proposal Submitted" } ] } ] } |
The above highlighted syntax is used for adding data to the subform records.
Sample Response:
Kaizen #33 - Subforms API explains in detail how to Fetch, Update, and Delete the subform data with sample requests, inputs, and responses.
Retrieve Subform Data via Search API and COQL API
There may be situations where you need to fetch records based upon certain conditions.
Criteria :
The sales team wants to retrieve the subform records whose budget is greater than or equal to $40000. In this case, we will use Zoho CRM's Search API and COQL API. Let's see how to achieve this.
Search API
To retrieve the records that match your search criteria, retrieve subform data using its corresponding module API name. Note that using Search API, you can fetch data quickly from a single module.
Request URL:
Request Method: GET
Sample Response :
The above response shows all records that meet the specified criteria.How to retrieve subform records from a particular parent record?
To retrieve subforms records in a particular lead record that meet the above criteria, follow the below sample request.
Sample Request URL:
Sample Response:
Retrieving Subforms Data via COQL API
We know that the subform is maintained in a separate module. So, retrieve subform data by querying the subform module's API name and it's parent module via the Parent_Id lookup field.
Request URL:
Request Method : POST
Sample Input:
{ "select_query" : "select Expected_Budget from Project_Details where ((Expected_Budget >=40000) and (Parent_Id = 5725767000002105043))" } |
Sample Response:
Using a Parent_Id (lookup field pointing to Leads module) in the COQL criteria automatically adds a left join to the child module (Project_Details). With that join, criteria can be applied to the fields of the parent module also. Below example illustrates that we want to fetch the Expected_Budget field of the Project_Details module where the Expected_Budget is greater than or equal to 40000 for the corresponding Leads with Annual Revenue greater than 1000000.
{ "select_query" : "select Expected_Budget from Project_Details where ((Expected_Budget >=40000) and (Parent_Id.Annual_Revenue > 100000 ))" } |
From the SQL perspective, above COQL can be interpreted as
select pd.Expected_Budget from Project_Details as pd left join Leads as l on pd.Parent_Id=l.id where pd.Expected_Budget>=40000 and l.Annual_Revenue > 1000000 |
Bulk Read API
Bulk Read API allows you to fetch a large set of data i.e., you can fetch a maximum of 200,000 records in a single API call.
To export subform records in the Leads module in CSV file format, use the subform's API name.
Request URL:
Request Method: POST
Sample input to export subform records:
{ "callback": { "method": "post" }, "query": { "module": { "api_name": "Project_Details" //API name of the Subform module }, "file_type": "csv" } } |
Export subform records that meet the specified criteria
To export subform records based on the given criteria above (similar to the criteria for Search and COQL APIs).
Sample Input:
{ . . . "query": { "module": { "api_name": "Project_Details" }, "fields": [ "Project_Name", "Project_Type", "Expected_Budget", "Status" ], "criteria": { "field": { "api_name": "Expected_Budget" }, "comparator": "greater_equal", "value": "40000" //Retrieving subform records with an expected budget greater than or equal to $40,000 } } } |
Export subform records that meet the specified criteria for the particular parent record
To export the subform records of a particular parent record in the Leads module. Check the below sample request.
Sample Input:
{ . . . "query": { "module": { "api_name": "Project_Details" }, "fields": [ "Project_Name", "Project_Type", "Expected_Budget", "Status" ], "criteria": { "group": [ { "field": { "api_name": "Expected_Budget" }, "comparator": "greater_than", "value": "39999" }, { "field": { "api_name": "Parent_Id" }, "comparator": "equal", "value": "5725767000002105043" } ], "group_operator": "AND" } } } |
As the API is an asynchronous API, the response will not be available instantly; the bulk read job is scheduled, and the status can be checked. Once the job is completed, it'll be notified in the callback URL. The records are available in a downloadable CSV file or ICS file (for events). You can export subform records in a module using the subform module API name. See Kaizen #12 Bulk Read API to know how to view the status of the scheduled job and download the file, along with more sample requests and responses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Is the API name of the subform case-sensitive? Also, how can I view the API name of a subform field in the web UI?
Yes, the API name of a subform is case-sensitive. To know the API name of a subform module (e.g. Project Details) Please go to Setup -> Developer Hub -> APIs -> CRM API -> API names -> Click on the parent module where the subform was created (e.g. Leads) and scroll down there you can view the subform field's API name.
Q. I changed the order of subform records and made a GET - Records API call. The system listed the records in the same order as displayed in the UI, rather than the order of their creation. Is this the system design?
When you make a GET - Records API call for a module, it lists the subform records ordered in the UI. Note that you can re-order the subform records. So, when you retrieve those records via the API, they will be listed in the same order as they are arranged in the UI.
Q. Can we change a subform field's API name via API?
You can change the API name of the subform field only through the UI. Go to Setup -> Developer Hub -> APIs -> CRM API -> API names -> Click on the parent module where the subform was created (e.g. Leads) and go to the Field Label section. There you can view the subform field name and edit the API by clicking on the Edit option.
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!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Previous Kaizen Post : Kaizen #123 Data Synchronization from a third party application
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cheers!
Additional Reading:
Kaizen Posts:
- Kaizen #10 - Search Records API and Query API
- Kaizen #31 - Subforms API
- Kaizen #80 - COQL API - Part I
- Kaizen #81 - COQL API - Part II
Access your files securely from anywhere
Centralize Knowledge. Transform Learning.
All-in-one knowledge management and training platform for your employees and customers.
New to Zoho Recruit?
Zoho Developer Community
New to Zoho LandingPage?
Zoho LandingPage Resources
New to Zoho Survey?
New to Zoho CRM Plus?
Deliver unforgettable customer experiences
New to Zoho CRM Plus?
Deliver unforgettable customer experiences
New to Zoho Marketing Plus?
Everything you need to run your marketing
New to Zoho Marketing Plus?
Everything you need to run your marketing
New to Bigin?
Topic Participants
Subramanian K
Vigneshwaran K
Raghuram T
Andres
dkvagency
Sticky Posts
Kaizen #198: Using Client Script for Custom Validation in Blueprint
Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – 1 More to the Big Two-Oh-Oh! Do you have any questions, suggestions, or topics you would like us to cover in future posts? Your insights and suggestions help us shape future content and make this series better for everyone.Kaizen #226: Using ZRC in Client Script
Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of Kaizen. In today's post, lets see what is ZRC (Zoho Request Client) and how we can use ZRC methods in Client Script to get inputs from a Salesperson and update the Lead status with a single button click. In thisKaizen #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 howKaizen #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
New to Zoho TeamInbox?
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
Design. Discuss. Deliver.
Zoho Show Resources
Get Started. Write Away!
Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.
Zoho CRM コンテンツ
-
オンラインヘルプ
-
Webセミナー
-
機能活用動画
-
よくある質問
-
Ebook
-
-
Zoho Campaigns
- Zoho サービスのWebセミナー
その他のサービス コンテンツ
Nederlandse Hulpbronnen
ご検討中の方
Recent Topics
Layout Adjustment.
Hello Latha, Hope you are doing well. I wanted to check with you about adjusting the layout columns in the Service Report from the backend, as currently there is no capability for us to customize the layout from our end. Below is the output that I amInvoice emails repeatedly "Bounced back" from perfectly good email address of clients.
Hi For a couple of months now I am getting tens of invoice email invoices "bounced back" from perfectly sound email addresses when they are sent via Zoho Books. (see attached or an example) It is clearly an issue with Zoho books but as yet they have failedNewby Questions - Vendors, Customers, and Income vs. Other Income Clarifications
Q1. For Deposits, there does not seem to be an option for "Income". "Other Income" is an option however. What is the process to add the option to assign a deposit to type "Income"? Q2. In many cases Vendors and Customer are the same. Vendors may purchaseyodlee bank fees
My bank feeds have been pretty much error-free until this recent Yodlee update. I have configured it as per the information however nothing comes through. It says that bank feeds have been refreshed as of 30th June, 2022. It is the end of the financialDeleting, Adding and Changing a Zoho Books Entry
Zoho Books Community & Support, If a bulk upload of entries were added to an account, what is the process to: - Delete an entry - Change the amount of an entry - Is there a means to manually add an entry other than upload?Create Item group from a composite Item
I have applied my mind for hours but cannot figure this out. Can you have a composite item in an item group?. E.g. We bundle different color and size SKU's together as composite items. Also Using composite items as Bill of Materials. We want to createBetter use of contacts
Zoho inventory has the ability to add multiple contacts to customers. However Zoho inventory doesn't currently provide a way to link a contact to objects like sales orders. This means that while you can tell what company has placed a sales order you can'tAmazon.in FBA multiple warehouse integration with Zoho Inventory
My organisation subscribed to Zoho One looking at the opportunity to integrate Amazon.in with Inventory. But during the configuration, we understood the integration has severe limitations when it involves multiple warehouses in the same Organisation.Feature Request - Make Available "Alias Name" Field In Item List View
Hi Zoho Inventory Team, I have noticed that the "Alias Name" field does not appear on the list of selectable columns in the Customise Columns feature in the Items module. This would be very useful to see for businesses who are using the Alias Name fieldFeature Request - Option To Hide Default System Fields on Items
Hi Zoho Inventory Team, As far as I know it is not possible to hid some of the defult system fields on Items, such as UPC, MPN, EAN, ISBN. A good use case is that in many cases ISBN is not relevant and it would be an improved user experience if we couldOpenAPI Specs are just plain wrong
The provided yml files for generating the OpenAPI specs are absolutely riddled with errors and inconsistencies. From missing fields on the objects, to just incorrectly named resource objects. I'm having to go through and manually changing the spec toZoho Inventory - Composite Items - Assembly - Single Line Item Quantity of One
Hi Zoho Inventory Team, Please consider relaxing the system rules which prevent an assembly items from consisting of a single line item and outputting a quantity of 1. A client I'm currently working with sells cosmetics and offers testers of their productsCategorize Items with Item Headers
Hello customers, Did you ever want to classify items based on specific categories to help your customers understand your invoice better? With the new Item Header feature, you can easily categorize items in your invoices and estimates and give them a common title. Item Headers are available in the Invoices, the Recurring Invoices and the Estimates module. It can be carried forward from estimates to invoices at the time of converting the estimates. To add an item header: Go to the Estimates, InvoicesPush Forms to CRM
Hello, I created a Form but forgot to integrate to CRM before many of the Forms were filled out. Is it possible to push those entries to CRM or should I just export a CSV then upload to CRM?Zoho Creator Developer Console | Improved Distribution and Lifecycle Management for apps
Hello everyone, We're excited to introduce new enhancements now in the Zoho Creator Developer Console. These updates strengthen private app distribution through licensing controls and extend environment support across all installed apps, helping teamsLogged out
Hi, just been working on a sheet when a pop up box appeared telling me I'm going to be logged out in x number of seconds and if I reload I may lose any edits, or words to that effect. It did indeed log me out and I did indeed lose my last edits. Any idea554 5.1.1 – Mail sending blocked for the domain(s): [gmail.com]
Here's your corrected text: Hello, I hope you are doing well. I was unable to send a message and received the following error: "554 5.1.1 – Mail sending blocked for the domain(s): [gmail.com]" I tried to send and deliver an email but got this error. IYou have reached the maximum limit of bank accounts that can be connected to Zoho Books through token.
I can no longer connect to my bank account to download transactions into Zoho Books. I egt the error message: "You have reached the maximum limit of bank accounts that can be connected to Zoho Books through token. To connect more accounts, write to usFirst Name in Mail
While sending a mail/message to the user, I want only the first name to be displayed—for example: “Hi John” instead of the full name using "Hi ${Name_Field}"Can you import projects into Zoho Projects yet?
I see some very old posts asking about importing project records into Zoho Projects. But I can't find anything up to date about the topic. Has this functionality been added? Importing tasks is helpful. But we do have a project where importing projectsConnectivity issues with Google Calendar and third-party integrations
Description: We are currently experiencing a critical failure with Zoho CRM third-party connections. This issue is heavily affecting our primary workflow. Symptoms: Sync Failure: Existing Zoho CRM to Google Calendar connections have been failing for approximatelyAdd Reauthentication Option for Zoho Bug Tracker Integration in Zoho Desk
Hello Zoho Desk Team, We hope you're doing well. We would like to request an enhancement to the Zoho Bug Tracker integration within Zoho Desk. Current Limitation: At the moment, there is no option to reauthenticate the Zoho Bug Tracker integration inNewby Questions
Q1. The top bar of Zoho Books has a "Search in Banking (/) " field. What is the proper use of this text box? - Searching for Amazon for example has no results but there are transactions. - Is the search case sensitive? - Are regular expressions allowed?Transaction Rule Matching
Q1. Is there a method to have the Transaction Rules applied across multiple Bank Accounts? Q2. To match "contains" text in Transaction Rules, is a wildcard or regular expression required? Is it case sensitive? Would searching for "issue" in the followingIntroducing parent-child ticketing in Zoho Desk [Early access]
Hello Zoho Desk users! We have introduced the parent-child ticketing system to help customer service teams ensure efficient resolution of issues involving multiple, related tickets. You can now combine repetitive and interconnected tickets into parent-childThree Zoho Billing Limitations Blocking Standard Subscription Operations
After working through Zoho Billing support for over a year on these three issues without resolution, we wanted to flag them to the broader community. We are curious whether other businesses are running into the same walls. 1. Cannot Prepone (Move Earlier)Automation #3 - Auto-sync email attachments to tickets
This is a monthly series where we pick some common use cases that have been either discussed or most asked about in our community and explain how they can be achieved using one of the automation capabilities in Zoho Desk. Most of our customers use emailCan't add a sender adress from zoho campaigns
hi, I need to change the sender address for a campaign. When i try to add it i get a message to say 'duplicated email address found while adding your sender address'. This is the first campaign i'm sending so I don't understand why this message is displayed? Thanks JaneUsing a custom single line External ID form as merge fields in templates
Hey everyone, We're looking to integrate a few external systems better with our Zoho CRM, and we had hoped to use external fields for this purpose. In this case, it would mean being able to use our own inoice system's invoice numbers are a direct id compatibleIntroducing Workqueue: your all-in-one view to manage daily work
Hello all, We’re excited to introduce a major productivity boost to your CRM experience: Workqueue, a dynamic, all-in-one workspace that brings every important sales activity, approval, and follow-up right to your fingertips. What is Workqueue? SalesZoho CRM - Feature Request - Analytics Components Group By Week Alternative Formats
On the Zoho CRM Analytics Components, please consider adding an option to allow group by week format to be changed to other formats such as Week Commencing or Week Ending dates, rather than the current Week Number. This would provide improved usabilityDashboard target enhancements
Often individuals in IT are creating dashboards for their sales team. The ability to create a single dashboard that can be used by multiple people is key. A components for a dashboard have the ability to filter by logged in user which is great. HoweverZoho Campaigns - Feature Request - Re-Send Existing Email Action in Automations/Journeys
Hi Zoho Campaigns and Zoho Marketing Automation teams, I would like to suggest a feature that would make building and managing complex automations significantly easier. The Feature Introduce a “Re-Send” or “Send Existing Email” action within AutomationsCan I write a check in Zoho Books with no associated bill?
This currently does not seem possible, and I have a client that desperately needs this function if I am able to convert them with Quickbooks. Thank you in advance for your reply.ISO 3166-2 Compliant Country and Regions
Zoho should consider implementing ISO 3166-2 standards for countries and regions in address dropdowns. It adds a lot of noise in the data when items added programmatically conform to ISO 3166-2 (e.g., TX for Texas, CA for Canada, etc.), but the few itemsUS State abbreviations in Address fields
In regards to all Address fields within Zoho, Is there a way to change the State field to be the 2 letter abbreviation vs the full spelled out US State name? Example: "Washington" should be WA. I am able to type in the abbreviated state, but it's notZoho Booking - TIN vs ATIN & ITIN
Zoho Booking Vendors allows for TAX ID values of SSN, EIN, ATIN an ITIN. There is no option for TIN. What is the method to properly add TIN to the list of taxable values for companies? For reference: Social Security Numbers (SSN) Individual Taxpayer IdentificationHow to see Statement Details Shown in Unclassified Transactions in All Transactions?
All, The list of Unclassified Transactions show the Statement Details and Descriptions. What is the method to see that column in the All Transactions list? -Thanks!Zoho Books | Product updates | October 2025
Hello users, We’ve rolled out new features and enhancements in Zoho Books. From iOS 26 updates to viewing reports as charts, explore the updates designed to enhance your bookkeeping experience. Zoho Books Updates for Apple Devices At WWDC 2025, AppleBill sent for Payment Approval
Zoho Books currently supports three levels of transaction approval for bills: Draft, Submit, and Approved. We are looking to add a layer of approval like a bill marked for payment before initiating payment requests through HSBC Bank. Can you please guideNext Page