Kaizen #125 Manipulating Multi-Select Lookup fields (MxN) using Zoho CRM APIs
Hello everyone!
Welcome back to another week of Kaizen. In last week's post in the Kaizen series, we discussed how subforms work in Zoho CRM and how to manipulate subform data using Zoho CRM APIs.
In this post, we will discuss how to manipulate a multi-select lookup fields using Zoho CRM APIs.
Multi-select lookup field
The Multi-Select Lookup Field enables you to establish a many-to-many relationship between two different modules in CRM. It allows you to associate multiple records with each other, from two different modules.
These associations are stored in an individual module called "Linking Module". Consider there are two modules, Employees and Skills. The Employees module contains details regarding Zylker's workforce, and the Skills module contains details regarding various skills like Social Media Marketing and Content Marketing.
We want to associate multiple skills to an employee. So, a multi-select lookup can be created in the Employees module. When doing so, similar multi-select lookup field will be automatically created in the Skills module, along with the EmpXSkills linking module by Zoho CRM. The underlying data model is described in the below image.
The above chart shows the data model representation when you create a multi-select lookup field in a module. Here, there are two lookup fields—one pointing to the Employees module and the other pointing to the Skills module. In the linking module, two lookup fields (lookup fields with api names - Employees and Skills) will be created. The lookup fields, one pointing to Employees and the other pointing to Skills from the linking module, establish a connection between the linking module and its associated module.
How to associate an employee's skills while creating an Employee record through the Insert Records API
API names you need before invoking the API
- The API name of the multi-select lookup field in the modules you want to insert data.
- API names of the lookup fields in the linking module. Eg: here the API Name of the linking module is "EmpXSkills" and the corresponding lookup field api names are "Employees" & "Skills". You can use the Fields Metadata API for Employees and Skills to get these details.
Step 1
Know the API name of the multi-select lookup field in the module (In our case, Skills is the multi-select lookup field in the Employees module)
To know the API names of the multi-select lookup fields, make a GET - Fields Metadata API call. Among all the Employee's fields, multi-select lookup field can be identified by the json key data_type with the value multiselectlookup. The corresponding connected module can be found from the json connected_module. Below is the API call & response for such a multi-select lookup field.
Request URL : {api-domain}/crm/v6/settings/fields?module=Employees
Request Method: GET
Sample Response:
The above highlighted keys are the details of the Multi select lookup field. The corresponding keys are explained below:
"multiselectlookup": { "display_label": "Skills", //Display label of the MxN field in the Employees module "linking_module": { "api_name": "EmpXSkills", //API name of the linking module "id": "5725767000002166520" ... "lookup_apiname": "Employees", //API name of the Employee lookup field in the linking module "connected_module": { "api_name": "Skills", //API name of the connected module "id": "5725767000002165263" }, "api_name": "Skills_In_Related_List", //API of the related list of the connected module Skills in the Employees module. "connectedfield_apiname": "Employees", //API Name of the multi-select lookup field in the connected module (Skills) "connectedlookup_apiname": "Skills", //API name of the Skills module lookup field in the linking module. "id": "5725767000002166655" //Related List ID }, ... |
Step 2
Using the api_name of the linking module, make a GET Fields metadata API call to get the list of fields (along with their api_name) present in it. It lists all fields of the linking module in the response.
Sample Request and Response
Search for the "data_type": "lookup" in the response. The lookup fields represent the connected modules in association with the linking module.
For example, in our case, the response will have two lookup fields. One of the lookup fields (with api name Employees) points to the Employees module, and the other one (with api name Skills) points to the Skills module.
Step 3
Associate records via the Multi-select lookup field using the Insert Records API
To associate records via the MxN field, you need to know the IDs of the records in the Skills module. Here is the input body to insert the skills in the Employee module with the multi-select lookup field Skills.
Here is the input body to insert a new Employee record and associate a Skills record to it using the MxN field.
Request URL: {{api-domain}}/crm/v6/Employees
Request Method: POST
Sample Input:
{ "data": [ { "Name": "Patricia", "Email": "patricia@mail.com", "Position": "Marketing Specialist", "Year_of_Experience": 5, "Skills": [ //API name of the multi-select lookup field in Employee module { "Skills": { //API Name of the lookup field pointing to the Skills module in the linking module "name": "Marketing", "id": "5725767000002149427" //Record ID in the Skills module } }, { "Skills": { "name": "Social Media Marketing", "id": "5725767000002149476" } } ] } ] } |
How to disassociate an employee & skills relation while updating an Employee record through the Update Records API
Request URL: {{api-domain}}/crm/v6/Employees
Request Method: PUT
Sample Input:
{ "data": [ { "id": "7890710000097291", "Name": "Patricia", "Email": "patricia@mail.com", "Position": "Marketing Specialist", "Year_of_Experience": 5, "Skills": [ { "_delete": null, //This association in the linking module will be deleted "id": "5725767000008126002" //Record created in the linking module } ] } ] } |
Sending _delete:null will cause delinking of the association.
How to associate an employee's skills via "Linking Module"
You can associate the relationship between Employees and Skills module by creating records in the Linking module (EmpXSkills). Use the API names for the corresponding lookup fields, Employee (API Name: Employees) and Skills (API Name: Skills) in the input body.
Request URL: {{api-domain}}/crm/v6/EmpXSkills
Request Method: POST
Sample Response
The id in the above response is the Primary Key ID of an Employee-Skill association record in the linking module. This ID can later be used to do specific operations like association update or deletion via API.
How to disassociate an employee & skills relationship via "Linking Module"
Use the Delete Records API to delete the record which corresponds to the specific relation between Employee and Skills module in the EmpXSkills module. You can get the record ID for the specific association using the Get Records API for the linking module.
Use the Delete Record API to delete the specific record, thereby deleting the specific association between the Employee and Skills record. Please note that only the association is removed, and not the individual records.
Sample Request and Response
When to use create/update operation in Employees/EmpXSkills module?
Use "Employees" module: When you want to create/update records in the Employees module, and associate the record with a Skills record in a single API call.
Use "EmpXSkills" module: When you want to associate/disassociate the relationship between existing Employees and Skills records.
Retrieve data via COQL API and Bulk Read API
There may be situations where you need to fetch records based upon certain conditions.
For example, Zylker's HR team wants to retrieve the list of employees having more than 4 years of experience and are experts in Social media marketing. In this case, they can use Zoho CRM's COQL API or Bulk Read API. Let's see how to achieve this.
Retrieving MxN data via COQL API
We know that both the Employees and Skills modules' association data is maintained in the linking module. In order to retrieve data from the linking module, query using the API name of the lookup fields in the linking module.
Request URL: {{api-domain}}/crm/v6/coql
Request Method: POST
Sample Input:
{ "select_query" : "select Employees.Name as employee_name, Employees.Year_of_Experience as employee_experience, Skills.Name as skill_name from EmpXSkills where Employees.Year_of_Experience > 4 and Skills.Name like '%Social%'" } |
From the SQL perspective, above COQL can be interpreted as
select emp.Name as employee_name, emp.Year_of_Experience as employee_experience, skill.Name as skill_name from EmpXSkills left join Employees as emp on EmpXSkills.Employees = emp.id left join Skills as ski on EmpXSkills.Skills = ski.id where emp.Year_of_Experience > 4 and ski.Name like '%Social%' |
Sample Response
Retrieving MxN data via 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 linking module records, use its API name.
Request URL: https://www.zohoapis.com/crm/bulk/v6/read
Request Method: POST
Sample input to export linking module's records:
{ "callback": { "method": "post" }, "query": { "module": { "api_name": "EmpXSkills" //API name of the linking module }, "file_type": "csv" } } |
Export linking module records that meet the specified criteria
To export linking module's records based on the given criteria above (similar to the COQL API).
{ "callback": { "method": "post" }, "query": { "module": { "api_name": "EmpXSkills" }, "fields": [ "Employees.Name", "Employees.Year_of_Experience", "Skills.Name" ], "criteria": { "group": [ { "field": { "api_name": "Employees.Year_of_Experience" }, "comparator": "greater_than", "value": "4" }, { "field": { "api_name": "Skills.Name" }, "comparator": "contains", "value": "Social" } ], "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, you will be notified in the callback URL. The records are available in a downloadable CSV file or ICS file (for events). See the Bulk Read API document to know how to view the status of the scheduled job and download the file, along with more sample requests and responses.
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 #124 - Manipulating Subform using Zoho CRM APIs
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cheers!
Additional Reading:
Kaizen Posts:
- Kaizen #26 - Linking module and Multi-select Lookup fields
- Kaizen #77 - Multi-select Lookup Fields in API V4
- Kaizen #80 - COQL API - Part I
- Kaizen #81 - COQL API - Part II
API Documentation - Linking Module APIs
Access your files securely from anywhere
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
Andres
Haiku Technical Support
Sticky Posts
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 achievedKaizen #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.Kaizen #210 - Answering your Questions | Event Management System using ZDK CLI
Hello Everyone, Welcome back to yet another post in the Kaizen Series! As you already may know, for the Kaizen #200 milestone, we asked for your feedback and many of you suggested topics for us to discuss. We have been writing on these topics over theKaizen #197: Frequently Asked Questions on GraphQL APIs
🎊 Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – We want to hear from you! 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 #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.
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
Need Guidance on SPF Flattening for Zoho Mail Configuration
Hi everyone, I'm hoping to get some advice on optimizing my SPF record for a Zoho Mail setup. I use Zoho Mail along with several other Zoho services, and as a result, my current SPF record has grown to include multiple include mechanisms. My CloudflareHow use
Good morning sir I tried Zoho MailZoho Mail Desktop App Not Loading + Can’t Manage Multiple Accounts
Hi everyone, I’ve been having ongoing issues with the Zoho Mail desktop app for the past few weeks. The app starts to load but gives up midway and never actually opens — there’s no error message, it just stops loading. The main reason I use the desktopError when sending emails from Zoho
Hello, When trying to send an email from Zoho CRM I keep getting the below error: javax.mail.AuthenticationFailedException: 535 5.7.139 Authentication unsuccessful, the user credentials were incorrect. Any support on this will be much appreciated. Thanks,Zoho Tables is now live in Australia & New Zealand!
Hey everyone! We’ve got some great news to share — Zoho Tables is now officially available in the Australian Data Center serving users across Australia and New Zealand regions! Yes, it took us a bit longer to get here, but this version of Zoho TablesNot all emails from outlook365 migrated to my new zoho account
I recently setup a new email address hosted by zoho. I migrated all my folders and email from my Outlook365 account to my new zoho account, but not all my emails migrated. Looks like only the past 12 months, or so, made the move. How do I get the restClients not receiving emails
I've been informed that my emails are not being received. Is there anything that I should look into to rectify this? Many thanks!Max numbr of IMAP Accounts in Zoho Mail?
In Zoho mail, you can manage the inboxes of other accounts using IMAP (and POP, actually) https://www.zoho.com/mail/help/external-imap-accounts.html Is there a max to the number of inboxes we can add?Formula Fields Trouble
Hi, I can't get even a simple formula field to work and must be doing something dumb. This formula: If(Len(Trim(${Quotes.Subject}))=0,1,2) Gives the error: You used the wrong type of data in an argument. Check what you entered between the parentheses of your functions to make sure you put the right kind of data in the right place. This formula: Len(Trim(${Quotes.Subject}))=0 Gives the error: Syntax Error. Check the examples for any functions you're using to see if you formatted them correctly. MakeOPTED FOR STORAGE BY DESCRIPTIVE MISGUIDANCE
We've opened a domain with three mail ids and payment has also been processed now the bill raised is for single use ID with additional storage capacity. Kindly request you to modify the purchase.How can I add a new organization on Zoho Campaign
I want to create a new organization with my Zoho CampaignWhite Label certificate
Hi all, About 72 hours ago, we fulfilled all steps for white labeling (CNAME to point to mail.cs.zohohost.eu), but since then the configuration page is now stuck at "generating certificate" since 3 days. When I execute an NSLOOKUP mail.webfoundry.be itwww.abc.com is working but abc.com is not
I have my domain in godaddy. I have created a website using zoho sites and now I want to publish it and I tried doing it. Mapped the domain www.abc.com, abc.com. In godaddy changed the CNAME values. A, @ was parked and updated with zoho's IP address.Split my account
Hello, I recently bought an email service for a friend. But, looks like I used my personal account to buy the plan. Please split the account so that the email service stays in a different account than my personal account.Have Mail Lite, wish to add/purchase 2nd domain and use email
Hello, I have recently created two new businesses. I have successfully used Zoho to create a domain for one business and have set up two email addresses / users on that domain. I am trying to figure out how to create a second domain, just like I did theNeed support in setting up the company email and few other setups
Need support in setting up the company email and few other setupsThis mobile number has been marked spam.
Dear zoho team, I am very happy to use zoho,because it india 🇮🇳 own app, but when we login into zoho account we facing some issue, please solve below issue ASAP. Add your mobile number As an added security measure for Accounts, you need to verify andAdd an external email to the allowed list
I need to allow an external email to raise a ticket on Manage Engine ServiceDesk Plus. The external email is a outside of our domain and is not a domain user. The email address that needs to be allowed to raise a ticket request is noreply@formsatack.com.Display name & account type change
I made a mistake and subscribed with an individual account instead of business, how can I change the account type and enter the details of the business. The other question, if I can't, then I want the display name of our email to be 'Business name' insteadRequest to change display name in Zoho mail
Hello Zoho Mail Support, I am experiencing an issue with changing the display name on my Zoho Mail account. My email address is: info@witchcraftproduction.rs . I have already updated the display name in Settings > Mail Accounts, where it now shows asOutbound IP address SPAM problem.
Hello Zoho Support, We noticed that one of your outbound IP addresses (136.143.188.12), which delivers our domain’s mail, is currently listed on the UCEProtect blacklist. Because of this, our messages are sometimes flagged as spam by recipient servers.Answer Bot and Personalized Questions
Hi there, I have the same problem using the SalesIQ Answer Bot and the Zoho Desk Answer Bot (which really need different names, to be honest, in order to avoid confusion...) Customers that visit our website ask questions in the form of "What do you do?"Forwarding
How can I forward my Zoho account to my gmail account? NoëlAdd a Way to Duplicate Cards in the Same Canvas (Retain All Settings)
Dear Zoho SalesIQ Team, We would like to request a new feature in Zoho SalesIQ: the ability to duplicate an existing card within the same canvas while retaining all of its information and settings, including conditions, configurations, and display preferences.Zoho Mail CC and BCC not working
Zoho Mail CC and BCC not working. I have tried multiple combinations amongst my domain aliases but emails sent as CC or BCC never arrive, not even to Spam. I have checked that the DNS is set up correctly in Cloudflare and have even received a DMARC reportZoho Autoplay Issue
Currently, we run our graphics on a playlist with youtube videos interspersed in our office -- however, when we go to update the playlist (since last Thursday at around 8-9am EST) it no longer saves the autoplay function. We have tried making a new account, manually saving with cntrl+s, making a new show, etc but nothing seems to work. Even with our old program, we can't change it off of autoplay for ones that were created in the past. Another issue is that if we change a slide transition to anythingCritical Issue: Tickets Opened for Zoho Support via the Zoho Help Portal Were Not Processed
Hi everyone, We want to bring to your attention a serious issue we’ve experienced with the Zoho support Help Portal. For more than a week, tickets submitted directly via the Help Portal were not being handled at all. At the same time no alert was postedAdding hyperlinks in CRM emails time automatically
It may just be me, but when I am writing an email to a lead, I find inserting a hyperlink very time consuming. Granted, I can use templates but there are a ton of scenarios where I might want to put a link in to an website that wouldnt require me to go though the effort of creating a template. Ideally, the crm would identify that I that a string of text is a URL and insert the hyperlink automatically, just like microsoft outlook or gmail. Has anyone else had this same experience and found a wayEnhance "Applications Usage" with Date Filters, Historical Analytics & App-Level Breakdown
Hello Zoho Creator Team, We are writing to request a critical enhancement to the Applications Usage section to improve our ability to monitor, analyze, and manage our platform consumption over time. While the current view of today’s usage is helpful forExternal File Share - Allow delete
Hi Team, when I share an external link and give it edit rights the external user can add but not delete files and folders. what am i doing wrong?How to notify all members on any updates to zoho crm?
Hi, I am using the free version of zoho CRM and currently seeing this will work for our company. We are a small company and wanted to be more informed about all the changes in zoho. 1. How do I s et notifications that go to the team for any and all changesHow to change the format for phone numbers?
Mobile phone numbers are currently formatted (###) ###-####. How can I change this to a more appropriate forms for Australia being either #### ### ### or (#)### ### ###?Unattended Access on Android without Play Store
I'm testing Zoho Assist for remote config and maintenance of our IoT devices. The devices are running Android 8.1 and do NOT have Google Play Store installed, nor can it be installed. I've been able to install Zoho Assist on the devices and load the enrollmentOpen Sans Font in Zoho Books is not Open Sans.
Font choice in customising PDF Templates is very limited, we cannot upload custom fonts, and to make things worse, the font names are not accurate. I selected Open Sans, and thought the system was bugging, but no, Open Sans is not Open Sans. The realIs it possible to embed Zoho Bookmarks in the Cliq sidebar?
Is there any way that each Zoho user can access their bookmarks (that live in https://bookmarks.zoho.eu/ which is technically a part of Zoho Mail) directly within Cliq? As a widget, or an item in the sidebar? My team does not use Mail, it uses Cliq allShow Attachments in the customer portal
Hi, is it possible to show the Attachments list in the portal for the particular module? Bests.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.Navigate with Ease: Announcing Improvements to Your Zoho CRM for Everyone's Setup Experience
Hello Everyone, We’re thrilled to announce new enhancements to the Setup Menu in our Zoho CRM for Everyone system, designed to simplify your workday and streamline your overall experience. What's New? Addition of a Setup Homepage Faster Search in SetupZoho Projects Webhook fails with HTTP Error 0
Hello Zoho Community, I am pulling my hair out over this one. I have setup a very basic http(s) server that always responds "ok" and code 200 to incoming GET requests. It will accept any parameters, and any path. Really, all it does is say "ok," and logZOHO Campaignで表のカラムの幅を調整したい。
表を作成した際、個々のカラムの幅を調整したいのですが、方法が分かりません。 どなたかご存じの方ご教示ください。Next Page