Kaizen #13 - Bulk Write API

Kaizen #13 - Bulk Write API

Hello everyone!

Welcome to yet another post in the Kaizen series.
This week, we are going to discuss the Bulk Write API.

What is the Bulk Write API?

The bulk write API allows you to insert, update, and upsert records in a module in Zoho CRM in bulk. The primary difference between the bulk write API, and the Insert, Update, Upsert records API, is the number of records that you can handle. 

While you can insert, update, and upsert, only 100 records via the Insert, Update, and Upsert Records API per call, you can handle 25000 records via a Bulk Write API call.

When you should use the Bulk Write API?
  1. When you want to insert, update, or upsert more than 100 records per API call. 
  2. When you want to perform background processes like migration and initial data sync between Zoho CRM and external services.
Below are the differences between Insert, Update, Upsert Records API and the Bulk Write API.

Insert, Update, Upsert Records
Bulk Write API
You can insert, update, or upsert only 100 records per API call.
You can insert, update, or upsert 25000 records per API call.
The response is available instantly.
The response is not available instantly; the bulk write job is scheduled, and the status is available after job completion in the callback URL.
You will receive a success response. 
A downloadable ZIP file containing a CSV file, is available with ID, status, and errors if any.

How does the Bulk Write API work?

To insert, update, or upsert records in bulk, follow the below steps:

  1. Prepare your CSV file
  2. Upload your file
  3. Create a bulk write job
  4. Check the job status
  5. Download the result
Now, let us see each step in detail.

1. Prepare your CSV file

The Bulk Write API only accepts a CSV file compressed into a ZIP file as input. The first row should contain the field API names. Refer to the field metadata API, to get the field API names. Each subsequent row contains the data to be written in Zoho CRM. You can insert, update, or upsert records only in a single module through one bulk write API call. Refer to attachments to get a sample ZIP file to bulk-insert contacts. 

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 or add a new one. The values are separated by semicolon(;).
The pick list value accepts all alphanumeric and special characters.
Ex: Analytics;Bigdata
Date
Accepts date in yyyy-MM-dd format.
Ex: 2019-08-28
Date/Time
Accepts date and time in yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss±HH:mm
ISO 8601 format.
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.
Accepts only numeric values.
Ex: 350
Currency
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 paces' in the properties pop-up of the field, in UI.
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 only numeric values.
Ex: 250000.50
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 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

Note:
Multiselect and User datatype fields are not supported in Bulk Write.

Here is a sample content for a CSV file with different field types.



Note:
  1. To give multiple values for a multi-select pick list field, enclose them in double quotes("") and separate each value with the semicolon(;).
  2. If your multi-line field has more than one line, input them directly by enclosing them in double quotes("").
2. Upload your CSV file

This involves making a POST API call, with the ZIP file containing the required data. The file is passed as form-data input, with key as file. When the call is successful, you will receive a file_id which you can further use to create a bulk write job.

Headers

Header Name
Description
feature
bulk-write
X-CRM-ORG
Your zgid which you get from the organization API.




3. Create a bulk write job

In this step, make a POST API call with the file_id obtained from the previous step, the callback URL, operation type (insert, update, upsert), module, and field API names. When the call is successful, you will receive a job ID in the response. You can use this ID in another request to poll for the status of the job.

Request URL

{{api-domain}}/crm/bulk/v2/write

Sample Input for bulk insert

{
    "operation": "insert",
    "callback": {
        "method": "post"
    },
    "resource": [
        {
            "type": "data",
            "module": "Contacts",
            "file_id": "4150868000001038001",
            "field_mappings": [
                {
                    "api_name": "Last_Name",
                    "index": 0,
                    "default_value": {
                        "value": "DefaultValue"
                    }
                },
                {
                    "api_name": "Email",
                    "index": 1
                },
                {
                    "api_name": "Phone",
                    "index": 2
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}

Sample Input for Bulk Update

{
  "operation": "update",
  "callBack": {
    "method": "post"
  },
  "resource": [
    {
      "type": "data",
      "module": "Contacts",
      "file_id": "4150868000001123001",
      "field_mappings": [
        {
          "api_name": "Last_Name",
          "index": 0
        },
        {
          "api_name": "Email",
          "index": 1
        },
        {
          "api_name": "Phone",
          "index": 2,
          "ignore_empty": true
        }
      ],
      "find_by": "Email"
    }
  ]
}

Input Keys

Key
Description
operation
string, mandatory
The operation to be done. The possible values are—insert, update, upsert.
insert - To insert records in bulk.
update - To update existing records in bulk.
upsert - To update if the record exists or insert the record.
callback
JSON object, mandatory
The callback details. Contains callback URL in the "callback" key and the "method" as post. 
resource
JSON array, mandatory
The details of the data in the ZIP file that is uploaded. 
  • "type" with value "data "
  • "module"- It is the module (API name) you want to write the data in, from the uploaded CSV file.  Refer to the module metadata for more details.
  • "file_id" - It is the file ID obtained in the previous step.
field_mappings
JSON array, mandatory
The details about the fields given in the CSV file. Each object corresponds to each field in the CSV file. Mention the position of the fields in the CSV file in the "index" key, that must start from 0. 
"default_value" key can be used when a few fields are left blank, and you want the system to fill the default details.
ignore_empty
boolean, optional
If you have a few empty fields while updating the record and you want the system to ignore it, input the value as true.
find_by
string, mandatory (for Update and Upsert)
The system finds the record to be updated by the "find_by" field. It must be a unique field configured in Zoho CRM. 

To check the same, go to Setup > Modules and Fields > Choose Module > Choose Layout > Choose the field > Click on more options > Check if Do not allow duplicate values is enabled. 
Using field metadata API, you can get which fields can be set as unique fields in the CRM.



4. Check job status

The Bulk Write API supports polling and callback. 

Polling
You can poll to check the status of the scheduled bulk write job with the job ID you received in the previous step.

Request URL: {{api-domain}}/crm/bulk/v2/write/{job_id}
Request Method: GET



Sample Response

  1. The status can be either ADDED, INPROGRESS, or COMPLETED. Only the COMPLETED jobs will have the "download-URL" key in the response. 
  2. The "file" JSON object in the response represents the total count of records (added, skipped, updated). If the status is mentioned as "skipped" for any record, the reason will be displayed under the ERRORS column, in the downloaded ZIP file. 
{
  "status": "COMPLETED",
  "character_encoding": "UTF-8",
  "resource": [
    {
      "status": "COMPLETED",
      "type": "data",
      "module": "Contacts",
      "field_mappings": [
        {
          "api_name": "Email",
          "index": 1,
          "format": null,
          "find_by": null,
          "module": null,
          "default_value": null
        },
        {
          "api_name": "Last_Name",
          "index": 0,
          "format": null,
          "find_by": null,
          "module": null,
          "default_value": {
            "name": null,
            "module": null,
            "value": "DefaultValue"
          }
        },
        {
          "api_name": "Phone",
          "index": 2,
          "format": null,
          "find_by": null,
          "module": null,
          "default_value": null
        }
      ],
      "file": {
        "status": "COMPLETED",
        "name": "Contacts.csv",
        "added_count": 7,
        "skipped_count": 0,
        "updated_count": 0,
        "total_count": 7
      }
    }
  ],
  "id": "4150868000001060014",
  "callback": {
    "method": "post"
  },
  "result": {
  },
  "created_by": {
    "id": "4150868000000225013",
    "name": "Patricia Boyle"
  },
  "operation": "insert",
  "created_time": "2020-01-03T15:19:52+05:30"
}

Callback
If you do not want to poll for the status of the job, you can wait for the system to notify you of job completion on the callback URL provided in the POST request.

  • The state indicates the successful completion ("state":"COMPLETED") or failure ("state":"FAILED") of the job.
  • The callback response will also contain the download URL if the job was completed successfully.

5. Download the result

In this step you can get the result of the bulk write job in a ZIP containing the CSV file. Call the 'download_url' to download the result. The CSV file will contain the first three mapped columns from the uploaded file, and three more columns—STATUS, RECORD_ID, and ERRORS.

Request URL: {{api-domain}}/crm/bulk/v2/write/{job_id}/result

Sample Response



You can see that out of four records, one was skipped because the unique field had a duplicate value.

Limitations
  • You can upload only one ZIP file per bulk write API call.
  • You can bulk write to only one module per API call.
  • The size of the ZIP file being uploaded must not exceed 25 MB. If the file size exceeds the size limit, you must split the file and schedule it as multiple bulk write jobs. Also, you can bulk write only up to 25000 records with 200 column headers per bulk write API call.
  • Every successfully scheduled bulk write job reduces 500 credits from your daily credit limit. 
  • All the mandatory fields must be given in the CSV file if you are trying to insert records. Similarly, ID is mandatory when you are trying to update records.
  • Subforms are not supported in Bulk Write.
  • Consider that you have a lookup field in the Leads module, that looks up to other leads. You cannot have the value of this field as another Lead that is being written in this bulk write job. In other words, you can only lookup to an existing lead.
    For limitations, refer to limitations in our API guide.
    We hope you found this post useful. If you have any further queries, reach out to us at support@zohocrm.com or let us know in the comments section.

    Cheers!
        Previous 'Kaizen' - Bulk Read API
        Next 'Kaizen' - Notification API



    Access your files securely from anywhere








                      Zoho Campaigns Resources




                            Zoho Developer Community



                                Bootcamp
                                Community
                                Pricing
                                Webinars
                                What's New
                                Integrations
                                Contact Support
                                Contact Sales
                                  Zoho Survey Resources
                                    Features
                                    Survey Templates
                                    Integrations
                                    Community
                                    iOS Mobile Surveys
                                    Pricing
                                    Android Mobile Surveys
                                    Insurvey Blogs
                                    Insight Blogs
                                    Tips & Tricks






                                                Latest Feature Updates

                                                  • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                  • Digest


                                                  • Functions


                                                  • Meetups


                                                  • Kbase


                                                  • Resources


                                                  • Glossary


                                                  • Desk Marketplace


                                                  • MVP Corner


                                                  • Word of the Day


                                                  • Ask the Experts




                                                      Zoho SalesIQ Resources


                                                            Manage your brands on social media
                                                            Access Zoho Social

                                                              Zoho Pagesense Resources


                                                                  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 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

                                                                                                            • Add 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.

                                                                                                            • Workdrive on Android - Gallery Photo Backups

                                                                                                              Hello, Is there any way of backing up the photos on my android phone directly to a specific folder on Workdrive? Assuming i have the workdrive app installed on the phone in question. Emma

                                                                                                            • In arattai received message can't be deleted

                                                                                                              The issue has been noticed in following: arattai app (Android) arattai app (Window) arattai web While the message posted by me may be deleted, the ones received from others can't be. The item <Delete> change to <Report> when the message is a received

                                                                                                            • Market cap

                                                                                                              Market cap formula?? Kaise nikale

                                                                                                            • Zoho Sheet for Desktop

                                                                                                              Does Zoho plans to develop a Desktop version of Sheet that installs on the computer like was done with Writer?

                                                                                                            • Option to Customize Career Site URL Without “/jobs/Careers”

                                                                                                              Dear Zoho Recruit Team, I hope you are doing well. We would like to request an enhancement to the Career Site URL structure in Zoho Recruit. In the old version of the career site, our URL was simply: 👉 https://jobs.domain.com However, after moving to

                                                                                                            • SOME FEATURES ARE NOT IN THE ZOHO SHEET IN COMPARISION TO ZOHO SHEET

                                                                                                              TO ZOHO sir/maam with due to respect i want to say that i am using ZOHO tool which is spreadsheet i want to say that some features are not there in zoho sheet as comparison to MS EXCEL like advance filter and other Features which should be there in ZOHO

                                                                                                            • Auto-upload Creator Files to WorkDrive

                                                                                                              Hi everyone, I’m working on a workflow that uploads files from Zoho Creator to specific subfolders in Zoho WorkDrive, as illustrated in the attached diagram. My Creator application form has two multi-file upload fields, and I want—on successful form submission—to

                                                                                                            • Google enhanced conversions not working

                                                                                                              Hi guys, I've connected Zoho CRM through Google Ads interface with the goal to setup the enhanced conversion tracking in Google Ads. I have to Zoho related conversion goals which you can see in the images below: For the conversion goal above I've setup

                                                                                                            • Need Help to setup plugs along with codeless bot buidler. To send sms OTPs to users via Zoho Voice and to verify it

                                                                                                              Need Help to setup plugs along with codeless bot buidler. To send sms OTPs to users via Zoho Voice and to verify it. I get leads from our website and we need to make sure those are not junk. So we are using proactive chat bot and we need mobile OTPs to

                                                                                                            • Direct Integration Between Zoho Cliq Meetings and Google Calendar

                                                                                                              Dear Zoho Team, We’d like to submit the following feature request based on our current use case and the challenges we’re facing: 🎯 Feature Request: Enable meetings scheduled in Zoho Cliq to be automatically added to the host's Google Calendar, not just

                                                                                                            • Cliq iOS can't see shared screen

                                                                                                              Hello, I had this morning a video call with a colleague. She is using Cliq Desktop MacOS and wanted to share her screen with me. I'm on iPad. I noticed, while she shared her screen, I could only see her video, but not the shared screen... Does Cliq iOS is able to display shared screen, or is it somewhere else to be found ? Regards

                                                                                                            • Zoho Desk - Cannot Invite or Register New User

                                                                                                              Hi who may concern, we encountered a problem that we cannot invite user or the visitor cannot register for a user at all through our help center portal, with the snapshot shown as below and the attachement. It always pops up that "Sorry, Unable to process

                                                                                                            • Zoho sheet

                                                                                                              Unable to share zoho sheet with anyone on internet with editer option only view option is show

                                                                                                            • Allocating inventory to specific SO's

                                                                                                              Is there a way that allocate inventory to a specific sales order? For example, let's say we have 90 items in stock. Customer 1 orders 100 items. This allocates all 90 items to their order, and they have a back order for the remaining 10 items which could

                                                                                                            • Mail and OS

                                                                                                              Jai Hind! Zoho is doing good by creating good software (made in india) on par with other tech giants. 🥰 Suggestion: 1. Whenever we sign up on zoho mail its asking for other mail id. It shouldn't be like that. You should ask general details of a user

                                                                                                            • Personal account created under org account

                                                                                                              Hi there, I am Jayesh. We are using ME Central, and we have an account by the email ID soc@kissht.com.. Now I have created a personal account., jayesh.auti@zohomail.in, accidentally. Can you help me to remove this jayesh.auti@zohomail.in from my organization

                                                                                                            • Add another account

                                                                                                              How to add another mail account to my zoho mail.

                                                                                                            • Recover deleted user

                                                                                                              Hi by mistake i have deleted an added user and his email associated. Please help me recover it thank you.

                                                                                                            • No connection to the server

                                                                                                              Hello! I can't add a new email address to my mailbox because your server is rejecting me. Please help. I took and added a screenshot of this problem Marek Olbrys

                                                                                                            • URGENT: Business Email Disruption – SMTP Authentication Failed

                                                                                                              Dear Zoho Support, I am writing to escalate a critical issue with my business email account: 📧 marek@olbrys.de My domain olbrys.de is fully verified in Zoho (MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC all valid – green status). I am using the correct configuration: smtp.zoho.eu

                                                                                                            • Emails missing from desktop but visible on phone

                                                                                                              Subject says it all. Windows 11 laptop. Apple phone. all systems up to date.

                                                                                                            • Website Hosting

                                                                                                              Hello, I want to host my domain on Hostinger, and I want my emails to run through Zoho Mail. Please provide me with the SPF record, MX record (Type: TXT), and A record, so that I don’t face any issues with my emails. My website is on Hostinger hosting,

                                                                                                            • Can not search zoho mail after update V.1.7.0

                                                                                                              i can not search mail on to and cc box from attached picture and then search contacts box can't click or use anything. include replay mail too.

                                                                                                            • Urgent Security Feature Request – Add MFA to Zoho Projects Client Portal Hello Zoho Projects Team,

                                                                                                              Hello Zoho Projects Team, We hope you are doing well. We would like to submit an urgent security enhancement request regarding the Zoho Projects Client Portal. At this time, as far as we are aware, there is no Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) available

                                                                                                            • How to retreive the "To be received" value of an Item displayed in Zoho inventory.

                                                                                                              Hi everyone, We have our own Deluge code to generate a PO according to taget quantity and box quantity, pretty usefull and powerful! However, we want to reduce our quantity to order according to "To be received" variable. Seems like this might not even

                                                                                                            • Add Support for Authenticator App MFA in Zoho Desk Help Center

                                                                                                              Hello Zoho Desk Team, We hope you are doing well. We would like to request an enhancement related to security for the Zoho Desk Help Center (customer portal). Currently, the Help Center supports MFA for portal users via SAML, JWT, SMS authentication,

                                                                                                            • Payment on a past due balance

                                                                                                              Scenario: Customer is past due on their account for 4 months. We suspend their billing in Zoho books. Customer finally logs into the portal and enters a new credit card. We associate that cardwith their subscription, which will permit the card to be used

                                                                                                            • Instant Sync of Zoho CRM Data?

                                                                                                              With how valuable Zoho Analytics is to actually creating data driven dashboards/reports, we are surprised that there is no instant or near instant sync between Zoho CRM and Zoho Analytics. Waiting 3 hours is okay for most of our reports, but there are

                                                                                                            • Kaizen #211 - Answering your Questions | Using Canvas and Widgets to Tailor CRM for Mobile

                                                                                                              Howdy, tech wizards! We are back with the final post in addressing the queries you shared for our 200th milestone. This week, we are focusing on a couple of queries on Zoho CRM mobile configurations and custom payment gateway integration. 1. Mobile SDK

                                                                                                            • Remove "Invalid entries found. Rectify and submit again" modal

                                                                                                              Following up on a post from a few years back, but can the Zoho team consider either removing the 'Invalid entries found. Rectify and submit again' modal that displays for empty mandatory fields OR allow an admin to change it? I've built a custom error

                                                                                                            • Validation function not preventing candidates under 18 or over 30 from submitting the web form

                                                                                                              Hello everyone, I’m trying to create a validation rule for the Candidate Webform in Zoho Recruit. I added a custom field called “Date of Birth”, and I want to make sure that candidates cannot submit the form unless their age is between 18 and 30 years.

                                                                                                            • Remember all the ways we've posted?

                                                                                                              The world celebrates World Postal Day in 2025 with the theme “#PostForPeople: Local Service. Global Reach". The story of the “post” is a story of human connection itself, evolving from simple handwritten notes carried over long distances to instant digital

                                                                                                            • Custom domain issue

                                                                                                              I recently changed records for my support area custom domain for a few months, I then wanted to come back to Zoho, but now I can't connect it and I can't login as it's having an SSL issue. I cannot get a good response from support, as I've been notified

                                                                                                            • Cadence reports as front-end reports

                                                                                                              Hello everyone, We have built a cadence which is connected to the Leads module. There are 11 steps in total, 7 are automatic emails and 4 are tasks for the Lead owners. As admins, we have access to this (very nicely made) 'View Reports' tab where we can

                                                                                                            • Zoho Commerce in multiple languages

                                                                                                              When will you be able to offer Zoho Commerce in more languages? We sell in multiple markets and want to be able to offer a local version of our webshop. What does the roadmap look like?

                                                                                                            • Show elapsed time on the thank-you page?

                                                                                                              Is it possible to display the total time a user spent filling out a Zoho Form on the thank-you? I’d like to show the difference between the `form submission timestamp` and the `start time` (currently have a hidden Date-Time field set to autofill the date

                                                                                                            • The present is a "present"

                                                                                                              The conversation around mental health has been gaining attention in recent years. Even with this awareness, we often feel stuck; the relentless pace of modern life makes us too busy to pause, reflect, and recharge. In the world of customer support, this

                                                                                                            • Kaizen# 209 - Answering Your Questions | All About Client Script

                                                                                                              Hello everyone! Welcome back to another exciting Kaizen post! Thanks for all your feedback and questions. In this post, let's see the answers to your questions related to Client Script. We took the time to discuss with our development team, carefully

                                                                                                            • Email Integration - Zoho CRM - OAuth and IMAP

                                                                                                              Hello, We are attempting to integrate our Microsoft 365 email with Zoho CRM. We are using the documentation at Email Configuration for IMAP and POP3 (zoho.com) We use Microsoft 365 and per their recommendations (and requirements) for secure email we have

                                                                                                            • Next Page