Kaizen #180: Automating Data Transfer from Zoho Sheets to Zoho CRM Subforms

Kaizen #180: Automating Data Transfer from Zoho Sheets to Zoho CRM Subforms



Hello everyone!
Welcome back to another exciting Kaizen post! This time, we will discuss the solution for a use case—leveraging Client Scripts and Functions to get the job done efficiently by integrating with Zoho Sheets.

In this kaizen post,

  1. Handling Manual Entries of Data in Subforms
  2. Scenario 
  3. Solution
  4. Add a button in Create Page(Canvas)
  5. Create a Function to fetch data from Sheet
  6. Create a Client Script to get Sheet Details, fetch and populate data
  7. Summary
  8. Related links

1. Handling Manual Entries of Data in Subforms

Manually entering data into Zoho CRM subforms is simple and straightforward when dealing with a few rows. However, repeatedly copying a large set of rows from a Sheet to a Subform can be challenging. Manually mapping lookup fields and adding parent IDs is not only time-consuming but also prone to errors, leading to inefficiencies in data entry. Automating this process can greatly improve efficiency, saving both time and effort.
Here’s how you can seamlessly fetch data from Zoho Sheets and populate Zoho CRM subforms—including lookup fields—using Client Scripts and Functions.

2. Requirement

Zylker manufactures medical instruments, and its sales representatives manage bulk orders from distributors and hospitals. Product details are typically provided in a sheet, which the sales reps must manually enter into the subform on the Order Creation Page. However, creating numerous entries is tedious, time-consuming, and prone to errors. To streamline the process, a "Populate from Sheet" button is embedded in the Order module of Create Page(Canavas). When clicked, it should
  • Display a pop-up asking to enter the Sheet ID.
  • Fetch order details (product names, quantities, and prices) from a specific Zoho Sheet.
  • Fetch the id of the Product name from the Products module and populate the lookup field "Product".
  • Populate other data into the Product list Subform inside Zoho CRM.

3. Solution 

To accomplish this requirement with a button click, you need to use a Canvas Page and add a button to it. (Currently, Client Scripts do not support Custom Buttons on the Create Page(Standard). When clicked, the Client Script should be triggered, it should retrieve the Sheet ID from the user, invoke a function to read the data, and populate the content into the Subform.

So you need to follow the following steps.
  • Add a button in Create Page(Canvas)
  • Create a Function to fetch data from Sheet
  • Create a Client Script.

a. Add a button in Create Page(Canvas)
  • Go to Settings > Canvas > Form View tab. Click the three dots next to the Canvas Order Create Page and click edit.


  • Right click on the button and add the Element ID for the new button and click Save.



b. Create a Function to fetch data from Sheet
  • Go to Setup > Developer Hub > Functions.
  • In the Functions page, click + Create New Function.
  • Choose the category as Button.
  • Click Create.
  • In the Create Function page, enter a name and description for your function.
  • Write your function code. The below function is used to integrate CRM with Zoho Sheets and reads the content of the Sheet using zoho.sheet.getRecords(sheetid ,tab name)
  1. SheetData = zoho.sheet.getRecords(sheetid,"Sheet1");
  2. d = list();
  3. for each  record in SheetData.get("records")
  4. {
  5. d.add(record);
  6. }
  7. info d;
  8. return d.toString();

  • Click Edit Argument next to the function's namespace and define the parameter "Sheetid" and click Save.
  • Click the three dots next to the Function name and select REST API.
  • Enable the OAuth2 for the Function csvRead as shown below.




    c. Create a Client Script

  • Go to Setup > Developer Hub > Client Script. Click +New Script.
  • Specify the details to create a script and click Next.
  • Enter the following script and click Save.

  1. var a = ZDK.Page.getField("Product_list").getValue();
  2. var casesheetid = ZDK.Client.getInput([{ type: 'text', label: 'Enter the Sheet ID' }], 'Sheet details', 'OK', 'Cancel');
  3.     console.log("casesheetid " + casesheetid);
  4. if (casesheetid == null) {
  5.         ZDK.Client.showAlert("Enter the *Case Sheet ID - Import* to import data");
  6.     }
  7.     let csvdata = []; // list to store csv data
  8.     let imported_list = [
  9.         {
  10.         "Product_Name": {
  11.         "id": "",
  12.         "name": ""
  13.         },
  14.         "Quantity":"",
  15.         "Unit_Price": "",
  16.         "Amount": ""
  17.         }
  18.     ]
  19.     try {

  21.      ZDK.Client.showLoader({type: 'page', template:'vertical-bar', message: 'Loading ...'});
  22.         resp = ZDK.Apps.CRM.Functions.execute("getData", casesheetid); // invoke function that extracts data from Sheet
  23.     }
  24.     catch {
  25.         ZDK.Client.showAlert("Unexpected error occured" + resp);
  26.     }
  27.     var k = resp._details.userMessage;
  28.     k = "[" + k + "]";
  29.     let jsonArray = JSON.parse(k);//Convert to a valid JSON array format
  30.     jsonArray.forEach((pr, i) => {
  31.         csvdata.push(pr);
  32.     });

  34.     if (csvdata.length) {
  35.         log("csvdata length" + csvdata.length);
  36.         csvdata.forEach(row => {
  37.             log("Product_Name" + row.Product_Name);
  38.             log("Case Version" + row.Version);
  39.             log("Case " + row.Case);
  40.             imported_list.push({ Product_Name: { id: "", name: row.Product }, Quantity: row.Quantity, Unit_Price: row.Unit_Price, Amount: row.Amount});
  41.         });
  42.     }
  43.     imported_list.shift(); // remove the dummy row
  44.     imported_list.forEach((row, i) => {
  45.         apiResponse = ZDK.Apps.CRM.Products.searchByCriteria(`(Product_Name:equals:${row.Product_Name.name})`);
  46.  if (apiResponse.length == 0) {
  47.             // If there is no matching record, ask user if a new record has to be created or not.
  48.             var count = i + 1;
  49.             ZDK.Client.showAlert("*S.No* " + count + " - '" + row.Product_Name.name + "'" + " is an *invalid Product Name*", "Invalid Product Name", "Okay");
  50.         }
  51.         apiResponse.forEach((rec) => {
  52.             if (!(rec.id == null)) {
  53.                 row.Product_Name.id = rec.id;
  54.             }
  55.         });
  56.     });
  57. ZDK.Page.getField('Product_list').setValue(imported_list);
  58. ZDK.Client.hideLoader();


  • In this code, several ZDKs are used for various purposes. Click on the ZDK hyperlinks to learn more.

  1. User Input: The code uses ZDK.Client.getInput() to fetch a "Sheet ID" from the user. This input is crucial for further operations.
  2. Input Validation: If the user cancels or doesn't enter a sheet ID, the code checks for null and prompts the user to enter the ID using ZDK.Client.showAlert().
  3. Function Invocation: The code invokes a CRM function named getData using ZDK.Apps.CRM.Functions.execute(), passing the sheet ID as a parameter. 
  4. Loader Display: To indicate that a process is running, a loader is displayed using ZDK.Client.showLoader(). 
  5. Data Parsing and Transformation: The response from the function "resp" is parsed into a JSON array format. This involves converting the response into a string and then parsing it into a JSON object. The processed data is transformed into a format suitable for populating a CRM field. This involves creating a new list (imported_list) and pushing the transformed data into it.
  6. Subform Population: Finally, the transformed data is used to populate the Subform named Product_list using ZDK.Page.getField().setValue(). After completing the process, the loader is hidden using ZDK.Client.hideLoader().
  • Here is how the Client Script works.


  • Here, using Client Script, you can instantly add all products from the Sheet with a single click and populate the lookup field without specifying ID for the lookup field "Product".

4. Summary

In this post, we have discussed,
  • How to get input from the user and pass the input while invoking a Function
  • How to Invoke a Function
  • How to import data from Sheets to Zoho CRM Subform
  • How to use Search Records API to fetch the ID of a field.


    Access your files securely from anywhere

        All-in-one knowledge management and training platform for your employees and customers.






                              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

                                                              • 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 this

                                                              • Kaizen #222 - Client Script Support for Notes Related List

                                                                Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of Kaizen. The final Kaizen post of the year 2025 is here! With the new Client Script support for the Notes Related List, you can validate, enrich, and manage notes across modules. In this post, we’ll explore how

                                                              • Kaizen #217 - Actions APIs : Tasks

                                                                Welcome to another week of Kaizen! In last week's post we discussed Email Notifications APIs which act as the link between your Workflow automations and you. We have discussed how Zylker Cloud Services uses Email Notifications API in their custom dashboard.

                                                              • Kaizen #216 - Actions APIs : Email Notifications

                                                                Welcome to another week of Kaizen! For the last three weeks, we have been discussing Zylker's workflows. We successfully updated a dormant workflow, built a new one from the ground up and more. But our work is not finished—these automated processes are


                                                              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

                                                                                                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

                                                                                                                • Enable Free External Collaboration on Notecards in Zoho Notebook

                                                                                                                  Hi Zoho Notebook Team, I would like to suggest a feature enhancement regarding external collaboration in Zoho Notebook. Currently, we can share notes with external users, and they are able to view the content without any issue. However, when these external

                                                                                                                • Can I export to PDF in Zoho Learn

                                                                                                                  I have seen help pages where export to pdf options are available but I do not see that option available from the application. I see that exprt is available in my free trial version but that is only to html pages. I need to be able to export my manuals

                                                                                                                • Zoho Commerce

                                                                                                                  Hi, I have zoho one and use Zoho Books. I am very interested in Zoho Commerce , especially with how all is integrated but have a question. I do not want my store to show prices for customers that are not log in. Is there a way to hide the prices if not

                                                                                                                • Zoho Sprints iOS app update: Global view, screen capture control, file encryption, tags enhancement

                                                                                                                  Hello everyone! We are excited to introduce new features in the latest version(v2.1) of the Zoho Sprints iOS app update. Let’s take a quick look at what’s new. 1. Global view Global view brings all your project items into one centralised space. You can

                                                                                                                • Marking a meeting 'done'.

                                                                                                                  I would like to somehow mark a meeting 'done' and placed under the contact's page rather than deleting it and having no record of it. Am I missing a button that does this?

                                                                                                                • Zoho Projects Android and iOS app update: Conditional layout rules for Tasks

                                                                                                                  Hello everyone! Task conditional layout rules configured on the web app(projects.zoho.com) are now applied on the Zoho Projects Android and iOS app. Conditional layout rules can be set for the Add/ edit task form and it allows you to change the property

                                                                                                                • How to account for vat with postponed VAT accounting

                                                                                                                  Hi everyone, looking for some help with postponed VAT accounting, I use DHL express for my imports and they used to pay the VAT for me and then invoice me. I could then log this as a bill and the VAT element from import was recorded as input VAT, all

                                                                                                                • Introducing Formula Fields for performing dynamic calculations

                                                                                                                  Greetings, With the Formula Field, you can generate numerical calculations using provided functions and available fields, enabling you to derive dynamic data. You can utilize mathematical formulas to populate results based on the provided inputs. This

                                                                                                                • How can I link Products in a Deal Subform to the Products Module

                                                                                                                  Hello, I have a pricing subform on our Deals page and use a lookup field to associate a product with each line. I want to be able to look at a product page within the Products module and see a list of the deals connected to that product. I have this working

                                                                                                                • Zobot with Plugs

                                                                                                                  Hello, I am having a problem with Zobot using Plugs. Here is my current flow: When I run the flow, I should immediately see the messages from the initial cards (Send Message cards), then after running the plug, and finally, see the messages after the

                                                                                                                • Use URL field to populate Image in a Email Template

                                                                                                                  We have two records Record 1: Appointments (with a Lookup to Doctors module) Related Record 2: Doctors (with a URL field that is an image of the doctor) We would like to populate a CRM email template with the image of the URL field for the related doctor

                                                                                                                • Delete button

                                                                                                                  Hi, The delete button were hide into the three dot button. Can I display outside? why Zoho make this update?

                                                                                                                • Is there a way to show contact emails in the Account?

                                                                                                                  I know I can see the emails I have sent and received on a Contact detail view, but I want to be able to see all the emails that have been sent and received between all an Accounts Contacts on the Account Detail view. That way when I see the Account detail

                                                                                                                • Invalid scope choice: Workdrive integration in CRM

                                                                                                                  Bug: There is an invalid option in the permission choices for Workdrive integration in CRM. If the entry "WorkDrive.teamfolder.CREATE" is selected, it will return a message indicating invalid OAuth scope scope does not exist.

                                                                                                                • Dark Mode - Font Colors Don't Work

                                                                                                                  When editing a document in Dark Mode and selecting font colors, they don't show up on screen.  Viewing/editing the same document in Light Mode shows them just fine.

                                                                                                                • Good news! Calendar in Zoho CRM gets a face lift

                                                                                                                  Dear Customers, We are delighted to unveil the revamped calendar UI in Zoho CRM. With a complete visual overhaul aligned with CRM for Everyone, the calendar now offers a more intuitive and flexible scheduling experience. What’s new? Distinguish activities

                                                                                                                • Zoho mail admin panel not opening

                                                                                                                • Can Zoho Marketing Automation send OTP codes via WhatsApp during user registration?

                                                                                                                  The flow I would like to implement is: A user signs up in the mobile app and enters their phone number. The system generates a one-time verification code (OTP). The OTP is sent to the user via WhatsApp message. The user enters the code in the app to confirm

                                                                                                                • Zoho CRM WooCommerce Integrtation

                                                                                                                  Looking for a solution for my 50 client to show detailed analytics on source of traffic that led to events, leads, conversions. Hi all, I have not been able to find a workable guide or solution to how exactly step by step integrate the Zoho CRM with WooCommerce

                                                                                                                • Attaching files to emails within CRM Deals.

                                                                                                                  Hello, We have recently started using the extension "Workdrive for CRM" (Related List) to view/store our documents for each Deal, instead of using Attachments. Overall it feels like a better way to go but the user experience is not so great when it comes

                                                                                                                • Service line items

                                                                                                                  Hello Latha, Could you please let me know the maximum number of service line items that can be added to a single work order? Thanks, Chethiya.

                                                                                                                • 500 internal server error on opening an iframe through a deluge script

                                                                                                                  Hi Team I am trying to open an external url in an iframe through my deluge script which is associated to a custom button . By doing this i am getting an "Internal Server Error" . Please can you help me with this.

                                                                                                                • Kaizen #225 - Making Query-based Custom Related Lists Actionable with Lookups and Links

                                                                                                                  Hello everyone! Welcome back to another post in the Kaizen series! This week, we will discuss an exciting enhancement in Queries in Zoho CRM. In Kaizen #190, we discussed how Queries bridge gaps where native related lists fall short and power custom related

                                                                                                                • Help Center and SEO: Any Benefit to My Domain-Mapped Website Ranking?

                                                                                                                  First of, I love the Help Center which I've just decided to integrate into my website to replace its old-fashioned FAQs. So much more to achieve there now! Lots of new benefits to the site visitors and to me in terms of organizing and delivering all the

                                                                                                                • No Need To Fix Something That Is Working

                                                                                                                  Zoho Books is a great financial tool which helps businesses to become more efficient and productive with day-to-day operations. As such, every change, upgrade, improvement needs to be carefully thought before implemented in the software and I'm sure Zoho

                                                                                                                • Filter button in the Zoho Sheet Android App doesn't toggle on

                                                                                                                  I am a new Zoho Sheets user and experiencing a specific issue with the filter functionality in the Android mobile application. Detailed Issue Description: The filter icon appears correctly in the toolbar. Upon tapping the filter icon/button, the toggle

                                                                                                                • Is Zoho Sites still actively being developed?

                                                                                                                  Hello, Is Zoho Sites still actively being developed as part of the Zoho ecosystem? I noticed that the What's New page (https://www.zoho.com/sites/whats-new.html) does not show any updates since Q1 2025. We were considering migrating our website from Squarespace

                                                                                                                • Project Notifcatiion Emails - Milestone

                                                                                                                  Hello: I cannot get myself, or most importantly my portal client user to recieve an email upon completion of a milestone. I have set up our 1st project. I have set up a test client user. (accepted the invitation and is listed in the system as a client

                                                                                                                • Zoho Forms - Feature Request - Year Field

                                                                                                                  Hi Zoho Forms Team, You currently have the following date and time fields: Date Time Date and Time Year and Month It would be useful if you could include a "Year" field For example a recent application I completed said "What year was your house built?"

                                                                                                                • Integrate Excel or Zoho Sheet functions / calculations to CRM product module

                                                                                                                  Hello Community, I hope someone more experienced can help me with this question. Our price / payment plan calculations are in an Excel spreadsheet and I would like to use all those functions / calculations in my Products module. So when we send a quote

                                                                                                                • Sync CRM Contacts to USER'S contacts on Office 365

                                                                                                                  I can see that the O365 sync is transferring contacts backwards and forwards between Zoho CRM and Office365. But it has created a separate address book in Office 365 called "Zoho CRM Contacts". This address book is not used by Office/Outlook's email function

                                                                                                                • Manage Every Customer Conversation from Every Channel inside Zoho SalesIQ

                                                                                                                  Your customers message you from everywhere. But are you really able to track, manage, and follow through on every conversation, without missing anything? With interactions coming in from websites, mobile apps, and messaging platforms like WhatsApp and

                                                                                                                • Zoho Books | Product updates | February 2026

                                                                                                                  Hello users, We’ve rolled out new features and enhancements in Zoho Books. From Advanced Reporting Tags to the ability to mark projects as completed, explore the latest updates designed to improve your bookkeeping experience. Introducing Advanced Reporting

                                                                                                                • Update latitude & longitude address field API

                                                                                                                  How do I update the coordinates of an address field from a widget? I can't modify the latitude and longitude of the address field. I think the problem is how I'm writing formdata variable. zoho_init.then(function (data) { var queryParams = ZOHO.CREATOR.UTIL.getQueryParams();

                                                                                                                • Zoho Forms - Feature Request - Past Into Scanning/OCR Field

                                                                                                                  Hi Zoho Forms Team, You recently introduced the OCR/Scanning field which I have found great use for with one client who receives work orders as a screenshot from one customer. I want to raise a feature request here which would make that field even more

                                                                                                                • inability to use different primary address on invoice per location

                                                                                                                  my company operates in two different locations with different email address. The problems then is the inability to edit the primary to suite the invoice for the second location.

                                                                                                                • Use Zoho Creator as a source for merge templates in Zoho Writer

                                                                                                                  Hello all! We're excited to share that we've enhanced Zoho Creator's integration with Zoho Writer to make this combination even more powerful. You can now use Zoho Creator as a data source for mail merge templates in Zoho Writer. Making more data from

                                                                                                                • Anyone in Australia using Zoho Books AND has their account with NAB?

                                                                                                                  Hi I have an account with both NAB and Suncorp. Suncorp transaction come in the next day however NAB transactions take 4-5 business days to appear. eg: A deposit made today in my Suncorp will be imported into Zoho tomorrow. A deposit made today to the NAB account will be imported maybe Saturday (Friday overnight). I have contacted both Zoho and NAB but noone seems to know why. I was just wondering if anyone else in Australia uses NAB and has this issue (or doesn't) maybe we could compare notes and

                                                                                                                • Detailed Balance Sheet for tax preparer

                                                                                                                  I'm using the free edition of Zoho Books. My tax preparer is asking for "detailed" Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet reports which include all the activity and transactions within the various categories. The default reports do not include these details.

                                                                                                                • On Edit Validation Blueprint

                                                                                                                  Hello, I have a notes field and a signature field. When the Approve button is clicked, the Signature field will appear and must be filled in. When the Reject button is clicked, the Notes field will appear and must be filled in. Question: Blueprint will

                                                                                                                • Next Page