Kaizen #199: FAQs on Multi-Select Lookup (MxN) Field in Zoho CRM
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.
Hey everybody!!!
Welcome back to another post in the Kaizen series!
In this post, we will address some of the most frequently asked questions about the Multi-Select Lookup(MxN) field from the Zoho CRM developer community forum.
1. What is a Multi-select lookup field?
A multi-select lookup field in Zoho CRM lets you create a many-to-many relationship between two modules. This means a record in one module can be linked to multiple records in another module and vice versa.
For example, using an multi-select lookup field, you can associate multiple skills with an employee.
2. How does the Mutli-Select Lookup relationship work?
When you create a Multi-Select Lookup between two modules, for example, Employees and Skills, Zoho CRM automatically creates a hidden linking module, which is also known as an MxN module. This module stores the associations between records in the two modules, enabling you to track and manage many-to-many relationships.
For instance, if you link Employees and Skills, a linking module named EmpXSkills will be created.
This linking module is accessible only via API.
Backend Flow of multi-select lookup Relationship
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.
Why you cannot use a lookup field for this use case?
In Zoho CRM, a lookup field creates a one-to-many relationship between two modules i.e. one record in the source module can be linked to only one record in the target module.
Example :
If you create a lookup field for Skills in the Employees module, each employee can be linked to only one skill. So, use a multi-select lookup field instead of a lookup field when you need to represent complex relationships like one employee - many skills and one skill - many employees.
3. How to create a multi-select Lookup field using Zoho CRM APIs?
To create a Multi-Select lookup field between two modules using Zoho CRM APIs, follow these steps:
Step 1: Identify the Module API Name
Before creating the field, you should know the API names of the Employees and Skills modules. For that, use the Get Module Metadata API.
Request URL : {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/settings/modules
Request method : GET
Now, search for the Employees module in the response and note its API name.
Step 2: Use the Create Custom Fields API
To establish a many-to-many relationship between two modules, in our case, Employees and Skills, you need to create a custom field of type multi-select lookup in the Employees module (parent module). Here, we will associate multiple skills to an employee.
This custom field requires:
- The related module you want to link to - Skills.
- A display field from the related module
- The linking module (EmpXSkills), which stores the actual associations.
Use the Create Custom Fields API to create custom fields.
Request URL : {{api_domain}}/crm/v8/settings/fields?module=Employees
Request method : POST
Sample input :
|
{
"fields": [
{
"field_label": "Skills", //Name of the field in your module
"data_type": "multiselectlookup", //Type of the field
"multiselectlookup": { //This JSON object contains the multi-select lookup relationship details
"connected_details": { //Details about the module and field you want to link
"module": {
"api_name": "Skills" //API name of the related module
},
"field": {
"field_label": "Skills" //The field in the related module to display
}
},
"linking_details": { //Details about the junction or linking module that manages the many-to-many relationship
"module": {
"plural_label": "EmpXSkills" //Plural label of the junction module
}
}
}
}
]
}
|
4. How Do You Find the Linking Module and Field API Names?
To know the API name of the linking module:
Use the Get Modules API and search for "generated_type" : "linking" in the response to identify MxN modules. In our case, EmpXSkills.
Request URL : {{api_domain}}/crm/v8/settings/modules
Request method : GET
To know the field API names in the linking module:
Use the Get Fields Metadata API to retrieve the API names of lookup fields within the linking module.
Request URL : {{api_domain}}/crm/v8/settings/fields?module=EmpXSkills
Request method : GET
5. How do I associate records via a multi-select lookup field using the Insert Records API in Zoho CRM?
To associate records using a multi-select lookup field, you must provide the record IDs from the related module. The association is made through the linking module.
Example :
Associating multiple skills with an employee using the multi-select lookup field.
Request URL : {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/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 the Employees module
{
"Skills": { // API name of the lookup field in the linking module pointing to the Skills module
"name": "Marketing",
"id": "5725767000002149427" //ID from the Skills module are mandatory to establish the link
}
},
{
"Skills": {
"name": "Social Media Marketing",
"id": "5725767000002149476"
}
}
]
}
]
}
|
6. How do I associate an Employee's skills using the linking module in Zoho CRM?
To establish a relationship between the Employees and Skills modules through the linking module, use the Insert Records API to create a record in the linking module, EmpXSkills.
To do this,
- Use the appropriate lookup field API names to reference the parent module.
- You must need the record IDs from both the Employees and Skills modules to create the associations.
Request URL : {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/EmpXSkills
Request method : POST
Sample input :
|
{
"data": [
{
"Name": "Patricia",
"Employees": {
"id": "5725767000002161001" // Record ID from the Employees module
},
"Skills": {
"id": "5725767000002149476" // Record ID from the Skills module
}
}
]
}
|
7. When should I use create/update operations in the Employees module vs the EmpXSkills module?
|
Employees Module |
EmpXSkills (linking) Module |
|
Use when you want to create or update an Employee and associate Skills using the Multi-select Lookup field. |
Use when you want to create or remove associations between existing Employee and Skill records without modifying the actual Employee or Skill data. |
|
Creating a new employee and assigning their skills at once. |
Managing relationships between existing records i.e., linking and unlinking skills to employees. |
8. How to update a record in the linking module?
To update a record in the linking module, use the Update Records API.
Request URL : {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/EmpXSkills/5725767000006269044
Request method : PUT
Sample input :
|
{
"data": [
{
"Skills": {
"name": "Marketing",
"id": "5725767000002170035" //Associating another skill with the employee
}
}
]
} |
In the above sample, we have replaced an existing skill associated with an employee with another Skill in the linking module.This is done by updating the Skills lookup field in the EmpXSkills record.
Please note that in the linking module, Skills is a lookup field, so you can associate only one skill per linking record. But in the Employees module, Skills is a multi-select lookup field, so an employee can be associated with multiple skills.
9. How to unlink records from the parent module as well as the linking module?
Unlink the associated records from the parent module:
Using the Update records API, you can remove an associated skill from an employee, use the "_delete": null key within the multi-select lookup field in the Employee record update.
Request URL : {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/Employees/5725767000006269044
Request method : PUT
Sample input :
|
{
"data": [
{
"Skills": [
{
"Skills": {
"name": "Marketing",
"id": "5725767000002170035" // The Skill record you want to unlink
},
"id": "5725767000007228047", //record ID - The record created in the linking module for the employee with the Marketing skill
"_delete" : null
}
]
}
]
}
|
Replace an associated record from the linking module:
Use the Update Records API to replace an existing association in the linking module.
Request URL : {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/EmpXSkills/5725767000007228035
Request method : PUT
Sample input :
|
{
"data": [
{
"Skills": {
"name": "Java",
"id": "5725767000005259075" //replacing a new skill
}
}
]
}
|
In the above sample, we have replaced the existing skill with Java.
10. Why am I seeing the error "DUPLICATE_LINKING_DATA" in the Update Records API?
This error occurs when you try to associate records with the parent record that are already linked with the Multi-select lookup field. To resolve this, check the records you are trying to link and make sure your association is only with records that are not already linked.
Know your existing linked records:
Before the Update Records API, use the Get Related Records Data API and search for the multi-select lookup field. In our case, Skills is the multi-select lookup field created in the Employees module. This will return all records already associated.
Example :
The response returns all Skills already linked with that Employee.
Using this way, compare the IDs from the API response with the new records you are about to link, and only proceed with non-duplicate IDs. This avoids duplicate entries and prevents the "DUPLICATE_LINKING_DATA" error.
11. What happens if I delete a record in the linking module?
When you delete a record in the linking module, it only removes the association between the related records in the Employees and Skills modules.
Note :
- Deleting a linking module record removes only the relationship between two records from the Employees and Skills modules.
- Deleting an Employee or Skill record deletes all corresponding entries in the linking module as well.
12. How do I query linked records?
Use the COQL API to query multi-select lookup data by specifying the corresponding linking module's API name directly in your query. The linking module is treated as a separate module in Zoho CRM, so you can retrieve associated records by querying it like any other module.
Sample query :
|
{
"select_query": "select Skills.Name as skill, Employees.Name as employee from EmpXSkills where Skills.Name like '%Marketing%'"
}
|
Use the Get Module Metadata API to know the linking module's API name.
13. How do I export multi-select lookup records using the Bulk Read API?
To export multi-select lookup data, linking module records efficiently, use the Bulk Read API with the linking module’s API name.
Request URL : https://www.zohoapis.com/crm/bulk/v8/read
Request method : POST
Sample Request :
|
{
"callback": {
"method": "post"
},
"query": {
"module": {
"api_name": "EmpXSkills" //API name of the linking module
},
"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"
}
}
}
|
14. Can I import my linking module's data using the Bulk Write API?
Yes. Like the Leads and Contacts modules, you can also import linking module's data into Zoho CRM using the Bulk Write API by directly specifying the linking module’s API name.
If you are importing data that involves both a parent module, Employees and its associated MxN linking module, follow these steps:
1. Create separate CSV files:
- One for the parent module - Employees
- One for the linking module - EmpXSkills
2. Zip the files into a single ZIP file.
3. Upload the ZIP in a single Bulk Write API request.
4. Ensure accurate field mappings are provided in the API request body.
Refer to Kaizen #131 - Bulk Write for parent-child records using Scala SDK for more details on handling parent-child records.
15. Can I receive notifications if a multi-select lookup field in a module is modified or updated?
Yes, you can receive notifications when a MxN field is updated using the Notification API. To enable instant notifications for actions performed in a module, use the respective API names of the linking module in the input body.
Request URL : https://www.zohoapis.com/crm/bulk/v8/actions/watch
Request method : POST
Sample input :
|
{
"watch": [
{
"channel_id": "10000",
"events": [
"EmpXSkills.all" //EmpXSkills represents the API name of the linking module
],
"notify_url": "https://webhook.site/9f5ba227-ce5a-4709-814d-b044c003d605",
"return_affected_field_values": true
}
]
}
|
16. Can I use criteria-based filtering when accessing multi-select lookup data using the Search API?
Yes, you can filter multi-select lookup data using the criteria parameter in the Search API's URL.
Here is an example that fetches records from the EmpXSkills linking module.
Request URL : {{api-name}}/crm/v8/EmpXSkills/search?criteria=((Secondary_Email:equals:patricia@mail.com)and(Skills:equals:Content_Marketing))
Request method : GET
Sample response :
x-----------------------------x
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 #198: Using Client Script for Custom Validation in Blueprint | Kaizen Directory
Other FAQs in the Kaizen series :
- Kaizen#75 - Frequently Asked Questions on Client Script
- Kaizen #147 - Frequently Asked Questions on Zoho CRM Widgets
- Kaizen #155 - Frequently Asked Questions on Subforms
- Kaizen #170 - Frequently Asked Questions on Notification APIs
- Kaizen #195: Frequently Asked Questions on Bulk Read API and Bulk Write API
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
Sticky Posts
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 areKaizen #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 the
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
Spotlight series #6: The Show app for Android TV has a new look!
Hello everyone! We are delighted to introduce our revamped and redesigned Show app for Android TV. Smart TVs are exploding in popularity. Android TV alone has over 110 million active monthly devices. Zoho Show, as part of a constant effort to improveEmployee Appraisal Applicability - Why is Date of Joining Hard-Coded?
In the new (to me, at least) Performance Appraisal Cycle wizard, it's possible to set criteria to determine for whom the appraisal process should apply. This makes sense on its face. However, one MUST use the Date of Joining criterion as a filter. WhyWorkDrive for Excel Add on
Dear Sir/Madam Have installed Workdrive for Microsoft add on But unable to view the same added in ExcelCRM x WorkDrive: We're rolling out the WorkDrive-powered file storage experience for existing users
Release plan: Gradual rollout to customers without file storage add-ons, in this order: 1. Standalone CRM 2. CRM Plus and Zoho One DCs: All | Editions: All Available now for: - Standalone CRM accounts in Free and Standard editions without file storageZoho Books integration sync from Zoho CRM does not work
Hi Zoho Community & Zoho Support We just tried to get a sync some products into Zoho Books from CRM using the native sync and we're getting an error: "It looks like some mandatory fields you're trying to map are empty. Please provide valid field namesAppraisals - Order of Previous Reviews Should Be Newest to Oldest
The new Zoho People layout generally does a decent job at providing the necessary information for performing appraisals of employee performance. One example of this is the Previous Reviews section: This information is helpful when conducting a review.Is it possible to remove filtering options?
My CRM has a lot of custom fields that should not be used in filters or views. Fields that are automated and exist only to store temporary values that get used in functions. These create a lot of noise in the list of fields to filter. Isn't there anyauto close automated alert tickets which are similar
Hello ZOHO Community, we are using ZOHO Desk to process automated monitoring alerts. Scenario: Our monitoring system creates a ticket when a threshold is exceeded, e.g. Subject: Computer 1 – CPU usage 100% – Error A few minutes later, once the issue resolvesPaging through API results. a major gap in your documentation.
There is no way for me. to get all of my data through a single API call. Typically REST APis have mechanisms for paging through API results. But the documentation for the API I am using: https://desk.zoho.com/DeskAPIDocument#Introduction Has no mentionRouteIQ for Zoho FSM
Beste, Zou wel top zijn dat we een RouteIQ hebben voor FSM aangezien we constant moeten zien wat de beste route is voor onze monteurs. Nu moeten we een speciale aparte programma hebben om de beste route te berrekenen voor onze monteurs aangezien de planningHow do people handle using Outlook and Zoho Project calendar at the same time?
We have an ongoing problem in our organisation where we use Zoho Projects to plan all of our projects tasks and that also allows us to look forward using the workload report to see which of our consultants are overstretched etc and which are available.Knowledgebase SEO
We have a custom-domain mapped help center that is not restricted via login. I have some questions: a) will a robots.txt file still allow us to control indexing? b) do we have the ability to edit the sitemap? c) do category URLs get indexed by searchPlease, make writer into a content creation tool
I'm tired of relying on Google Docs. I'm actually considering moving to ClickUp, but if Writer were a good content creation tool instead of just a word processor, I would finally be able to move all my development within the Zoho ecosystem, rather thanChanging field types
Question im a Zoho CRM user and curious, if I change a flied type from single or multi line text to a URL field type will i lose the data in the field or will it be converted to website link automatically. ThanksHow do I associate pricebooks to a customer?
I setup a few pricebooks, that worked fine. But now the only thing I can do with it, when I enter a quote or sales order, I can select which pricebook to use, but I have to do this product by product every time I add one. Is there a way to connect a pricebookWrite-Off multiple invoices and tax calculation
Good evening, I have many invoices which are long overdue and I do not expect them to be paid. I believe I should write them off. I did some tests and I have some questions: - I cannot find a way to write off several invoices together. How can I do that,Leave Report Emailed Weekly
I am wondering if someone knows how to have a report generated either weekly or monthly or both for department heads and ownership of upcoming employee leave. For instance, it would be nice to get an emailed report on Friday for the upcoming week of whoZoho desk desktop application
does zoho desk has a destop applicaion?Tip #54- Exploring the Files Icon in Zoho Assist- 'Insider Insights'
As we’re already in mid-December, it’s a good time to take a closer look at one of the most useful options in the Zoho Assist remote support dashboard—the Files icon. To get started, log in to Zoho Assist using your credentials. Once you’re in, navigateTip#47: Estimation planner
Sprint planning becomes easier, smoother, more collaborative and more accurate with the Estimation Planner extension. Most work items involve multiple users, and each user's role and effort vary. To provide an unbiased and fair estimation point to thePainfully Slow Zoho mail
Since yesterday Zoho Mail seems to have starting functioning very slowly and having a few bugs. It's slow to open mails, slow to send, slow to change between email accounts. Sometimes clicking on a particular folder (eg Sent folder) stops working andUpcoming update to Google Drive integration in Zoho Creator
Hello everyone, We're writing to inform you about an upcoming update to how Zoho Creator integrates with Google Drive. In Zoho Creator, during actions like importing files to create an app or attaching files to fields, you can choose files directly fromChanging Default PDF Name
Is it possible to change the default name of a PDF? As of right now, all of my quotes are named 'QT_$QuoteNumber' (i,e: 'QT_19803471298374) - would it be possible to change this to: '$CompanyName - $AccountName - $QuoteNumber' for instance?Time Tracking on Iphone doesn't stop
When I start a time tracking session the timer starts as expected. However when I hit stop, the timer remains on that project. The only buttons available are discard and start. Start runs the timer more and discard says it will throw away the data fromZoho Sign - Zoho CRM extension upgrade
Hi everyone, We've updated Zoho Sign extension for Zoho CRM with significant internal changes. Impact on existing Zoho Sign extension users Users using the extension without customization If you are using the integration without implementing Zoho Sign'sZoho Books blocks invoicing without VeriFactu even though it is not mandatory until 2027
I would like to highlight a very serious issue in Zoho Books for Spain. 1. The Spanish government has postponed the mandatory start of VeriFactu to January 1st, 2027. This means that during all of 2026 businesses are NOT required to transmit invoicesGroup by Owner/ Owner Kanban /Group by Custom Field
Hi, We are missing the option of viewing Tasks grouped by their owner, as it is an essential function for us to manage our employees' working tasks. We find it hard to inspect what are the tasks that our employees are working on. We are seeking an optionFlow using way too many tasks
I built a flow that is using way too many tasks for what it is doing. I reached out to support a week ago but never heard back so hoping the community can help. Does a filter count as a task? I am seeing tons of records filtered with < 1 Sec Time TakenRegarding the integration of Apollo.io with Zoho crm.
I have been seeing for the last 3 months that your Apollo.io beta version is available in Zoho Flow, and this application has not gone live yet. We requested this 2 months ago, but you guys said that 'we are working on it,' and when we search on GoogleStart Workflow from Deluge Script
I have developed a customized process from our CRM that leverages a deluge script to create a statement of work document. Once the document has been created via the merge and store function, I would like the ability to start a workdrive review & approveSaved Sections?
In sites editor, the + button reveals options to add a section, element, etc. It includes Saved Sections, but I can find no way to save a section I've already created. Otherwise, is there a way to copy a section from one page to another?Marketer's Space: Unable to select a sender address? Here's the fix
Hello Marketers, Welcome back to yet another post! So you've added a sender address in Zoho Campaigns and later found that you're not able to select it while creating an email campaign. Has this ever happened to you? If so, don't worry—you're not alone.Loading Project Balances in ZOHO Books for each project
Hello, What is the best method for loading project balances actual and budget into ZOHO books to provide tracking to our project managers. We have projects and federal awards (also treated as projects) which span multiple years. We are converting fromAuto-Invite Users to Portals in Zoho CRM based on Conditions
Hello Everyone, You can now automate portal invitations in Zoho CRM with the new Auto-Invite users feature in Portal management. No more manually enabling portal access one by one. With this enhancement, you can automatically send invites for users toScale up your writing style with content analysis tool in Knowledge Base
Hello everyone, Sometimes writers may have strong knowledge about the subject but may find it challenging to articulate clearly or produce comprehensible, jargon free content. To make the process easier and to ensure consistent, high-quality articles,Zoho Books "Update" Trigger for Zapier?
Hi Zoho Team, I've been in talks with Zapier about using their services to connect my Zoho Books account to various apps, but I require an additional trigger beyond the "New" trigger. I require an "Update" trigger, which will allow me to filter and create Zaps only when certain conditions are fulfilled on the Zoho Books end before I automate a separate app. Specifically this will help me create invoices in QuickBooks Online only when payments are recorded in Zoho Books, rather than when a new invoiceHow to prevent editing of closed tickets in Zoho Desk?
I would like to confirm whether it is possible to completely prevent agents from editing tickets once their status is set to Closed. Is there any configuration, permission, or best practice in Zoho Desk to ensure that closed tickets remain read-only andZoho Desk Limitations
Good day, all, I would like to know whether others share my frustration with some of Zoho's limitations. Don't get me wrong, I like Desk (and I also have a subscription for Analytics), I have been with them for close to 10 years, and unfortunately, ICliq 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 ? RegardsNew Mandatory One-Click Unsubscribe Link Overshadowing Custom Unsubscribe Link
I was recently informed by Zoho CRM Support that they are now mandated by the large email service providers like Google and Yahoo to provide a one-click unsubscribe option in the header (not the body) of all mass emails. I have a custom unsubscribe linkNext Page