Kaizen #60 - Get Records, Search Records, Query and Bulk Read APIs

Kaizen #60 - Get Records, Search Records, Query and Bulk Read APIs

Hi everyone.. Welcome back!

In this post, we will discuss when to use Get Records, Search Records, Query, and Bulk Read APIs to fetch records. Please note that the information in the article holds true for version 3 of Zoho CRM APIs.

Get Records API

The GET Records API allows you to fetch all the records from a module in your CRM account. 

When should you use GET Records API?

       Use this API to fetch a specific set of records whose IDs you already know, or to fetch all the records from a module without any filters, or using the pre-defined filters.
      For instance, when you want to render a mobile/web UI to show the list of records in a module or a specific custom view, you can make use of Get Records API.

Pagination

  • You can retrieve up to 200 records using this API in a single call.
  • To fetch more than 200 records, you must use pagination and make further API requests with the page parameter.
  • For more than 2000 and up to a maximum of 100,000 records, use the page_token parameter in the request. The value for this parameter is available from the key "next_page_token" in the response of the first Get Records call. 
  • You cannot use the page_token parameter with the page parameter.

Points to remember

  • You should specify the field API names to fetch the records.
  • You can fetch up to 50 fields using this API.
  • You can sort the records by id, Created_Time and Modified_Time fields.
  • Each Get Records API call consumes one API credit.

Examples

1. To fetch the records from 1801-2000 in the Leads module with the Last_Name and Email fields

The info JSON object in the response contains the next_page_token to retrieve the next set of records. 

2. To fetch after 2000 records
 [GET] "https://www.zohoapis.com/crm/v3/Leads&fields=Last_Name,Email&per_page=200 
&page_token="db8d4276axxxxxxx713748a4e""

Search Records API

Search Records API lets you search for records in a module based on a criteria that you define. You can search for records with a specific word in the text fields, or by email or phone fields across the specified module. You can also search for a variety of other fields like currency, Date, DateTime, picklists etc.

When should you use Search Records API?

      Use this API when you want to search for a specific text, phone or email in the records of a module, or when you want to do a module-level word search. Search API is the go-to API  when you know the details like email, phone or a specific text, but not the individual IDs of the records.
      For example, when you want to render a search box in your web/mobile UI, and do a module-level search for the word, use Search Records API. 

Pagination

  • You can search for up to 200 records in one API request.
  • To fetch more than 200 and up to 2000 records, use the page parameter.

Points to remember

  • Your search criteria can have  equalsstarts_withinequalsnot_equalgreater_equalgreater_thanless_equalless_thanstarts_with, or between conditions.
  • There will be a delay in accessing recently inserted or updated records using this API due to data indexing.
  • Due to the indexing delay, it is advised not to use Search API to check for record duplication while creating a new record. 
  • Each Search Records API call consumes one API credit

Examples

1. To search for all the Leads with the word Zoho in the record

2. To fetch records from the Leads module whose Last_Name is 'Thomas' and First_Name starts with 'M'

Query API

Query API lets you query for records based on queries using the CRM Object Query Language(COQL). COQL is based on the SQL query syntax, and supports the SELECT query to fetch records. Using this API, you can query for data across different modules that are linked using lookup fields.  This API allows you to search for a variety of fields like picklist, Date, DateTime, Lookup, Number, Currency, Boolean, or string fields, and sort the records on the basis of any field.

When should you use Query API?

      To query for a module's data and its lookup related data using various comparators, or when you want to query for records that fall into a custom view without actually creating one.
      For instance, when you want to filter all the products in a specific price range, with 4 stars and up rating, use Query API.
      You can also use Query API to query for records from cross module (linked via lookup field). Eg: Filtering deals based on the account's location and industry type. In this example, Deals is the primary module linked with Accounts module via the lookup field 'Accounts_Name'.

Pagination

  • You can retrieve 200 records in one API call using this API.
  • To fetch more than 200 records and upto 10000 records, use the OFFSET clause. 

Points to remember

  • You can use DB comparators such as =, >, <, >=, <=, is null, is not null, between, in, not in, like, and not like in your search query.
  • You can fetch a maximum of 10000 records using this API.
  • You can use Query API to check for record duplication while creating a new record in your web/mobile UI apps.
  • Each Query API call consumes one API credit.

Examples

1. Cross Module Filtering : To filter deals based on its corresponding account's location and industry type.

"select_query": "select Deal_Name, Stage, Probability, Type, Account_Name from Deals where ((Account_Name.Location = 'Texas') AND (Account_Name.Industry = 'Military'))"

2. Consider the following custom view.

You can fetch the records in the custom view using the following SELECT query, without actually creating the custom view.
 { "select_query": "select Last_Name, Owner.last_name from Leads where ((Industry  = 'ERP') and (Owner = '4876876000000327001')) OR (Rating =    'Acquired')" }

For more examples, refer to our Get Records through COQL page
TIP : If you want to fetch all the records in a module using COQL Query API, you can still use the COQL query to do it. For example, the below example will fetch all the records in the Leads module.
   {  "select_query": "select Last_Name, Owner.last_name from Leads where ((Industry  = 'ERP') OR (Industry  != 'ERP'))"}

Bulk Read API

Bulk Read API lets you export data in bulk from a module. Using this API, you can export records based on a query, or export all the records in a module with or without filters. The main advantage of Bulk read API is in the huge number of records it can retrieve in one API call. While you can fetch 200 records per API call for GET Records API, Search Records API and Query API, you can export 200,000 records per API call using the Bulk read API. 

When should you use Bulk read API?

When you want to schedule a job to export huge volume of CRM data.
For instance, when you want to export the list of all the records from a  Zoho CRM  module to sync with your local ERP system's data store, use Bulk read API. 

Points to remember

  • Bulk read is an asynchronous API.
  • The result of the bulk read job will be available as a downloadable CSV/ICS file.
  • Each Bulk read API call consumes 50 API credits.
  • To export more than 200,000 records, use the page key in the request body. Setting page to '2' exports data starting from 200,001.

Sample Scenario

Let us now consider the case where you want to fetch (a)2000, (b)5000, (c)10000 and (d)15000 records from a module, and see which API is best-suited for each case.

 Number of records
 Get Records API
Search Records API
Query API
Bulk read API
2000
  • 10 API calls
  • 10 API credits
  • Use pagination
  • 10 API calls
  • 10 API credits
  • Use pagination
  • 10 API calls
  • 10 API credits
  • Use OFFSET
  • 1 API call
  • 50 API credits
5000
  • 25 API calls
  • 25 API credits
  • use pagination (up to 2000 records) & page_token (after 2000 records)

Not possible to fetch more than 2000 records
  • 25 API calls
  • 25 API credits
  • Use OFFSET 
  • 1 API call
  • 50 API credits
10000
  • 50 API calls
  • 50 API credits
  • use pagination (up to 2000 records) & page_token (after 2000 records)

Not possible to fetch more than 2000 records
  • 50 API calls
  • 50 API credits
  • Use OFFSET
  • 1 API call
  • 50 API credits

15000
  • 75 API calls
  • 75 API credits
  • use pagination (up to 2000 records) & page_token (after 2000 records)

Not possible to fetch more than 2000 records

Not possible to fetch more than 10000 records
  • 1 API call
  • 50 API credits

To sum up, for up to 2000 records, the Get Records API, Search Records API, and Query API all use the same API credits. However, Query API has the edge over the other two because it provides you with greater flexibility to tweak your criteria, thanks to all the comparators and logical operations it supports.  If you intend to fetch 10,000 or more records asynchronously, the Bulk Read API is preferable in terms of API credits consumed. For synchronously fetching more than 10,000 records, use the Get Records API.


Feature
Get Records API
Search Records API
Query API
Bulk Read API
Maximum number of records per API call
 200
 200
 200
 200,000
 For Events - 20,000
Maximum number of records that can be fetched
 100,000
 2000
 10,000
 100,000,000
Indexing Delay
 No 
 Yes
 No 
 NA
Pagination
Use page parameter to retrieve more than 200 records and page_token parameter for more than 200 recordsUse page parameter to retrieve up to 2000 recordsUse LIMIT and OFFSET to navigate and retrieve a maximum of up to 10,000 recordsUse page key in the request body to fetch more than 200,000 records. Maximum possible value for page is 500
Sorting supportLimited (id, Created_Time and Modified_Time fields )
 No
 Yes
 No
Credits per API call
 1
 3 - with CVID parameter
 1
 1
 50

We hope you found this post useful. Let us know your thoughts in the comment section or reach out to us at support@zohocrm.com

Thank You!




    Access your files securely from anywhere

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






                              Zoho Developer Community




                                                    • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                    • Digest


                                                    • Functions


                                                    • Meetups


                                                    • Kbase


                                                    • Resources


                                                    • Glossary


                                                    • Desk Marketplace


                                                    • MVP Corner


                                                    • Word of the Day


                                                    • Ask the Experts



                                                              • 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



                                                                    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

                                                                                        • 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

                                                                                                                • Kaizen #233 - Generating AI-powered Follow-up Emails Using CRM Functions and Widgets

                                                                                                                  Hey everyone! Welcome back to another interesting post in the Kaizen series! Sales teams regularly capture interaction notes in CRM after speaking with prospects. However, drafting a follow-up email that reflects the conversation context can be repetitive
                                                                                                                • Connect Bank in Zoho Books

                                                                                                                  Can I connect UOB or Ariwallex in Zoho Books?
                                                                                                                • Using MPN across multiple SKUs and inventory tracking

                                                                                                                  I have several different SKU's that share a common MPN and would like to track inventory by MPN. SKU1 has MPN1 assigned SKU2 has MPN1 assigned Here is an example If I start with 5 of MPN 1 in stock I want each SKU1 and SKU2 to show as 5 in stock, If I
                                                                                                                • Extend Zoho Canvas Customization to Zoho Creator Forms and Reports

                                                                                                                  Currently, Zoho Canvas allows users to design and customize the UI of Zoho CRM modules with a much better visual experience. This helps organizations create cleaner layouts, improve usability, and design interfaces that match their workflows. However,
                                                                                                                • Marketing Tip #1: Optimize item titles for SEO

                                                                                                                  Your item title is the first thing both Google and shoppers notice. Instead of a generic “Leather Bag,” go for something detailed like “Handcrafted Leather Laptop Bag – Durable & Stylish.” This helps your items rank better in search results and instantly
                                                                                                                • Feature Enhancement Request – Text Formatting Options in Item Description (Zoho Books/Quotes Module)

                                                                                                                  Dear Zoho Development Team, Greetings from Radiant360 Integrated Technical Services LLC. We would like to bring to your attention a functional limitation we've encountered within the Item Table / Quote Description section of Zoho Books (and Zoho CRM Quotes).
                                                                                                                • ZOHO Books Query

                                                                                                                  Good day, Can someone please advise. I recently migrated from ZOHO Invoice to ZOHO Books. No that I want to use the inventory on Books I cant as all my items have transaction history. The person I spoke to at ZOHO said I need to create a new Company profile
                                                                                                                • Best way to schedule bill payments to vendors

                                                                                                                  I've integrated Forte so that I can convert POs to bills and make payments to my vendors all through Books. Is there a way to schedule the bill payments as some of my vendors are net 30, net 60 and even net 90 days. If I can't get this to work, I'll have
                                                                                                                • ZOHO.CRM.UI.Record.open not working properly

                                                                                                                  I have a Zoho CRM Widget and in it I have a block where it will open the blocks Meeting like below block.addEventListener("click", () => { ZOHO.CRM.UI.Record.open({ Entity: "Events", RecordID: meeting.id }).catch(err => { console.error("Open record failed:",
                                                                                                                • inventory removal at packing list or shipment.

                                                                                                                  currently our system is set to remove inventory at invoice. This is creating an inventory nightmare? Is it possible to change the settings to remove the item from inventory at either the packing slip stage or shipping the item.
                                                                                                                • How to add employee and not invite them to log in?

                                                                                                                  I want to add 50 employees, but invite them only when everything will be configured and ready. Is it possible? Should we create employee profiles and then convert them later? Thank you,
                                                                                                                • How is Your eCommerce Experience w/Zoho Inventory?

                                                                                                                  First off, I'm SUPER grateful for the advent of Zoho Inventory and now the Zoho Commerce Suite. Overall, Inventory is a great product, especially for customers without an eCommerce presence. For eCommerce companies (especially those shipping more than ~10 packages/day), however, there are certain drawbacks that keep my clients from moving over to Zoho Inventory: Cons: 1. Invoice + Package Creation from Shopify/Other eCommerce Integrations: Zoho Inventory makes the somewhat perplexing decision to
                                                                                                                • Ability to Use Both AND and OR When Creating Rules (Advanced Conditions)

                                                                                                                  I'd like to be able to use more complicated logic when setting up rules. E.g. in Zoho Mail, I can choose "Advanced conditions (AND/OR) to create a rule that can be applied to multiple subject lines from the same sender. But in Zoho TeamInbox, I will have
                                                                                                                • Zoho Desktop App- Unable to Minimize/Freezes

                                                                                                                  I'm having issues with my Zoho Mail desktop app (PC). When go on my desktop and open the app this is what happens: - Unable to minimize and close app (in the screenshot attached you can see at the top right there is no option to minimize/close) - Unable
                                                                                                                • Zoho Invoice Zapier Integration

                                                                                                                  Is there still a way to use Zapier with Zoho Invoice? I've read online that that migrated to Zoho Books or Billing but since I am just using Invoice I can not find a Zapier Connection anymore.
                                                                                                                • Conect chat of salesiq with zoho cliq

                                                                                                                  Is there any way to answer from zoho cliq the chat of salesiq initiated by customers?
                                                                                                                • Bug: OAuth 2.0 State Parameter fails with Pipe Delimiters (RFC 6749 Non-Compliance)

                                                                                                                  I've discovered a bug in how Zoho's API Console handles the OAuth 2.0 authorization flow when the state parameter contains pipe characters (|), and I'm hoping the Zoho team can address this in a future update. The Issue Zoho's OAuth 2.0 implementation
                                                                                                                • 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
                                                                                                                • Print a document from Zoho Writer via Zoho Creator

                                                                                                                  If i use the code below i can get writer to create a new document or email it to me but i want to be able to print it directly from the browser and not have to send it via email and then print. Below is the code im using. Attached options form zoho writer
                                                                                                                • Is it possible to use HTML formatting in SMS messages sent from Zoho?

                                                                                                                  Hi everyone, I have a question regarding sending SMS from Zoho When we send emails from Zoho, we can include HTML code to format the message (like adding links, styling, etc.). Is it possible to do something similar when sending SMS messages through Zoho
                                                                                                                • Training for How can i Operate the Software Features

                                                                                                                  need to Help for Training of the ZOHO Billing Software
                                                                                                                • Automating Vendor Contract Management between Zoho Contracts and Zoho Books using Zoho Flow

                                                                                                                  Managing vendor agreements across procurement and finance systems often requires manually downloading executed contracts and attaching them to vendor records. This can become time-consuming and difficult to manage when dealing with a large number of contracts.
                                                                                                                • Problem applying batch operation error keeps looping that error

                                                                                                                  Problem applying batch operation error keeps looping that error an wont login
                                                                                                                • Shared Email Sending Duplicate Copies of Emails

                                                                                                                  Hi there, We recently have moved our info@ email to Team Inbox to trial. We set this channel up using the Microsoft setup which works fine and have 3 users. I am wanting to know: 1. When I send a new email, it will create a copy of that email and send
                                                                                                                • merhaba

                                                                                                                  merhaba sosyal medya paketimiz mevcut ama yorumları göremiyoruz ve o yüzden cevap veremiyoruz destek rica ediyoruz.
                                                                                                                • Teaminbox not working

                                                                                                                  We couldn't send or receive any mail within the team inbox. Displaying error 'Unable to process this request.'
                                                                                                                • Related lists New option in missing

                                                                                                                  hi I have created quite a few modules and added as related lists to my main module. Some have new, some dont I can not see why?
                                                                                                                • Cliq and ToDo integrations?

                                                                                                                  I'm a bit surprised not to find any way to open a Cliq chat for the current thread, or to create a Zoho Mail ToDo from a thread. Are these on the roadmap?
                                                                                                                • Reply-to names are mangled

                                                                                                                  Hello, I'm seeing an odd behavior in replies. Steps to reproduce: 1. Click reply to an email from "John Doe <doe.john@example.com> in TeamInbox Expected outcome: TO field pre-filled with "John Doe <doe.john@example.com>" Actual outcome: TO field pre-filled
                                                                                                                • I CANT UPGRADE MY FREE ACCOUNT

                                                                                                                  I TRY TO UPGRADE MY FREE ACCOUNT AND I COULD NOT UPGRADE IT CAN SOMEBODY TELL ME WHY? AND I HAVE THE MONEY SO.
                                                                                                                • Level up your ASO game with tags & categories in store reviews

                                                                                                                  Introducing tags and categories in Apptics' store reviews Dear Apptics community, If your app is listed on the Play Store or App Store, you already know how important store reviews and ratings are. They’re one of the most direct signals of user sentiment
                                                                                                                • Including attachments with estimates

                                                                                                                  How can attachments be included when an estimate is sent/emailed and when downloaded as a .pdf? Generally speaking, attachments should be included as part of an estimate package. Ultimately, this is also true for work orders and invoices.
                                                                                                                • Adding VENDOR SKU to PURCHASE ORDERS

                                                                                                                  how can we add the Vendor SKU when issuing a Purchase Order , so the PO shows the Supplier SKU and our own Internal SKU , which is what we want to receive into the system .
                                                                                                                • Possible to freely prompt/query CRM data using Zia?

                                                                                                                  Is it possible to prompt Zia to query on any information stored in the CRM, especially on the data stored in custom text fields? My use case is the people in my organisation have entered lots of text in custom text fields to capture information from an
                                                                                                                • Restrict employees to take only one day holiday from a multi-day festival holiday

                                                                                                                  Hi everyone, I have a requirement related to Optional/Festival Holidays in Zoho People. For example, in the month of May there are three optional holiday dates: May 11, May 12, and May 13. Employees can choose one of these days as their optional holiday.
                                                                                                                • Cannot modify colours in invoice email template

                                                                                                                  I have tried switching browsers... but I cannot change the (pretty horrible) default colours in the preset email when sending an invoice... the blue banner, red outstanding total and the bright green button... I can change other things but not the colours?
                                                                                                                • Cannot find zpuid for Zoho Projects user

                                                                                                                  I'm using the Zoho Projects v3 API to create a task. The task is created successfully, but in order to assign the task owner, the "Create a Task" API also requires the zpuid of the task owner. Unfortunately I cannot find any user-related API calls that
                                                                                                                • Print a document from Zoho Writer via Zoho Creator

                                                                                                                  If i use the code below i can get writer to create a new document or email it to me but i want to be able to print it directly from the browser and not have to send it via email and then print. Below is the code im using. Attached options form zoho writer
                                                                                                                • Allow styling for specific Subform fields in Zoho Creator

                                                                                                                  Sometimes in forms we need to visually highlight a specific field inside a Subform (for example Sanctioned Amount, Approved Value, Critical Fields, etc.) so that users immediately notice it while entering data. Currently there is no direct UI option to
                                                                                                                • Career site URL - Suggestion to modify URL of non-english job posting

                                                                                                                  Hi, I would like to suggest making a few modification to career sites that are not in english. Currently, the URL are a mix of different languages and are very long. It makes for very unprofessional looking URLs... Here is an example of one of our URL
                                                                                                                • Next Page