Kaizen #98 - Query API using v5 PHP SDK

Kaizen #98 - Query API using v5 PHP SDK

Hello and welcome to another week of Kaizen!

In our previous posts, we have already covered in detail about Query API, when to use them and their supported fields and operators with examples. Please refer to COQL API [Part I] and COQL API [Part II] for more details. In this week's post, we will discuss in detail how to use Query API in Zoho CRM PHP SDK. Please note that this article holds true for PHP SDK supporting version 5 of Zoho CRM APIs.

COQL (CRM Object Query Language) is a powerful query language based on SQL syntax that allows users to write their own queries and fetch records using module API names and field API names. Use Query API when you want to query for a module's data and/or it's look up related data using various comparators, or for records that fall into a custom view without actually creating one, or to query for records from cross-modules (linked via lookup field). 

How to construct a simple Query?

  1. Begin with the SELECT clause
  2. Specify the fields you want to fetch.
  3. Use the FROM clause to specify the module you are querying.
  4. Use the WHERE clause to apply conditions and filter the results based on specific criteria.
  5. Specify the conditions.
  6. Utilize additional clauses such as GROUP BY, ORDER BY, LIMIT, and OFFSET to further customize the query results if needed.

For example,
SELECT Last_Name, First_Name, Mobile FROM Leads WHERE (Lead_Status = 'Not Contacted') ORDER BY Last_Name DESC LIMIT 5 OFFSET 10;

COQL API using PHP SDK

To make a query, use the following code snippet in your code.

// Instantiate QueryOperations class
$queryOperations = new QueryOperations();
// Create a new BodyWrapper instance to set the query
$bodyWrapper = new BodyWrapper();
// Define your COQL select query
$selectQuery = "give_your_select_query_here";
// Set the select query in the body wrapper
$bodyWrapper->setSelectQuery($selectQuery);
// Execute the query and get the response
$response = $queryOperations->getRecords($bodyWrapper);


Let us explore in detail with examples how to use COQL for various field types and operators.

I. Text and Picklist Fields

The supported operators for Text and Picklist fields are =, !=, like, not like, in, not in, is null, is not null.

Sample code using =, like, in operators
<?php

use com\zoho\crm\api\query\BodyWrapper;
use com\zoho\crm\api\query\QueryOperations;
require_once "vendor/autoload.php";

class GetRecords
{
    public static function initialize()
    {
        // add initialisation code
        // refer to this post for details and examples 
    }
    public static function getRecords1()
    {
        $queryOperations = new QueryOperations();
        $bodyWrapper = new BodyWrapper();
        $selectQuery =
            "SELECT First_Name, Last_Name FROM Leads WHERE (((Lead_Status = 'Attempted to Contact') and (Company like '%zylker%')) and Lead_Source in ('Employee Referral', 'Advertisement')) LIMIT 5 OFFSET 10";
        $bodyWrapper->setSelectQuery($selectQuery);
        $response = $queryOperations->getRecords($bodyWrapper);
        //Add your code to handle the response received in $response. To know more, refer to this sample code.
    }
}
GetRecords::initialize();
GetRecords::getRecords1();
?>


Please note that the like operator is used for pattern matching, and is used for starts_with, ends_with, and  contains operators. In this example query, LIKE operator with the pattern %zylker% is used to find records where the Company field contains the substring zylker anywhere within its value. The % symbol represents any number of characters (including none) before or after the pattern zylker. % is the only supported wildcard character for Zoho CRM Query APIs. 

II. Lookup Fields

The supported operators for Lookup fields are =, !=, in, not in, is null, is not null.

Sample Query using !=, is not, not in, is not null

<?php
use com\zoho\crm\api\query\BodyWrapper;
use com\zoho\crm\api\query\QueryOperations;
require_once "vendor/autoload.php";

class GetRecords
{
    public static function initialize()
    {
        // add initialisation code
         // refer to this post for details and examples 
    }
    public static function getRecords1()
    {
        $queryOperations = new QueryOperations();
        $bodyWrapper = new BodyWrapper();
       $selectQuery = "SELECT Last_Name, First_Name, Full_Name, Account_Name, Owner from Contacts where (((Account_Name.Account_Name != 'Zylker') and (Reporting_To is not null)) and Vendor_Name.Vendor_Name not in ('Skytech','SR'))";
        $bodyWrapper->setSelectQuery($selectQuery);
        $response = $queryOperations->getRecords($bodyWrapper);
         //Add your code to handle the response received in $response. To know more, refer to this sample code.
    }
}
GetRecords::initialize();
GetRecords::getRecords1();
?>

III. Date, DateTime, Number, Currency Fields

=, !=, >=, >, <=, <, between, not between, in, not in, is null, is not null are the supported operators for these fields.

Sample Query using between, <, >, >=

<?php

use com\zoho\crm\api\query\BodyWrapper;
use com\zoho\crm\api\query\QueryOperations;
require_once "vendor/autoload.php";

class GetRecords
{
    public static function initialize()
    {
        // add initialisation code
         // refer to this post for details and examples 
    }
    public static function getRecords1()
    {
        $queryOperations = new QueryOperations();
        $bodyWrapper = new BodyWrapper();
       $selectQuery = "SELECT Deal_Name, Amount, Stage, Probability FROM Deals WHERE ((Closing_Date between '2023-01-01' and '2023-03-31') and (Probability < 99)) and ((Amount > 10000) OR (Exchange_Rate >= 5))";
        $bodyWrapper->setSelectQuery($selectQuery);
        $response = $queryOperations->getRecords($bodyWrapper);
         //Add your code to handle the response received in $response. To know more, refer to this sample code.
    }
}
GetRecords::initialize();
GetRecords::getRecords1();
?>


Note : 
Use the following formats for Date and DateTime fields.
Date : YYYY-MM-DD (eg: 2023-01-01)
DateTime : YYYY-MMDDTHH:mm:ss+/HH:mm (eg: 2023-05-03T20:39:19+05:30)

IV. Boolean

= is the only supported operator for Boolean Fields. You should provide the value as either true or false.

<?php

use com\zoho\crm\api\query\BodyWrapper;
use com\zoho\crm\api\query\QueryOperations;
require_once "vendor/autoload.php";

class GetRecords
{
    public static function initialize()
    {
        // add initialisation code
         // refer to this post for details and examples 
    }
    public static function getRecords1()
    {
        $queryOperations = new QueryOperations();
        $bodyWrapper = new BodyWrapper();
       $selectQuery = "select Product_Name, Product_Code from Products where Product_Active = 'true'";
        $bodyWrapper->setSelectQuery($selectQuery);
        $response = $queryOperations->getRecords($bodyWrapper);
        //Add your code to handle the response received in $response. To know more, refer to this sample code.
    }
}
GetRecords::initialize();
GetRecords::getRecords1();
?>

Aggregate Function Support 

Aggregate functions in COQL allow you to perform calculations on groups of records in a module. The available aggregate functions are SUM, MIN, MAX, AVG, and COUNT.
  • SUM is used to sum up the values of an aggregate field in a module.
  • MAX is used to find the largest value of a field in a module.
  • MIN is used to find the smallest value of a field in a module.]
  • AVG is used to find the average value of a field in a module.
  • COUNT is used to count the number of records in a module satisfying a certain criteria.
This feature allows users to perform complex queries on their data and get insights that would not be possible with simple SELECT queries. For example, you could use aggregate functions to find the total revenue generated by all leads in a month, or the average age of all customers in a region.

<?php

use com\zoho\crm\api\query\BodyWrapper;
use com\zoho\crm\api\query\QueryOperations;
require_once "vendor/autoload.php";

class GetRecords
{
    public static function initialize()
    {
        // add initialisation code
         // refer to this post for details and examples 
    }
    public static function getRecords1()
    {
        $queryOperations = new QueryOperations();
        $bodyWrapper = new BodyWrapper();
       $selectQuery = "SELECT MIN(Amount), MAX(Amount) FROM Deals WHERE Stage = 'Closed Won'";
        $bodyWrapper->setSelectQuery($selectQuery);
        $response = $queryOperations->getRecords($bodyWrapper);
        //Add your code to handle the response received in $response. To know more, refer to this sample code.
    }
}
GetRecords::initialize();
GetRecords::getRecords1();
?>

This query will return the minimum and maximum deal amounts for all deals that have been closed won.

In this guide, we've explored how to use the Query API within Zoho CRM using PHP SDK effectively. By employing COQL, you can create intricate queries to extract specific data from modules, apply various operators, and even utilize aggregate functions for deeper insights. Whether you're seeking lead details, complex filters, or aggregate calculations, Query API empowers you to interact with your CRM data seamlessly. 

If you have any queries, let us know the comments below, or send an email to support@zohocrm.com. We would love to hear from you. Your commitment to Kaizen drives us forward!!

Stay tuned for more useful posts in the series! 


    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

                                                                                                                • Zoho unified inbox

                                                                                                                  The new changes have definitely improved things for switching between accounts.  But zoho still desperately needs a unified inbox.  It sucks to have to enter filters and folders for each and every inbox.  This seems like such a simple thing, i wonder why Zoho hasn't done it?

                                                                                                                • Best Practice for Penny Rounding & FX Adjustments in Zoho Books

                                                                                                                  Hi everyone, I’m just looking for some clarity on the correct way to handle very small rounding differences in Zoho Books when dealing with foreign-currency payments. What I’m currently doing: • I enter the supplier bill exactly as shown. • When paying

                                                                                                                • Is there a problem with sharing workdrive files with links since last night?

                                                                                                                  As per title, we can't access folders/files through share links since last night. I created ticket but we need quick solution and didn't hear back from the support yet. The files are still accessible by the main account but all zoho files that we are

                                                                                                                • Enable Screen Recording in Zoho WorkDrive Mobile Apps (Android & iOS)

                                                                                                                  Hi Zoho WorkDrive Team, How are you? We are enthusiastic Zoho One users and rely heavily on Zoho WorkDrive for internal collaboration and content sharing. The screen-recording feature in the WorkDrive web app (similar to Loom) is extremely useful- however,

                                                                                                                • Production Management Tool (MRP / BOM)

                                                                                                                  Hi Guys, is there any recommended App available that works with zoho and covers the needed applications for a production? What we need is a system that covers the BOM (bill of materials), MRP (material ressources planning), MRP II (manufacturing ressources

                                                                                                                • Bug in Zoho Cliq Signup Flow – "%s" Placeholder Visible Instead of Product Name

                                                                                                                  Hi Zoho Team, I would like to report a UI bug in the Zoho Cliq signup/enable flow. During the step where Cliq asks to enable the product for the company, the following text appears: Great! Your company is already available in Zoho, so you just have to

                                                                                                                • Exporting tickets

                                                                                                                  I went to Setup -> Organization -> Import/Export in order to export tickets but found 2 issues: 1. The email body never gets exported. 2. There are some large numbers (like 5.57E+16) under certain columns of the exported CSV file. I could not find any export options. Please can you help with this?

                                                                                                                • Copy field information to clipboard

                                                                                                                  I need to be able to transfer some field information in to the clipboard, so that I can then paste it in to our helpdesk system. Is there a way I could add a button to a detail report that does this?

                                                                                                                • Issuing reconciling a bank statement

                                                                                                                  HELP! I'm trying to reconcile a bank statement. The prior month reconciled perfectly. Beginning balance is correct yet I'm off by the same amount each time. Both myself and my office manager, separately and together, have tried to complete this reconciliation

                                                                                                                • Detect and ignore bots in visitors

                                                                                                                  The SalesIQ visitor numbers are basically useless to us because there is no bot detection. We get the same bots coming in from the same countries looking at the same pages every day. It can't be that difficult to tell the difference between an actual

                                                                                                                • Add Real-Time Microphone Audio-Level Indicator During Screen Recording

                                                                                                                  Hi Zoho WorkDrive Team, Hope you are doing well. We would like to request an important enhancement to the Zoho WorkDrive screen-recording experience. Current Limitation: During a recording session, there is no visual indication that the microphone is

                                                                                                                • Zero Personalization of the File Sharing Experience

                                                                                                                  By now (2025) this is the maximum level of personalization available for a Zoho sharing link. We gently asked Zoho if we could modify at least the background, and they replied that it cannot be customized. We're truly disappointed – and surprised every

                                                                                                                • Request for Solution to Reverse $500,000+ FY2024 Inventory/COGS Discrepancy in Zoho

                                                                                                                  Dear Zoho Support Team, I hope you are doing well. We are contacting you regarding a significant discrepancy in our financial data within Zoho Books/Inventory, and we urgently need your guidance on how to correct and reverse these issues. After reviewing

                                                                                                                • Two factor authentication for helpdesk users

                                                                                                                  The company i work for wants use the helpdesk site in Zoho desk, as a place for their distribution partners to ask question and look for information about our product. The things there is suppose to go up there is somewhat confidential between my company

                                                                                                                • Kiosk can't merge picklist or multiselect

                                                                                                                  There is no ability to load a multiselect or picklikst field into a kiosk with the values that have been previously selected. So, I essentially have 3 unacceptable options: 1.)Load the value into a text string and include instructions like this: "Picklist

                                                                                                                • AGE field from DATE OF BIRTH Field.

                                                                                                                  HI! I have a field called date of birth in my CRM (LEADS, CONTACT etc…)     How can I know the AGE today   I would like to create a field AGE. I now how to create a field but I don´t which calculation (CUSTOM FUCTION) to make ¿ANY HELP?

                                                                                                                • How to update/remove file in zoho creator widgets using javascript API

                                                                                                                  Hi Team, I have developed a widget which allows inserting and updating records I have file upload field with multiple file upload. Now while doing insert form record, I am using uploadFile API to upload files for that record. I am using updateRecord API

                                                                                                                • Announcing new features in Trident for Windows (v.1.34.4.0)

                                                                                                                  Hello Community! Trident for Windows just got better! With this update we have features that make your daily work easier and more efficient. We've added some features that are exclusive to our app and we're sure you'll find them useful. Let’s dive into

                                                                                                                • Report Hover Setting

                                                                                                                  Would be great if we will able to show information to the user while hovering a record in a report.

                                                                                                                • Vertical images displayed as horizontal

                                                                                                                  Some pictures that originally are in vertical position are displayed in horizontal after the upload. It seems that system rotates them by 90 degrees. How can I fix this issue?

                                                                                                                • Plug Samples #12: Verify Customer Mobile Numbers with OTP to Avoid Spam Entries

                                                                                                                  Hi Everyone! Verifying customer information is critical in business to filter out junk data and spammers. Whether it’s lead generation, appointment booking, or any other operation, ensuring quality data is essential for driving meaningful outcomes. A

                                                                                                                • Zoho Desk iOS app update: Saved filters and sort options

                                                                                                                  Hello everyone! Saved filters created on the web(desk.zoho.com) for tickets are now accessible on the Zoho Desk iOS app. You can easily rename, delete, or clear filters on the go. We have also introduced Sort options on the ticket listing screen, allowing

                                                                                                                • Big Things Just Dropped in the SalesIQ Universe: Top Upgrades You’ll Love in Nova’25

                                                                                                                  Nova'25 has landed, and it’s packed with meaningful upgrades to help you engage smarter, work faster, and scale with ease. Whether you're into proactive messaging, smarter automation, or better admin control, there's something here for everyone. Here's

                                                                                                                • Time Entries in Analytics

                                                                                                                  I am trying to import a zoho sheet into zoho analytics. In my sheets one of the columns has "time Entries" in this "format HH:MM am/pm" example 11:00 PM. After import, i noticed that analytics converted the time to "00 Jan 1900 23:00:00".. how do i maintain

                                                                                                                • Amazon invoice in Zoho Books

                                                                                                                  I have just made my first few sales on Amazon India. Amazon Seller account generates invoices for the sales made on Amazon. These invoices are sent to customers also. Now when I was only making offline sales, I used to create Invoices in Zoho Book. Now

                                                                                                                • Zoho Creator Upcoming Updates - November 2025

                                                                                                                  Hello everyone, Welcome to your monthly roundup of new features and enhancements! We hope you've already taken a look at Release Projection 2—it details the features coming your way for the rest of the year. And this month, we're excited to start rolling

                                                                                                                • Zoho Webinar + HubSpot : Simplifiez la gestion de vos données de webinaires

                                                                                                                  Les webinaires sont aujourd’hui essentiels pour interagir avec vos prospects et vos clients. Cependant, la gestion des données entre plusieurs plateformes peut vite devenir complexe. Grâce à la nouvelle intégration entre Zoho Webinar et HubSpot, vos outils

                                                                                                                • I am trying to give access to one of our educators access to 3 forms in Zoho and she is not able to view the data - Access issue

                                                                                                                  Hi Team, When I try to provide read access to one of our educators on Zoho for Pre-training , post training and Impact survey forms submit form access which also allows them to read , it does not show them data

                                                                                                                • How to book GST paid in zoho books

                                                                                                                  hi, i am a new user to Zoho books and not able to book GST paid in books, kindly suggest how i can book it in books. thanks, siddharth

                                                                                                                • PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK (CORPORATE) INDIA - NOT AVAILABLE IN BANKING

                                                                                                                  Dear sir, Kindly fix it. PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK (INDIA) is available but PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK (CORPORATE) is not available. Kindly enable this banking since we need to categorize the entries. Regards, Sanjay Jena email id/ user id : travewithmerchant@

                                                                                                                • Unable to Delete Items – No Visible Transactions but Error “Items which are a part of other transactions cannot be deleted…”

                                                                                                                  Hello Community, We are using Zoho Inventory for our business and encountered a persistent issue that is preventing us from deleting certain items. The message shown is: “Items which are a part of other transactions cannot be deleted. Instead, mark them

                                                                                                                • 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

                                                                                                                • Your bot just got smarter: AI-Powered routing that reads between the lines

                                                                                                                  What if your bot could tell the difference? Between a visitor who just needs a quick answer, someone actively comparing options, and a frustrated customer one click away from leaving? Most bots can't. They deliver the same response to everyone, missing

                                                                                                                • Weekly Tips : Master Keyboard Shortcuts in Zoho Mail

                                                                                                                  If you spend a lot of time managing emails, switching between your mouse and keyboard can slow you down. Whether you are replying to clients, organizing your inbox, or searching for messages, every second counts. So, how can you streamline your email

                                                                                                                • Introducing custom lookup fields in the Tickets, Contacts, and Accounts modules

                                                                                                                  Hello all, We are excited to announce a new enhancement that will empower you to further customize the Tickets, Contacts, and Accounts modules. Now, you will be able to create custom lookup fields in your Tickets, Contacts, and Accounts layouts for more

                                                                                                                • DKIM cannot be enabled for the domain as no verified default selector present

                                                                                                                  Can't get the DKIM working. May you please check my account (nksy.us) to see what's wrong?

                                                                                                                • Collections Management: #3 Tackling Payment Failures

                                                                                                                  Sam refreshed the dashboard. "Payment failed". Same customer. Same subscription. This is happening for the third time. He sends a usual email: "Your renewal payment failed again. Could you please check and retry?" A couple of days passed, and there was

                                                                                                                • How do I increase the email attachment size in Zoho CRM ?

                                                                                                                  It looks like I'm limited to 10MB when sending an attachment using the email widget on a record in Zoho CRM. Is there a way to increase the size? Or can I use some other tool? From what I'm reading online, I'm maxed out at 10MB. Any insight would be greatly

                                                                                                                • Zoho sign and creator error message {"code":9043,"error_param":"Checked by","message":"Extra key found","status":"failure"}

                                                                                                                  Good day, I receive the error message: {"code":9043,"error_param":"Checked by","message":"Extra key found","status":"failure"} when running below code from creator to sign, void TestForSign(int ID) { //Fetch Template Details (Optional, for dynamic mapping)

                                                                                                                • Download a writer template as .docx instead of .pdf.

                                                                                                                  I have been trying to implement a feature to download a writer template as a .docx and got it working partly but it isn't good. Earlier I checked our code and I saw openurl("https://crm.zoho.com/crm/org121314/specific/Template.do?action=print&step=pdfPreview&id="

                                                                                                                • Next Page