Import data from Zoho Creator

Zoho DataPrep allows you to seamlessly bring in your forms data from Zoho Creator using the Zoho Creator connector. Zoho Creator is a powerful low-code application development platform that helps businesses build custom web and mobile apps faster. With this connector, you can perform ETL operations, automate data movement, and ensure smooth data integration between your Zoho Creator and Zoho DataPrep.

To import data from Zoho Creator

1. Open an existing pipeline or create a pipeline from the Home Page, Pipelines tab or Workspaces tab and click the Add data option.

Info: You can also click the Import data

icon at the top of the pipeline builder to bring data from multiple sources into the pipeline.

2. Choose the Zoho Apps category from the left pane and click on Zoho Creator. You can also directly search the option in the search box.

3. Choose the required environment from the Choose environment dropdown.

Below are the available environments:

Development (BETA) - By default, when an application is created, it will be added to the Development environment. You can make the desired edits to the application in this environment. This section enables users to access the application while it's running in the development environment.

Stage (BETA) - After making changes in the Development environment, you can test the application in the Stage environment, an intermediate step between development and production before distributing the finalized changes.

Production - This is the live, production version of the application.

4. Choose the required workspace and application from the Choose workspace and Choose application dropdown.

5. You can choose to import all data, or configure your import since a previous date.

a) If you choose to import all data - All data available in the selected forms will be imported.

b) If you choose to import data from a specific date - All data recorded in the selected forms (both added and modified) since (on or after) the chosen date will be imported.

Info: The new and modified data will be fetched from the selected date using the Added_Time and Modified_Time columns generated while importing data from Creator (system generated columns).

6. In the Select forms box, you can choose the required forms to be imported from your Creator application.

Note: The forms created using integration with other applications and data sources (Integrated Datasource) cannot be imported into Zoho DataPrep.

7. The selected forms appear at the top. Click Import to import the selected forms into Zoho DataPrep.

8. Once you have completed importing data, Pipeline builder page will open from where you can start applying transforms to the ETL pipeline. You can also right-click the stage and choose the Prepare data option to prepare your data in the DataPrep Studio page. Click here to know more about the transforms.

9. Once you are done creating your data flow and applying necessary transforms in your stages, you can right-click a stage and add a destination to complete your data flow.

Note: After adding a destination to the pipeline, you can try executing your ETL pipeline using a manual run at first. Once you make sure manual run works, you can then set up schedule to automate the pipeline and data movement. Learn about the different types of runs here.

Schedule

You can schedule your pipeline using the Schedule option. You can also import incremental data from your Creator application while scheduling. Incremental data import is a method used to import new or modified records after the previous sync.

Schedule configuration

1. Select the Schedule option in the pipeline builder.

2. Select a Repeat method (hourly, daily, weekly, monthly) and set frequency using Perform every dropdown. The options of the Perform every dropdown change with the Repeat method. Click here to know more.

3. Select the GMT at which you want to import new data found in the source. By default, your local time zone will be selected.

4. Pause schedule after: This option allows you to choose to pause the schedule after n number of failures.

Info: The range can be between 2-100. The default value is 2.

Import configuration

You can configure how to import and fetch incremental data from your Creator form using the Import configuration option.

Note: The import configuration needs to be mandatorily setup for all the sources in the pipeline. Without setting up the import configuration, the schedule cannot be saved.

5. Select the Click here link to set the import configuration.

6. Select the required option from the How to import data from source? drop down. You can choose to import all data, only modified and new data, only new data, or do not import data using this option.

Import all data

If you want to import all data, select the date from when data needs to be imported in the From field. This option will import all available data from the selected date for every scheduled run.

Incremental data fetch

Only modified and new data

To import the modified and new data incrementally from the last imported time, select Only modified and new data option from the drop-down.

Info: The modified and new data will be fetched using the Modified_Time and Added_Time columns from the last imported time.

Only new data

To import the new data incrementally from the last imported time, select Only new data option from the drop-down.

Info: The new data will be fetched using the Added_Time columns from the last imported time.

Use existing data if new data is not available:

During incremental import,

If the checkbox is checked: When there is no new data in the source, the last fetched data will be imported again.
If the checkbox is unchecked: When there is no new data in the source, the import will fail and no files will be imported. This will, in turn, cause the entire pipeline job to fail.

Do not import data

The data is imported only once. The second time, the rules gets applied on the same data and gets exported.

7. Click Save to schedule import for your dataset.

Important:

If you have already configured a schedule from Creator, data will be reloaded based on your earlier configuration under the Import configuration section when you click on the Edit schedule option and set a new schedule.

Schedule settings

Stop export if data has invalid values: Enabling this will stop the export when prepared data still has invalid values.

Order exports

You can use this option when you have configured multiple destinations and would like to determine in what order the data has to be exported to destinations.

If not enabled, export will run in the default order.

Note: This option will be visible only if you have added more than one destination in your pipeline.

To rearrange the order of your export destinations

1) Click the Order exports toggle

2) You can drag and drop to change the order of the destinations and then click Save.

Note: Click the Edit order link if you want to rearrange the order again.

8. After you configure the schedule configuration, click Save to execute the schedule. This will start the pipeline.

Each scheduled run is saved as a job. When a pipeline is scheduled, the data will be fetched from your data sources, prepared using the series of transforms you have applied in each of the stages, and then data will be exported to your destination through data integration at regular intervals. This complete process is captured in the job history.

9. To go to the jobs list of a particular pipeline, go to the

ellipses icon in the pipeline builder, and click on the Job history menu to check the job status of your pipeline.

10. Click the required job ID in the Jobs history page to navigate to the Job summary of a particular job.

The Job summary shows the history of a job executed in a pipeline flow. Click here to know more.

11. When the schedule is completed, the data prepared in your pipeline will be exported to the configured destinations.

Info: You can also view the status of your schedules later on the Jobs page.

Note: If you make any further changes to the pipeline, the changes are saved as a draft version. Choose the Draft option and mark your pipeline as ready for the changes to reflect in the schedule.

After you set your schedule, you can choose to Pause schedule or Resume schedule, Edit schedule and Remove schedule using the Schedule Active option in the pipeline builder.

When you edit and save a schedule, the next job will be from the last schedule run time to the next scheduled data interval.