Kaizen #124 - Manipulating Subform using Zoho CRM APIs

Kaizen #124 - Manipulating Subform using Zoho CRM APIs

Hello everyone!

Welcome back to another post in our Kaizen series. 
In this post, we will discuss how to manipulate the Subform data using Zoho CRM APIs.

Subforms

A Subform is a data section embedded in the primary form to collect details related to the parent record. It helps in maintaining multiple records under a single parent record. 

Using subform, you can create a parent-child relationship between modules, where the parent module represents the primary data and the child module contains the related data. 

Data Model Representation
The above diagram shows the data model representation when you create a subform in a module.
Consider adding a subform field named Project Details in the Leads module (parent module). Zoho CRM will automatically create a separate module for the subform field with the specified subform field name - Project Details. Each record within the subform module can have multiple fields, in addition to the system-defined Parent_Id lookup field, establishing a connection between the parent (Leads module) and child (subform module) modules. Through this linking process, one can easily identify which subform record corresponds to which specific lead record.

Use Case

Consider Zylker Consulting organization using Zoho CRM to maintain their leads and their projects. Zylker uses the Project Details subform in the Leads module to collect project-specific information collected from their Leads.
The Project Details subform includes fields such as Project Title,Type, Budget, and Status, in addition to the Parent_Id lookup field.
Now, the Zylker's sales team needs to retrieve all the details of the projects from the Leads module for further project analysis, expected budgets, and status. Let's see how to manipulate these data in CRM using Zoho CRM APIs.

The APIs used in this post

API
Methods
Subforms API
GET, POST, UPDATE
Records API
POST, UPDATE, DELETE
Search API
GET
COQL API
POST
Bulk Read API
POST, GET

How to retrieve subform records using the Zoho CRM APIs?

To retrieve subform records from the subform module, specify the subform module's API name to access their records or fields.

Step - 1
To know the API names of the subform fields in a module, make a GET - Fields Metadata API call. Among all the Leads' fields, subform field can be identified by the json key data_type with the value subform. Corresponding subform module can be found from the json associated_module. Below is the API call & response for such a subform field.

Request URL :
{api-domain}/crm/v6/settings/fields/{subform_field_id}?module=Leads

Request Method: GET

Sample Response:


Step - 2
Using the api_name of the subform module, make a GET Fields metadata API call to get the list of fields (along with their api_name) in the subform. One of the fields of the subform module will be Parent_Id with the data_type as lookup, pointing to the parent module (here it is Leads).

Request URL 
Request Method: GET
Sample Response:
Now you know how to get the API name of the subform and its corresponding fields.

Step - 3
Sample Request and Response to retrieve subform records
The below request will retrieve all the subform records in the Leads module. The linking of subform record to the Lead's module will be available in the Parent_Id field, which is highlighted. The id key inside the Parent_Id json object is the id of the Leads records.
 


How to add data to the subforms?

To add records to the subform, you need the API name of the subform and its corresponding field API names.
Request URL:
Request Method:  POST
Sample Input
{
    "data": [
        {
            "Last_Name": "Patricia",
            "Company": "Info Technology",
            "Email" : "patricia@mail.com",
            "Project_Details": //API name of the subform
     [ 
                {
                    "Project_Name": "Mobile App Development for Productivity",
                    "Project_Type": "Mobile App Development",
                    "Expected_Budget": 50000,
                    "Status": "Negotiation in Process"
                }, //API names of the subform fields
                {
                    "Project_Name": "Big Data Infrastructure Implementation",
                    "Project_Type": "Infrastructure Upgrade",
                    "Expected_Budget": 30000,
                    "Status": "Proposal Submitted"
                },
                {
                    "Project_Name": "Big Data Infrastructure Implementation",
                    "Project_Type": "Infrastructure Upgrade",
                    "Expected_Budget": 30000,
                    "Status": "Proposal Submitted"
                }
            ] 
        }
    ]
}

The above highlighted syntax is used for adding data to the subform records. 

Sample Response:

Kaizen #33 - Subforms API explains in detail how to Fetch, Update, and Delete the subform data with sample requests, inputs, and responses.

Retrieve Subform Data via Search API and COQL API

There may be situations where you need to fetch records based upon certain conditions.  

Criteria :
The sales team wants to retrieve the subform records whose budget is greater than or equal to $40000. In this case, we will use Zoho CRM's Search API and COQL API. Let's see how to achieve this. 

Search API

To retrieve the records that match your search criteria, retrieve subform data using its corresponding module API name.  Note that using Search API, you can fetch data quickly from a single module.

Request URL:

Request Method: GET
Sample Response :
The above response shows all records that meet the specified criteria.

How to retrieve subform records from a particular parent record?

To retrieve subforms records in a particular lead record that meet the above criteria, follow the below sample request.

Sample Request URL:

Sample Response:



Retrieving Subforms Data via COQL API

We know that the subform is maintained in a separate module. So, retrieve subform data by querying the subform module's API name and it's parent module via the Parent_Id lookup field. 

Request URL:
Request Method : POST

Sample Input:
{
 "select_query" : "select Expected_Budget from Project_Details where ((Expected_Budget >=40000) and (Parent_Id = 5725767000002105043))"
}

Sample Response:
Using a Parent_Id (lookup field pointing to Leads module) in the COQL criteria automatically adds a left join to the child module (Project_Details). With that join, criteria can be applied to the fields of the parent module also. Below example illustrates that we want to fetch the Expected_Budget field of the Project_Details module where the Expected_Budget is greater than or equal to 40000 for the corresponding Leads with Annual Revenue greater than 1000000. 

{
 "select_query" : "select Expected_Budget from Project_Details where ((Expected_Budget >=40000) and (Parent_Id.Annual_Revenue > 100000 ))"
}

From the SQL perspective, above COQL can be interpreted as

select pd.Expected_Budget from Project_Details as pd left join Leads as l on pd.Parent_Id=l.id where pd.Expected_Budget>=40000 and l.Annual_Revenue > 1000000

For more information on COQL API, refer to the Kaizen posts  COQL Part -1 and COQL Part - 2

Bulk Read API

Bulk Read API allows you to fetch a large set of data i.e., you can fetch a maximum of 200,000 records in a single API call. 
To export subform records in the Leads module in CSV file format, use the subform's API name.

Request URL:
Request Method: POST

Sample input to export subform records:
{
    "callback": {
        "method": "post"
    },
    "query": {
        "module": {
            "api_name": "Project_Details" //API name of the Subform module
        },
        "file_type": "csv"
    }
}


Export subform records that meet the specified criteria

To export subform records based on the given criteria above (similar to the criteria for Search and COQL APIs).

Sample Input:
{
        . . .
     "query": {
        "module": {
            "api_name": "Project_Details"
        },
        "fields": [
            "Project_Name",
            "Project_Type",
            "Expected_Budget",
            "Status"
        ],
        "criteria": {
            "field": {
                "api_name": "Expected_Budget"
            },
            "comparator": "greater_equal",
            "value": "40000" //Retrieving subform records with an expected budget greater than or equal to $40,000
        }
    }
}


Export subform records that meet the specified criteria for the particular parent record

To export the subform records of a particular parent record in the Leads module. Check the below sample request.

Sample Input:

{
       . . .
        "query": {
        "module": {
            "api_name": "Project_Details"
        },
        "fields": [
            "Project_Name",
            "Project_Type",
            "Expected_Budget",
            "Status"
        ],
        "criteria": {
            "group": [
                {
                    "field": {
                        "api_name": "Expected_Budget"
                    },
                    "comparator": "greater_than",
                    "value": "39999"
                },
                {
                    "field": {
                        "api_name": "Parent_Id"
                    },
                    "comparator": "equal",
                    "value": "5725767000002105043"
                }
            ],
            "group_operator": "AND"
        }
    }
}


As the API is an asynchronous API, the response will not be available instantly; the bulk read job is scheduled, and the status can be checked. Once the job is completed, it'll be notified in the callback URL. The records are available in a downloadable CSV file or ICS file (for events). You can export subform records in a module using the subform module API name. See Kaizen #12 Bulk Read API to know how to view the status of the scheduled job and download the file, along with more sample requests and responses.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q.  Is the API name of the subform case-sensitive? Also, how can I view the API name of a subform field in the web UI?
Yes, the API name of a subform is case-sensitive. To know the API name of a subform module (e.g. Project Details) Please go to Setup -> Developer Hub -> APIs -> CRM API -> API names -> Click on the parent module where the subform was created (e.g. Leads) and scroll down there you can view the subform field's API name.

Q. I changed the order of subform records and made a GET - Records API call. The system listed the records in the same order as displayed in the UI, rather than the order of their creation. Is this the system design? 
When you make a GET - Records API call for a module, it lists the subform records ordered in the UI. Note that you can re-order the subform records. So, when you retrieve those records via the API, they will be listed in the same order as they are arranged in the UI.

Q. Can we change a subform field's API name via API?
You can change the API name of the subform field only through the UI. Go to Setup -> Developer Hub -> APIs -> CRM API -> API names -> Click on the parent module where the subform was created (e.g. Leads) and go to the Field Label section. There you can view the subform field name and edit the API by clicking on the Edit option.

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 #123 Data Synchronization from a third party application
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Cheers!

Additional Reading:

Kaizen Posts:





    • 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

      • Recent Topics

      • Removing To or CC Addresses from Desk Ticket

        I was hoping i could find a way to remove unnecessary email addresses from tickets submitted via email. For example, a customer may email the support address AND others who are in the helpdesk notification group, in either the TO or CC address. This results

      • From Zoho CRM to Paper : Design & Print Data Directly using Canvas Print View

        Hello Everyone, We are excited to announce a new addition to your Canvas in Zoho CRM - Print View. Canvas print view helps you transform your custom CRM layouts into print-ready documents, so you can bring your digital data to the physical world with

      • Announcing Kiosk 1.1 - Customize screen titles, configure new fields & actions, use values from your Kiosk to update fields, and more.

        Hello all We are back again with more enhancements to Kiosk. So what's new? Enhancements made to the Components Add titles for your Kiosk screens and adjust its width to suit your viewing preferences. Three new fields can be added to your screen: Percentage,

      • CRM Percent custom fields: When will it show the % symbol and behave like %?

        1. Actually Percent custom fields fail to show the % symbol. 2. When in formulas Percent fields work like number: 100 x 5% = 5 ideal world 100 x 5% = 500 what happens actually 3. When importing Percent fields the % symbol has to be removed and the data

      • Introducing Color Coding of Picklist Values

        Dear Everyone, Greetings!! Zoho CRM is uplifting the user experience. Recently, we had some notable aesthetic improvements in CRM like Kanban View UI enhancement, New List view UI enhancement, color coding of tags, and color coding of picklists in meetings.

      • Where can I find the best mail backup tool for Windows?

        Later this evening I found Mail Backup Tool in google. Actually I was looking for a solution to download/save emails to my local drive. As I had plenty of important data stored in my email account. So i was not in a mood to take this thing lightly. This made me curious to found any software which can help me to backup my data to hard drive. Then I found the above application which was like a gem. A complete email backup solution for Zoho Mail, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Office 365 and more than 40+ email

      • Mailbox storage showing incorrect usage

        My mailbox shows 4.99 GB used out of 5 GB. However, actual mailbox usage is only around 394 MB. Trash and Spam are already empty. IMAP/POP is not enabled. WorkDrive is not in use. This appears to be a storage calculation issue. Please help to recalculate

      • Super Admin Logging in as another User

        How can a Super Admin login as another user. For example, I have a sales rep that is having issues with their Accounts and I want to view their Zoho Account with out having to do a GTM and sharing screens. Moderation Update (8th Aug 2025): We are working

      • Es posible cambiar el lenguaje de los modulos del ASAP?

        Es posible cambiar el lenguaje de estos textos? Tengo Zoho configurado en español pero aun así me muestra estos textos en ingles:

      • Option to Automatically Publish Job Openings to the Career Website via API or Workflow

        Currently, when creating Job Openings using the Zoho Recruit API, the records are successfully inserted into the system. However, there is no way to automatically publish these Job Openings to the Career Website. In the Job Opening field data, there are

      • Evaluate applicants faster: Profile Summary and Skill Sets now in Applications

        Evaluating applicants often requires switching between modules to understand their skills and background. With this update, we’ve extended two capabilities directly to the Applications module: Skill Sets and Profile Summary. You can now review applicants

      • Free webinar: How to use passkeys with Zoho Vault

        Hi everyone! Passkeys are transforming the way we sign in—making authentication safer, faster, and completely passwordless. No more memorizing complex passwords or worrying about credential theft. With Zoho Vault, you can securely manage both passwords

      • Adding Markdown text using Zoho Desk API into the Knowledge Base

        Hi Zoho Community members, We currently maintain the documentation of out company in its website. This documentation is written in markdown text format and we would like to add it in Zoho Knowledge Base. Do you know if there is REST API functionality

      • Is it possible to embed Zoho Bookmarks in the Cliq sidebar?

        Is there any way that each Zoho user can access their bookmarks (that live in https://bookmarks.zoho.eu/ which is technically a part of Zoho Mail) directly within Cliq? As a widget, or an item in the sidebar? My team does not use Mail, it uses Cliq all

      • Enhancing Zia's service with better contextual responses and article generation

        Hello everyone, We are enhancing Zia's Generative AI service to make your support experience smarter. Here's how: Increased accuracy with Qwen One of the key challenges in AI is delivering responses that are both contextually accurate and empathetic while

      • Let us add Lookup fields in the Blueprint Transitions

        We are unable to add Lookup Fields in the blueprint transitions in Zoho Desk, we wanted to make it a requirement for our workflow but since it's not available in the transition we cannot. The lookup field exists in the Layout: But it cannot be added/selected

      • How can we clear a signature field with deluge?

        I would like to clear a signature field in the Edit -> On Load. I have tried input.signature = ""; input.signature = null; clear input.signature; None of the above is working. is there any other way I am missing?

      • Online PDF Editor

        Hello Team, There is a small glitch i found when i was using your online software called "PDF Editor", There is a menu bar on right side comes when we click on 3 dots for any pdf, but that entire menu has no options to choose, that is totally blank, please

      • How do I disconnect my Salesforce integration?

        I need to integrate a different Salesforce sandbox with my Zoho form.

      • Zoho Recruit - Email Relay

        Good day, Has anyone succeeded in setting up an email relay for Office 365? If I add the details from https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/pop-imap-and-smtp-settings-8361e398-8af4-4e97-b147-6c6c4ac95353, I get the connection error. Regards, Eka

      • Zoho Recruit -> Exchange Online Relay

        HI! I have tried to connect Recruit to our MS 365 Exchange Online without any luck. I use this guide https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/recruit/outreach/email-relay/articles/email-relay-zoho-recruit#Configuring_Email_Relay_Settings Do anyone have the

      • Error AS101 when adding new email alias

        Hi, I am trying to add apple@(mydomain).com The error AS101 is shown while I try to add the alias.

      • an issue in Zoho CRM where the workflow rule is not triggering

        H I’m currently facing an issue in Zoho CRM where the workflow rule is not triggering when a new lead is created through a webform. I’ve double-checked the criteria and field updates, everything seems fine but it still doesn’t fire. Has anyone faced this

      • 401 Unauthenticated Error – Zoho CRM to Google Sheets Integration

        Hi I'm building an Automation Function in Zoho CRM using Deluge that appends contact data from Zoho CRM into a Google Sheet whenever a new contact is created. WHAT I'VE DONE: I created a connection in Zoho CRM (Developer Hub → Connections) with the following

      • Power up your Kiosk Studio with Real-Time Data Capture, Client Scripts & More!

        Hello Everyone, We’re thrilled to announce a powerful set of enhancements to Kiosk Studio in Zoho CRM. These new updates give you more flexibility, faster record handling, and real-time data capture, making your Kiosk flows smarter and more efficient

      • Income not showing in direct bank feed

        Hi, I am trying to enter income without knowing or mentioning customer, as i am told, my client wants single or cash basis accounting but i seriously struggling......................

      • I am not able to check in and checkout in zoho people even location access allowed

        This issue i am facing in mackbook air m1, I allowed location in chrome browser and i also tried in safari but getting similar issue. Please have a look ASAP.

      • Preview future shift rotation in Shift Schedule

        Hi, What if, instead of the current behavior, the Shift Rotation feature in Zoho People allowed users to preview future shift schedules before the scheduler execution? Currently, when a shift rotation is configured (for example, monthly rotation), the

      • What do you get in Zoho ONE Free Trial?

        Zoho One is a collection of applications that work together to run a company's entire operations in the cloud. It includes more than 40 online applications and an equivalent number of mobile apps, all of which can be accessed with a single sign-on and

      • Automatically Update Ticket Status in Zoho Desk Based on Actions in Zoho Projects

        Hi Zoho Desk Team, Hope you’re doing well. We’re using the Zoho Desk–Zoho Projects integration to manage tasks related to customer tickets, and it works well for linking and tracking progress. However, there are a few important automation capabilities

      • Sign Out

        Hello, I have a doubt with Permalink. I have a view created with critera to show only the records belonging to the user who has sign in. The problem is that the different users use the same computer and some times the user login keep signed, and when I send the permalink (by email) of the view, the users enter with other login signed. Moreover the permalink view doesn�t allow to do a log out. May I add something in the permalink to request always sign in? Sorry for my English. Many thanks! Regards

      • Announcing new features in Trident for Windows (v.1.39.4.0)

        Hello Community! Trident for Windows just received a major update, with a range of capabilities that focuses on strengthening communication and simplifying workflows. Let’s dive into what’s new! Upload email attachments to WorkDrive. Until now, you could

      • Introducing Automatic Field Addition (Text Tags) in Zoho Sign

        Hello, Today we are excited to announce the general availability of automatic field addition (text tags) feature in Zoho Sign. Now, you can now add text tags in the content of your documents and Zoho Sign will automatically add the corresponding fields when they are uploaded for the signing process. For example: when you add text tags to your sales orders, new employee contracts, and NDAs, Zoho Sign will add the corresponding fields when these documents are uploaded for the signing process. If you

      • Introducing Built-in Telephony in Zoho Recruit

        We’re excited to introduce Built-in Telephony in Zoho Recruit, designed to make recruiter–candidate communication faster, simpler, and fully traceable. These capabilities help you reduce app switching, handle inbound calls efficiently, and keep every

      • Write-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,

      • Splitting Transactions in Zoho Books

        I have read in past forum posts that the ability to split bank transactions would likely be implemented - it's definitely a typical accounting program feature.  I'm new to Zoho and thought I'd found nirvana until I realized this feature doesn't seem to

      • Statement Aging On Cutomer Statement

        Hello, Is it possible to put aging on customer statements? Current 1-30days 31-60days 61-90days 91-120days Over 120 days. See attached image from another accounting package. Many customers pay off a statement and clear older invoices.

      • Unveiling the next iteration of Ask Zia in Zoho CRM: An all-new chat interface, conversation history, actions, and much more

        Your CRM assistant just leveled up. Zoho CRM's Ask Zia functionality now offers a more conversational and context-aware experience to help you not just understand your data, but act on it—all from one chat window. With its redesigned interface and expanded

      • Response rate and time on social media

        Hello, I just want to know if it's possible to manage the response rate and response time from my social media on zoho social ? I don't see any statistical reports on the online scoreboard ? Thank you in advance for your response and sorry if the question has already been posted

      • Whatsapp BOT with CRM

        Hello, how do you use Whatsapp integrations in zoho CRM?

      • Next Page