Tips & Tricks #15: How to Bulk-update Your Data in Zoho Subscriptions

Tips & Tricks #15: How to Bulk-update Your Data in Zoho Subscriptions

If you've been looking for a way to update certain data in Zoho Subscriptions that's outdated or just needs to be changed in bulk, then this week's tip is for you.

Also, be sure to check out last week's post about
sending invoices to your subscribers using Webmerge, in case you missed it.

Bulk-updating data can help you save time and effort

Need to update the value for a custom field? How about updating salespersons for subscriptions because there's been a change in your company's staff? These actions can be quite tiresome, especially if there are numerous fields to go through and edit.

For now, Zoho Subscriptions supports bulk-updates for credit notes with the upper limit being 25 credit notes per update. However, if you'd like to update fields for other modules without any restrictions on the number of fields that can be updated, that's where this method of bulk-updating will come in handy. Let's see how.

How It Works

For this to work, you'd have to export your data from the module where you want to make changes and import it in a spreadsheet software like Zoho Sheet or Google Sheets. Next, enter the values that you'd like to update in the spreadsheet and run a script (we'll link it below) in the spreadsheet software, which updates the required values from the spreadsheet to Zoho Susbcriptions via our powerful REST APIs.

Here's how you can do it:

Let's take an example where you need to update the salesperson field for multiple subscriptions. To do this:
  • Go to Zoho Subscriptions > More Actions.
  • Click Export Subscriptions.
Once you've exported the file, it needs to be imported into a spreadsheet software.

Next, create another column for salespersons.


Fill in the name of the salespersons for the subscriptions that you want to update it for.



To update this data from the Spreadsheet to Zoho Susbcriptions, you'd have to create a script that can communicate with Zoho Susbcriptions via an API.

Creating the script in Zoho Sheet:
  • Go to Zoho Sheet > Tools > Custom Functions > Create.
  • Use the script below and customize it as required.
Creating the script in Google Sheets:
  • Go to Google Sheets > Tools > Script Editor > New Project.
  • Use this script and customize it as required.
Note: A previous version of this post contained scripts which used Authtokens for authentication with Zoho Subscriptions' APIs. However, support for Authtokens has been removed as of 30 June 2021. The scripts have since been updated to use authentication via OAuth, and you must add your access tokens' detail in the script, along with your organization ID. Learn how to generate access tokens.

Create another column to execute this script. This column will also be used to display whether the script succeeded or not, so it can be named accordingly. To execute the script in this column, type ' = ' followed by the name of the function() and then provide the cell positons of the subscription ID and salesperon as parameters. For example, =UpdateSalesPerson(a2,c2).



On pressing enter, the salesperson will be updated in Zoho Susbcriptions and the status of the script will be updated in the spreadsheet. To update the remaining salespersons, simply double click on the bottom right corner of the first cell where you ran the script. The spreadsheet application will then automatically run the script for the remaining salespersons.



Similarly, this script can be used for other modules as well by importing their data and making necessary changes to the script. Here's an example where the same script has been tweaked to bulk-update custom fields.

Try it out and let us know what you think in the comments below! We'll be back next week with a new post, so stay tuned.

Cheers,
Varun Steven
The Zoho Subscriptions Team



      • Sticky Posts

      • Tip #4 : Refer and Earn Workflow system for your Subscription Business

        Hello everyone, We've been coming up with a tip every week to address specific business scenarios which can be implemented for your business. In continuation to the previous post, this week we will be seeing about how you can implement the Refer and Earn Workflow system to acquire more customers. Why are Referrals important? Customer Acquisition is crucial for any business to sustain itself in a constantly evolving market. It involves persuading new consumers to purchase your products. Customers
      • Tip #2 - Cancellation of Offline Subscriptions based on the Expected Payment Date

        Hello everyone, As you all know, we are coming up with a custom function workflow every week to address specific business scenarios. In continuation of this previous blog, this week we will be seeing about Cancellation of Offline Subscriptions based on the Expected Payment Date. Business Scenario: In general, for any business, the customers make payments via online as well as offline. In case of subscription where the automatic collection of charge is enabled (aka online subscription), the customer's
      • Tip #3 : Send SMS Reminders for your Subscription Business

        Hello everyone, As you all know, we are coming up with a tip every week to address specific business scenarios. In continuation to the previous blog, this week we will be seeing how you can use SMS reminders for your Subscription Business. Using SMS messages for your Subscription Business: While managing your subscription business, more often than not, you need to keep your customers informed about upcoming renewals, payment reminders and cancellations. By keeping them informed in advance, you can
      • Tips And Tricks - Announcement

        Hello everyone, Every business is unique and each of them follows a specific workflow. While managing your customers' subscriptions with Zoho, you might have some needs unique to your business. Custom Functions helps you address such needs. This is a start to a series of posts, where we will be coming up with a custom function workflow every week that addresses specific business scenarios. Watch this space for further updates! Also, if you have any specific business scenario which needs to be addressed,
      • Tip #6 : Accessing external URLs from Zoho Subscriptions

        Hello everyone, We have been sharing a tip every week to address specific business scenarios which you can implement for your subscription business. Last week, we shared a tip about implementing the Approval Workflow system. This week, let's look at how you can access external URLs with the help of Custom Link. Business Scenario: Every business functions differently and has its unique requirements. At times, businesses might want to access other websites or applications by appending specific information

        • Recent Topics

        • Is this link the transparent pixel used to track opens?

          Could someone please help me identify this highlighted link? It is automatically created by Zoho and a lot of contacts receiving campaigns will click on this link. I don't believe that it is the "update your preferences link" because on the Link Clicks
        • Zoho desk desktop application

          does zoho desk has a destop applicaion?
        • How can I view Help Center articles in 'Sandbox' mode?

          I have published some help center articles but when I try to preview the knowledge base page, it says 'We have no content to display'.
        • Is this possible with Campaigns?

          My company is currently moving CRM's from Monday to Zoho One. Currently, our marketing lead process is send out 7 sms messages over 14 days if the lead is in a certain status. If we don't get a response the lead is put into a "Closed" status. Do we buy
        • Tracking leads through the sales process

          Our leads are being generated via paid google ads and are arriving to us with UTM data showing lead sources, campaign mediums and campaign names. I want to track the progress of those leads as they migrate through our sales funnel while maintaining a
        • Error 403: Forbidden When Updating Email Signature via API

          Hi Zoho Desk team, First, congratulations again on the excellent Zoho API. But, I’m encountering an issue while attempting to update an email signature via the API. Whenever I make a request to update the signature, the response returns an HTTP 403 Forbidden
        • Opening & working multiple tickets

          We work in multiple tickets at the same time. Currently to do this, we have to open multiple instances of Desk.  Is there a way to do this by just opening multiple ticket tabs within 1 instance of Desk?  
        • Different content per social media account..

          Is there a way to add different content per social media account on one post?
        • Merge tickets

          Hello, I am attempting to merge two tickets; however, the option to merge does not appear to be available. Could you kindly confirm if this feature has been relocated or removed? Additionally, could you please provide guidance on the correct process to
        • Add "Merge by Ticket ID" Option on Ticket Screen

          Dear Zoho Team, We would like to request a new feature for the ticket interface in Zoho Desk. Specifically, we propose adding a button to the ticket screen that allows users to merge the current ticket with another ticket by directly providing the second
        • Using tickets to train Zia

          Hi Team, I would like to know if there is any way that Zia can also learn from previous tickets in addition to the articles from the knowledge base. Since we have most of our knowledge curerently in the tickets and that this is hard to combine into a
        • Unable to delete Junk Lead and Not Qualified from the Lead Status field

          Are Junk Lead and Not Qualified default fields or something that cannot be deleted? I have gone into the Leads module and made sure there are no records using these values. Other values have a minus sign that allows me to remove them, but these two fields do not have that option.
        • Welcome Link Expired

          Hi The links sent to the users didn't get clicked on in time and now all the links have expired. Is there a way to send a new link without deleting them and re-adding them>
        • Alert for Back Navigation in Zoho Creator Widgets on Mobile Apps

          In Zoho Creator widgets, when a user navigates back on mobile devices, the data within the widget is reset. This leads to a loss of any unsaved changes or inputs, causing frustration for users. To enhance user experience, we need to implement a confirmation
        • Zoho Developer Community Monthly Digest - December 2024

          Hello everyone! As we step into the new year, let’s reflect on the strides we’ve made together and gear up for the exciting opportunities 2025 holds. This month’s digest highlights key updates, engaging discussions, and upcoming events designed to keep
        • Allow "add new" option to picklists and multiselection fields from add or edit pages

          Hello zoho, please insert an add option (ie +)sign) to pick and multiselect fields so we can add new options while entering or editing records. For example. in my lead module, while adding a new record, I realized I had a new lead source. I went to my
        • Enhancements to Zoho Corp Help Center "Team Requests" View

          Dear Zoho Team, I hope this message finds you well. The ability to view both my tickets and my team’s tickets in the Zoho Corp Help Center is a fantastic feature, especially as the focal point for Zoho in our organization. However, we’ve encountered a
        • We've revised the pricing model of CRM portal user licenses

          Hello everyone, We’re making important updates to our pricing structure for portal user licenses, effective from the next payment cycle. The new slab-based pricing is as follows: Previously, these portal user licenses were priced at $5/ user/ month. As
        • Zoho and Hostaway webhok integration.

          I want to receive data coming from hostaway webhook and receive it in zoho crm to create or update record in a module based on conditions. The hostaway webhook sends data every time a reservation is created or modified or cancelled. The hostaway sends
        • Unable to create custom fields for shipment order

          I'm unable to create custom fields for shipment orders, even though the custom fields are set up correctly. A request to the following endpoint: https://www.zohoapis.com/inventory/v1/settings/preferences/customfields?organization_id=${ZOHO_ORGANIZATION_ID}&entity=shipment_order
        • Records per page in New UI

          It seems the new UI lack of "Records per page" function, it is very handy if you are looking for a data that you don't know the exact search term, but you know it may "between" few entries. without a "page" function, we kind of have to keep page down and page, the autoload is not that fast, and you are dealing with thousands of entries. Could we please have the "records per page" function back to New UI (also it shows total counts of the record) Looking forward to hear from you.
        • zet pack not working

          We are using the zet pack command to package our Zoho extension. However, after running the command, the extension gets packed, but the resulting package is empty. We've attached a screenshot for reference. Could you please assist us with resolving this
        • CSV File Added to Form - Parse and Map to Fields

          Hi,  I apologize, I can't seem to find a clear explanation or help article on how to parse a CSV file. On validate, I process this deluge script. fileContent = Collection(input.File_upload.content); result = fileContent.values(); info result; What I want to do is create a record (in another form), and map certain fields to fields in the form.  I can get values, which is the whole file but no keys. If I use result = fileContent.keys(); I get "0" As you can see from CSV, my first line is my map and
        • Encountered an error while creating a bill in Zoho Inventory: {"code":6,"message":"Invalid data provided"}

          I attempted to create a bill using the Zoho Inventory API, but I received an error: {"code":6,"message":"Invalid data provided"}. However, when I made the same request again, it was successful. Does anyone have insights on why this happened?
        • Why do I need to send the Customer ID in the Create Purchase Order Request?

          I'm trying to create a purchase order using this endpoint https://www.zoho.com/inventory/api/v1/purchaseorders/#create-a-purchase-order Unfortunately, I'm getting this error { "code": 4, "message": "Invalid value passed for Customer ID" } The doc doesn't
        • How to Retrieve Serial Numbers of Items in Zoho Inventory via API?

          Hello, I am currently working with the Zoho Inventory API and need to retrieve the serial numbers associated with specific items in our inventory. After reviewing the documentation, I couldn’t find an endpoint dedicated to fetching serial numbers for
        • merging email accounts

          previously I was using 5 mail pop mailboxes within VO , 2 of them are becoming obsolete so I was thinking about deleting the obsolete ones and merge the remainders into my main account mailbox within VO , is this possible ? thnx in advance.
        • ZohoPeople API - Retrieve leave type IDs

          Hi All, I have created a leave type in Zoho People UI. Now I need to fetch the  Leave Type ID of it. As per the documentation[1] I used the  curl request [2]. But I ended up with the error response from the API.  {"response":{"message":"Error occurred","errors":{"message":"Server Error Occured","code":7031},"status":1,"uri":"/api/leave/getLeaveTypes"}} The new API[3] does not tell anything on how to retrieve the Leave Type ID.  Have you done any changes to the API recently. If so please let me know
        • Inadequate Customer Support

          Hello & Greetings! I have been a pro Zoho user since the last 2 years and I would admit that the apps that are being offered are good, however the support we receive has a lot more to achieve. This being a design issue rather than a staff issue. Being
        • Incorrect Closing Stock Amount value

          Act as Zoho Inventory Expert. We are a construction company, OVAL Projects Engineering Limited. We started using Zoho Inventory for Stock Management.I have multiple warehouses. I have encountered a problem while generating custom warehouse wise inventory
        • The Next Chapter for CRM for Everyone: Moving from Early Access to Phased Rollout for Customers

          #CRM25Q1 Hello Everyone, Until now, CRM for Everyone has been available in early access mode exclusively for users who opted to try the new version. We are now transitioning to a phased release, starting with the basic edition. We are thrilled to announce
        • Zoho vault uses only password to unlock not a TouchID

          TouchID works when normally openning app but when called from keyboard while browsing or trying to log to another app it shows only password option to unlock. This behaviour is only on iPad Mini witch latest 18.2OS
        • Unable to add Guest Members

          We are having issues adding Guest Members to our Cliq account. We have sent out a number of request but it seems that only some people are able to access the platform. Others have received a message stating that they need to be granted access from an
        • Webhook when estimate is refused is not firing

          Hello, I use a workflow through make that sends estimate with zoho books (I paid books and sign). -Those estimates when accepted are firing the webhook that I create in zoho sign (photo 1) -However when refused they are not firing the webhook that I created
        • Invoice status on write-off is "Paid" - how do I change this to "Written off"

          HI guys, I want to write off a couple of outstanding invoices, but when I do this, the status of the invoices shows as "Paid". Clearly this is not the case and I need to be able to see that they are written off in the customer's history. Is there a way
        • Create a custom button to modify custom fields in zoho Inventory

          I am needing a script for two buttons, 1. Button will add todays date to a custom field named cf_sent_to_sov 2. Button will mark a checkbox or unmark a checkbox field named cf_parts_ordered I have been trying to figure out deluge but have not got anywhere
        • How to add a record for a different report

          I have one form and it has two reports I need to programmatically add records to both reports For example one report is draft and other is processed After the user performs some action on the draft report I want to create a new report in Processed and
        • Webhook 'when estimate is refused' is not firing

          Hello, I use a workflow through make that sends estimate with zoho books (I paid books and sign). -Those estimates when accepted are firing the webhook that I create in zoho sign (photo 1) -However when refused they are not firing the webhook that I created
        • Amazon Integration

          Hi, I am seller on Amazon , & I would like to sign up for Zoho books. However my question is can we automate/integrate invoicing, charges and returns in amazon with Zoho using API? Do you have a developer for this? I did take a look at zapier however it just has a create Invoice function nothing else.
        • Link project tasks to tasks in CRM and/or other modules.

          Hello, I have created and configured a project in Zoho Projects with a set of tasks. I would now like to link these tasks (I imagine according to the ID of each one) to actions in the CRM: meetings, tasks, analytics). The aim is to link project tasks
        • Next Page