Kaizen #25 - Zoho CRM API - Common Errors and Error Handling

Kaizen #25 - Zoho CRM API - Common Errors and Error Handling

Hello everyone!
Welcome back to yet another post in Kaizen!
In this post, we will discuss the most common errors that you may encounter while using Zoho CRM APIs. You can consider this post to be a concise guide that you can refer to whenever you are stuck with any error while making API calls. 

All Zoho CRM V2 APIs follow REST standards, i.e, they use the HTTP request methods GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, and DELETE. 

Here is a quick glance at the functionality of each request method. 
  • GET : To retrieve data/resource from the resource server. For instance, Get Records API .
  • POST : To insert or upload any new resource to the server. For instance Insert Records API .
  • PUT : To update an existing resource . This replaces the target resource with the updated content. For instance, the Update Records API .
  • PATCH : To update a specific detail of the resource. This method updates the target resource with the provided content without changing the other data. For instance, the Update Specific Information of a Notification API
  • DELETE : To delete a resource at a particular location. For instance, the Delete Records API
Now, let us see the common errors that you may face while making these API calls. Every API error has three main sections:
  1. Status Code
  2. Error Code
  3. Message
In this post, we have grouped the errors based on the status code , primarily focusing on the 4XX class of errors. 
  1. Errors with status code 400
    • INVALID_MODULE
    • INVALID_DATA
    • DUPLICATE_DATA
    • MANDATORY_NOT_FOUND
    • PATTERN_NOT_MATCHED
    • INVALID_REQUEST_METHOD
    • REQUIRED_PARAM_MISSING
    • LICENSE_LIMIT_EXCEEDED
  2. Errors with status code 401
    • AUTHENTICATION_FAILED
    • OAUTH_SCOPE_MISMATCH
    • INVALID_TOKEN
  3. Errors with the status code 403
    • NO_PERMISSION
    • FEATURE_NOT_SUPPORTED
  4. Errors with status code 404
    • INVALID_URL_PATTERN
1. Errors with status code 400

Possible Reasons
When there is any error in the input you specified, you will get an error status code 400. 
Some of the common error codes and messages under 400 are:

a. INVALID_MODULE: the module name given seems to be invalid

{
  "code": "INVALID_MODULE",
  "details": {},
  "message": "the module name given seems to be invalid",
  "status": "error"
}

APIs in which you might face this error

Description
The module name specified in the Request URL or in the Parameter is incorrect . You must always specify the right API name of the module in the input. To get the list of module API names, go to Setup > Developer Space  > APIs > API Names . Alternatively, the value in the key " api_name " in the Modules API indicates the API name of the module. 

API names of the default modules in Zoho CRM
Leads, Accounts, Contacts, Deals, Campaigns, Tasks, Cases, Events, Calls, Solutions, Products, Vendors, Price_Books, Quotes, Sales_Orders, Purchase_Orders, Invoices, Custom, and Activities. 

b. INVALID_DATA: <<varies based on API>>
{
  "code": "INVALID_DATA",
  "details": {
      "expected_data_type": "jsonobject"
    },
  "message": "body",
  "status": "error"
}

APIs in which you might face this error
Upload Organization Photo, Users APIs (except Get Users and Get Specific User), Records APIs (except Get List of Records, Get Specific Record, Get List of Deleted Records, Search Records), Subforms APIs (except Get Subforms), Related List APIs, CRM Variable APIs (except Get Variable Data, Get Specific Variable Data, Get Variable Groups), Blueprint APIs, Tags APIs (except Get Tags List and Get Record Count for a Tag), Notes APIs (except Get Notes Data), Files and Attachments APIs, Mass Update APIs, Currencies APIs (except Get Currencies Data and Get Specific Currency), Share API, Notification APIs (except Get Notification Details).

Description
You will face this error when there is an error in the input you specified . For instance, 
  • Input specified for any field may be in an improper JSON format (as shown in the above example, the expected JSON format is JSON Object) or an invalid data type
  • The unique ID of the record to be updated may be incorrect
You can identify the case based on the value of the "message" key. 

Refer to Kaizen #1 Fields in CRM to know more about the field types. 

Another similar error is UNABLE_TO_PARSE_DATATYPE. This error occurs when the request body or the parameter is in the wrong format. 

APIs in which you might face this error

Example:
Request URL to delete specific Leads-
https://www.zohoapis.com/crm/v2/Leads?ids= "410405000002264040,410405000002264025"
-X DELETE

{
  "code": "UNABLE_TO_PARSE_DATA_TYPE",
  "details": {},
  "message": "either the request body or parameters is in wrong format",
  "status": "error"
}

The parameters must be passed as long integers, and not strings enclosed in quotes.  

c. DUPLICATE_DATA: duplicate data

{
  "data": [
      {
        "code": "DUPLICATE_DATA",
        "details": {
            "api_name": "Mobile",
            "id": "4150868000001747019"
        },
        "message": "duplicate data",
        "status": "error"
     }
  ]
}

APIs in which you might face this error

Description
You will face this error while making the POST or PUT API calls. When you have enabled " Do not allow duplicate values " for a field, and insert or update that field in a record with a value that already exists in another record, this error will be thrown. In other words, this error is thrown when you have specified a duplicate value to a system-defined or user-defined unique field.

The value "true" for the key "unique" in the Fields metadata API indicates that the field is marked as unique. Alternatively, you can check if a field is unique in the module builder in CRM UI. Go to setup > Customization > Modules and Fields > Choose the module > Choose layout > in the more options of the desired field > Check if Do not allow duplicate values is enabled. 



d. MANDATORY_NOT_FOUND: required field not found
{
    "users": [
        {
            "code": "MANDATORY_NOT_FOUND",
            "details": {
                "api_name": "role"
            },
            "message": "required field not found",
            "status": "error"
        }
    ]
}

APIs in which you might face this error

Description
You will face this error when you have not specified a system-defined or user-defined mandatory field in your input. 

Here is the list of system-defined mandatory fields that you need to specify while inserting records in each module. 

Module
System-defined mandatory field and field type
Leads
"Last_Name" - Single Line
Contacts
"Last_Name" - Single Line
Accounts
"Account_Name" - Single Line
Deals
"Deal_Name" - Single Line
"Stage" - Picklist
Tasks
"Subject" - Multi Line
Calls
"Subject" - Multi LIne
"Call_Type" - Picklist
"Call_Start_Time" - Date/Time
"Call_Duration" - Single Line
Events
"Event_Title"- Single Line
"Start_DateTime" - Date/Time
"End_DateTime" - Date/Time
Products
"Product_Name" - Single Line
Quotes
"Subject"- Single Line
"Product_Details" - Product Line Item
Invoices
"Subject"- Single Line
"Product_Details" - Product Line Item
Campaigns
"Campaign_Name" - Single Line
Vendors
"Vendor_Name"- Single Line
Price Books
"Price_Book_Name"- Single Line
"Pricing_Details"- JSON Array with "from_range", "to_range", "discount"
Cases
"Case_Origin" - Picklist
"Status"- Picklist
"Subject" - Single Line
Solutions
"Solution_Title"- Single Line
Purchase Orders
"Subject"- Single Line
"Vendor_Name"- Lookup
"Product_Details" - Product Line Item
Sales Orders
"Subject"- Single Line
"Product_Details" - Product Line Item

The value "true" for the key "system-mandatory" in the Fields metadata API indicates that the field is marked as mandatory. Alternatively, you can check if a field is unique in the module builder in CRM UI. Go to setup > Customization > Modules and Fields > Choose the module > Choose layout > in the more options of the desired field > Check if Mark as required is enabled



e. PATTERN_NO_MATCHED: Please check if the input values are correct
{
    "code": "PATTERN_NOT_MATCHED",
    "details": {
        "api_name": "type"
    },
    "message": "Please check whether the input values are correct",
    "status": "error"
}

APIs in which you might face this error

Description
All parameters can take only allowed values. You will face this error when you specify a value to a parameter other than the one(s) allowed. For instance, in Get Users API, for the type parameter, you can specify only the following values: AllUsers, ActiveUsers, DeactiveUsers, ConfirmedUsers, NotConfirmedUsers, DeletedUsers, ActiveConfirmedUsers, AdminUsers, ActiveConfirmedAdmins, CurrentUser. If you specify any other value, the above mentioned error will be thrown. 

f. INVALID_REQUEST_METHOD: The http request method type is not a valid one
{
    "code": "INVALID_REQUEST_METHOD",
    "details": {},
    "message": "The http request method type is not a valid one",
    "status": "error"
}

Description
You will face this error when you use an incorrect request method . For instance, PUT instead of POST while inserting a record. Refer to the corresponding API help document to find the correct request method. You may face this error in all the available APIs

g. REQUIRED_PARAM_MISSING: One of the expected parameter is missing
{
    "code": "REQUIRED_PARAM_MISSING",
    "details": {
        "param": "module"
    },
    "message": "One of the expected parameter is missing",
    "status": "error"
}

APIs in which you might face this error

Description
You will face this error when you have not specified a mandatory parameters . Refer to the corresponding API guide for parameters tagged as mandatory

h. LICENSE_LIMIT_EXCEEDED: Request exceeds your license limit.

  "users": [
        {
            "code": "LICENSE_LIMIT_EXCEEDED",
            "details": {},
            "message": "Request exceeds your license limit. Need to upgrade in order to add a user",
            "status": "error"
        }
    ]
}

Description
You will face this error when you try to add user more than the maximum number of users allowed for your edition. You must upgrade your edition to add more users.

2. Errors with status code 401 

Possible Reasons 
You will face this error when the request lacks valid authentication for the target resource in the server.

a. AUTHENTICATION_FAILED: Authentication failed 
{
    "code": "AUTHENTICATION_FAILURE",
    "details": {},
    "message": "Authentication failed",
    "status": "error"
}

Description
You will face this error when you have not used the domain-specific request URL. Refer to Kaizen #5- Environments and Domains in Zoho CRM to know more. This is a common error and you may face it while making any API call. 

b. OAUTH_SCOPE_MISMATCH: invalid oauth scope to access this URL 
{
    "code": "OAUTH_SCOPE_MISMATCH",
    "details": {},
    "message": "invalid oauth scope to access this URL",
    "status": "error"
}

Description 
You have not specified the required scope to perform this action while generating the grant token. For instance, to retrieve users data of your organization, you must generate a token with ZohoCRM.users.READ. Refer to Kaizen #3 - Scopes in OAuth2.0 Authorization to know more about scopes.

Also, refer to scopes to get the list of available scopes in Zoho CRM. This is a common error and you may face it while making any API call.

c. INVALID_TOKEN: invalid oauth token 
{
    "code": "INVALID_TOKEN",
    "details": {},
    "message": "invalid oauth token",
    "status": "error"
}

Description 
You will face this error when your access token has expired. Refer to this help document to know how to refresh your access token.

To know more about errors while registering client and generating token, refer to Kaizen #4- Troubleshooting OAuth2.0. This is a common error and you may face it while making any API call.

3. Errors with status code 403 

Possible Reasons 
You will face this error when there is no authorization to perform an action. For instance,
  • The user does not have permission to perform a specific action. 
  • The feature is not supported for your organization. 
Some of the common Error Codes and Messages under 403 are:

a. NO_PERMISSION: permission denied 
{
    "code": "NO_PERMISSION",
    "details": {
        "permissions": [
            "Crm_Implied_View_Leads"
        ]
    },
    "message": "permission denied",
    "status": "error"
}

Description 
The particular user does not have the permission to perform that specific action. The above error is thrown when a user who does not have permission to access the Leads module tries to retrieve Leads using Get Records API.

To update the permission to a user's profile, go to Setup > Users and Control > Security Control > Profile, and enable the necessary permissions from the list.

For the system-defined profiles like the Administrator and Standard, you will not be able to modify permissions other than basic permissions and few extension permissions. This is a common error and you may face it while making any API call.

b. FEATURE_NOT_SUPPORTED: <<varies based on feature>> 
{
  "code": "FEATURE_NOT_SUPPORTED",
  "details": {},
  "message": "The Multi-Currency feature is not available except the Enterprise and higher editions.",
  "status": "error"
}

Description
You will face this error when you are trying to access a feature that is not yet enabled for your account. Refer to the corresponding API document for more details. You may face this error in the Currencies API.

4. Errors with status code 404 

Possible Reasons 
You will face this error when the system can communicate with the server, but the server could not find the requested resource.

a. INVALID_URL_PATTERN: Please check if the URL trying to access is a correct one 
{
    "code": "INVALID_URL_PATTERN",
    "details": {},
    "message": "Please check if the URL trying to access is a correct one",
    "status": "error"
}

Description 
The URL specified has syntactical errors. Refer to the specific API doc to get the correct Request URL. This is a common error and you may face it while making any API call.

We hope you found this post useful. Keep a tab on this series for more exciting topics!

Reach out to us at support@zohocrm.com if you have any questions, or let us know in the comment section.

Cheers!

Previous 'Kaizen' - CORS and the JS SDK


      Zoho Campaigns Resources


        • Desk Community Learning Series


        • Digest


        • Functions


        • Meetups


        • Kbase


        • Resources


        • Glossary


        • Desk Marketplace


        • MVP Corner


        • Word of the Day


        • Ask the Experts


          Zoho CRM Plus Resources

            Zoho Books Resources


              Zoho Subscriptions Resources

                Zoho Projects Resources


                  Zoho Sprints Resources


                    Zoho Orchestly Resources


                      Zoho Creator Resources


                        Zoho WorkDrive Resources



                          Zoho CRM Resources

                          • CRM Community Learning Series

                            CRM Community Learning Series


                          • Tips

                            Tips

                          • Functions

                            Functions

                          • Meetups

                            Meetups

                          • Kbase

                            Kbase

                          • Resources

                            Resources

                          • Digest

                            Digest

                          • CRM Marketplace

                            CRM Marketplace

                          • MVP Corner

                            MVP Corner




                            Zoho Writer Writer

                            Get Started. Write Away!

                            Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.

                              Zoho CRM コンテンツ




                                ご検討中の方

                                  • Recent Topics

                                  • Potentially Outdated and Vulnerable Chromium Engine Installed by Ulaa Browser Installer

                                    I just installed Ulaa Browser a few minutes ago. Whats My Browser page shows I am using an outdated Chromium engine meaning I might be vulnerable for security exploits that might have got fixed in the new version.
                                  • Potentially hardcoded list of Browsers to import from (after Ulaa Setup)

                                    I have just installed Ulaa Browser and found that the list of browser to import data is potentially hardcoded ones rather than looking at the system. I do not have FF, IE and Edge is not my default itself. I would appreciated if Ulaa detected my browsers
                                  • Remember all the ways we've posted?

                                    The world celebrates World Postal Day in 2025 with the theme “#PostForPeople: Local Service. Global Reach". The story of the “post” is a story of human connection itself, evolving from simple handwritten notes carried over long distances to instant digital
                                  • From Layout to Code: Finding Custom Field IDs in Zoho Projects.

                                    Hello everyone! Ever found yourself wondering how to get the API names and IDs of custom fields in Zoho Projects while working on custom functions? Here’s a simple and effective way to do it! This method makes it super easy to locate the right field details
                                  • How to notify all members on any updates to zoho crm?

                                    Hi, I am using the free version of zoho CRM and currently seeing this will work for our company. We are a small company and wanted to be more informed about all the changes in zoho.   1. How do I set notifications that go to the team for any and all changes made in Zoho. At this point, we'd rather be over-informed than under-informed. 2. Create a custom field (or rename an unused field) to be able to capture any "Product Feature Requests" from customers or prospects we're talking to. I have anyone
                                  • Zoho Mail Desktop App Not Loading + Can’t Manage Multiple Accounts

                                    Hi everyone, I’ve been having ongoing issues with the Zoho Mail desktop app for the past few weeks. The app starts to load but gives up midway and never actually opens — there’s no error message, it just stops loading. The main reason I use the desktop
                                  • How can I transfer data from Production to Development environment?

                                    Hi, I am using Creator V6 and would like to bring all the data in production to the Development and Testing environments? Is there an easy way of doing that or I have to export and import each table?
                                  • Billing frequency is not displayed correctly.

                                    Hello There is an issue while displaying the billing frequency on a subscription quote. I am able to activate the subscription details and get this lovely overview: If I am adding a Plan which I charge quarterly, first of all it should be possible to
                                  • Calling Function via REST API with API Key gives 401 using Zoho Developer

                                    Hi, I created a couple of functions using the one month trial of Enterprise edition, which I was able to call using the API Key method from Postman and from an external site. Now that my trial has expired, I have created the same functions in the Developer
                                  • Session Expired

                                    I constantly get "Session Expired" and need to relogin or close and open the application again. This gets really frustrating during the day. Is this something that can be solved? This really makes me want to leave the app as it is no go to need to reopen
                                  • Employee type and source translation

                                    In Zoho People, when I fill in the employee’s information, there is the option to determine the type of employment (employee type) and the hiring source. Both options ALWAYS appear in English. It is extremely inconvenient to deal with poorly translated
                                  • Sync Issue Between Zoho Notebook Web App on Firefox (PC) and Android App

                                    Hi Zoho Notebook Community, I'm facing a sync problem with Zoho Notebook. When I use the web version on Mozilla Firefox browser on my PC, I create and save new notes, and I've synced them successfully. However, these new notes aren't showing up in my
                                  • Request for Clarity on Timeline for True GPT/Zia Auto-Response Capabilities

                                    I appreciate Zoho’s steady innovation, but I’m concerned that Desk and Zia remain well behind modern AI capabilities. For years, GPT-based tools have been able to generate and send contextual responses, yet Zoho Desk only supports summarization or suggested
                                  • Notebook audio recordings disappearing

                                    I have recently been experiencing issues where some of my attached audio recordings are disappearing. I am referring specifically to ones made within a Note card in Notebook on mobile, made by pressing the "+" button and choosing "Record audio" (or similar),
                                  • Has anyone built a ticket export that allows Help Center users to export the tickets shown in the My Area list they are looking at?

                                    Hi, We are moving to Zoho Desk soon. Our current support system displays an option in our help center allowing customers to export their Open, Closed, or all tickets based on which list they are looking at. We need to offer the same in Zoho Desk help
                                  • 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
                                  • Zoho Desk: Q2 2025 | What's New

                                    Hello everyone, We are excited to announce Zoho Desk's 2025 Autumn updates. This release brings new features and enhancements that improve work management and enable businesses to provide a better overall support experience. Spanning from Zia Agents to
                                  • Change text in help desk

                                    Hi, Please let me know how can i change the this text, see screenshot.
                                  • Items Below Reorder Point Report?

                                    Is there a way to run a report of Items that are below the Reorder Point? I don't see this as a specific report, nor can I figure out how to customize any of the other stock reports to give me this information. Please tell me I'm missing something s
                                  • Blog Widget: Show recent blog posts on my homepage

                                    Hey there I am using the Zoho Sites Blog feature. On my homepage, on the bottom I'd like to have a featured content section where I show some of my blog posts (selected, most recent, filtered by category and so on...). It would be nice to have a blog
                                  • Committed Stock and To Be Received Stock via API?

                                    Is it possible to retrieve Committed Stock and/or To Be Received Stock for an Item via the API? I want to use this information for calculating the amount of inventory needed to be purchased.
                                  • Zoho Books | Product updates | October 2025

                                    Hello users, We’ve rolled out new features and enhancements in Zoho Books. From iOS 26 updates to viewing reports as charts, explore the updates designed to enhance your bookkeeping experience. Zoho Books Updates for Apple Devices At WWDC 2025, Apple
                                  • Improved RingCentral Integration

                                    We’d like to request an enhancement to the current RingCentral integration with Zoho. RingCentral now automatically generates call transcripts and AI-based call summaries (AI Notes) for each call, which are extremely helpful for support and sales teams.
                                  • Cannot reject empty expense report

                                    Hello, We are currently having issues with two empty expense reports where if we try to reject them, either manually or through the REST API, we get error 114016, which says some of the expenses have already been billed and must be removed. I'd appreciate
                                  • Having Trouble Opening The Candidate Portal

                                    Recently am having trouble opening the Candidate Portal. It keeps loading but cannot display any widgets. Tried Safari, Chrome and Edge. Non of them work. Please solve the problem ASAP.
                                  • Checkboxes not adhering to any policy in mail merge - data from CRM

                                    I want checkboxes to appear depending on whether the checkbox in the CRM module is ticked or not. However, the tickboxes that appear are either ticked or not, but don't correlate to the actual selections in the CRM module. This is is despite updating
                                  • Items Landed Cost and Profit?

                                    Hello, we recently went live with Zoho Inventory, and I have a question about the Landed Cost feature. The FAQ reads: "Tracking the landed cost helps determine the overall cost incurred in procuring the product. This, in turn, helps you to decide the
                                  • Show elapsed time on the thank-you page?

                                    Is it possible to display the total time a user spent filling out a Zoho Form on the thank-you? I’d like to show the difference between the `form submission timestamp` and the `start time` (currently have a hidden Date-Time field set to autofill the date
                                  • CC and/or BCC users in email templates

                                    I would like the ability to automatically assign a CC and BCC "User (company employee)" into email templates. Specifically, I would like to be able to add the "User who owns the client" as a CC automatically on any interview scheduled or candidate submitted
                                  • All new Address Field in Zoho CRM: maintain structured and accurate address inputs

                                    The address field will be available exclusively for IN DC users. We'll keep you updated on the DC-specific rollout soon. It's currently available for all new sign-ups and for existing Zoho CRM orgs which are in the Professional edition. Managing addresses
                                  • Create Contract API Endpoint Unclear "inputfields" Requirements

                                    Hello, I'm trying to create a Deluge function that accepts inputs from a form in Zoho Creator and creates a barebones contract of a given type. See below for the current code, cleaned of authentication information. // Fetch form data // Hidden field client_name
                                  • Empowered Custom Views: Cross-Module Criteria Now Supported in Zoho CRM

                                    Hello everyone, We’re excited to introduce cross-module criteria support in custom views! Custom views provide personalized perspectives on your data and that you can save for future use. You can share these views with all users or specific individuals
                                  • Kaizen #46 - Handling Notes through Zoho CRM API (Part 1/2)

                                    Hello everyone! Welcome back to another week of Kaizen! This week, we will discuss Handling Notes through Zoho CRM API. What will you learn from this post? Notes in Zoho CRM Working with Notes through Notes APIs 1. Notes in Zoho CRM 1a. Why add Notes to records? Notes are a great way to summarize your observations on customer and prospect interactions and outcomes. By saving notes as CRM data, a sales rep will always be able to keep track of how a sale is progressing. To know more about notes in
                                  • Marketer's Space - Why email marketing matters in ecommerce (and how to get started with Zoho Campaigns)

                                    Hello Marketers, Welcome to this week's Marketer's space post. Today, we'll discus why email marketing matters in ecommerce businesses. Running an online store is exciting but challenging. If you're running an online store, you've probably experienced
                                  • Zoho Campaigns Event timestamps do not propagate to Zoho CRM

                                    We have integrated Zoho CRM and Zoho Campaigns. But when looking at Contact records, the Campaign event data is missing the actual timestamps: especially when a particular email was sent. They're not in the Campaigns related list, and the cannot be found
                                  • Kaizen #121 : Customize List Views using Client Script

                                    Hello everyone! Welcome back to another interesting Kaizen post. In this post, we can discuss how to customize List Views using Client Script. This post will answer the questions Ability to remove public views by the super admin in the Zoho CRM and Is
                                  • Setting default From address when replying to request

                                    At the moment, if I want to reply to a request, the From field has three options, company@zohosupport.com, support@company.zohosupport.com, and support@company.com.  The first two are really internal address that should never be seen by the customer and
                                  • Explore Your Support Reach with Zoho Assist’s Geo Insights

                                    Understanding where your remote support sessions are happening can help you make smarter decisions, allocate resources effectively, and improve overall customer satisfaction. In this week's Zoho Assist's community post we will be exploring Geo Insights
                                  • Error when sending emails from Zoho

                                    Hello, When trying to send an email from Zoho CRM I keep getting the below error: javax.mail.AuthenticationFailedException: 535 5.7.139 Authentication unsuccessful, the user credentials were incorrect. Any support on this will be much appreciated. Thanks,
                                  • Direct Integration Between Zoho Cliq Meetings and Google Calendar

                                    Dear Zoho Team, We’d like to submit the following feature request based on our current use case and the challenges we’re facing: 🎯 Feature Request: Enable meetings scheduled in Zoho Cliq to be automatically added to the host's Google Calendar, not just
                                  • Next Page