Kaizen 238 Fetching Employee Data from Microsoft SQL Server into Zoho CRM Using Queries

Kaizen 238 Fetching Employee Data from Microsoft SQL Server into Zoho CRM Using Queries


Hello everyone!
Welcome back to the Kaizen series!

Many organizations manage workforce data such as employee designations, contact details, salary bands, and joining dates in an HRMS backed by Microsoft SQL Server, while their sales teams work in Zoho CRM. When a deal needs an assigned pre-sales engineer or a CSM hand off, reps must leave CRM, open the HR portal, and manually look up the right person.

This post shows how to use the Queries feature in Zoho CRM to connect to a Microsoft SQL Server database, fetch employee records with a parameterized SQL query, and display them directly on a Deal Canvas without leaving CRM. We will cover source creation, SSL and Read-Only configuration, writing the query, serializing the response, and a brief overview of how the same query can be reused across Canvas, Custom Related List, and Kiosk.

Prerequisites

  1. Zoho CRM Enterprise or Ultimate edition (SQL sources require Enterprise or above)
  2. A running Microsoft SQL Server instance with a database user that has SELECT privileges on the EMPLOYEE table
  3. The SQL Server instance must be reachable from Zoho CRM either publicly or Zoho CRM IP ranges must be whitelisted in the firewall rules
  4. The SQL Server hostname must be added to Trusted Domains in Zoho CRM (Setup > Developer Hub > Trusted Domains) if using a DNS hostname
  5. Developer role or System Administrator access in Zoho CRM
  6. A custom "Employee ID" field (Single Line) on the relevant CRM module (e.g., Deals or Contacts) to store the external employee reference if passing a single employee ID as a variable. Not required if the query fetches the full list (no variable).

Use Case

Sales reps at a professional services firm need to assign internal team members (solutions engineers, CSMs) to deals, but employee contact and designation data lives only in a Microsoft SQL Server HRMS requiring a manual lookup outside CRM every time.

Solution

Connect Zoho CRM Queries to the HRMS database. A parameterized SELECT on the EMPLOYEE table filtered by {{EMP_ID}}, resolved from a custom field on the Deal record, fetches the assigned employee's profile and displays it on the Deal Canvas in real time.

Follow the steps to implement this solution.

Step 1: Whitelist Zoho CRM IPs in SQL Server Firewall

Before creating the source in Zoho CRM, ensure the SQL Server instance can accept inbound connections from Zoho CRM's servers.
  1. The SQL Server instance must be accessible over the internet on port 1433 (SQL Server default).
  2. Zoho CRM's IP ranges must be whitelisted in the firewall rules governing the SQL Server. Refer to the Zoho CRM IP Whitelist guide for the full list of IP ranges for your data center.
  3. Ensure SQL Server Browser service is running and TCP/IP is enabled in SQL Server Configuration Manager.
  4. If the SQL Server uses a DNS hostname, also add it to Setup > Developer Hub > Trusted Domains in Zoho CRM.

Step 2: Create a Dedicated Read-Only SQL Server Login

On your SQL Server instance, create a login with the minimum permissions needed.
Do not use 'sa' (SQL Server's built-in System Administrator login) or any admin account. 'System Administrator login has unrestricted access to all databases and server settings. 

Step 3: Add Microsoft SQL Server as a Database Source

  1. In Zoho CRM, go to Setup > Developer Hub > Queries.
  2. Click the Sources tab.
  3. Click Add Source.
  4. From the list of source types, select Database.
  5. From the available database options, choose MicrosoftSQL.
  6. Fill in the source configuration as shown in the following image.

Step 4: Configure Advanced Settings

Expand the Advanced configuration section before saving.

Use SSL

Enable the Use SSL toggle. This action,
  1. Encrypts the connection between Zoho CRM and SQL Server using TLS.
  2. When a DNS hostname is used, the system also validates the server certificate and hostname match before establishing the connection.
  3. SQL Server supports SSL/TLS natively. Ensure the SQL Server instance has a valid TLS certificate configured or that the certificate is trusted by the host.

Notes
Note
  1. The SSL setting is IMMUTABLE after the source is successfully created. If your SSL configuration needs to change, you must delete and recreate the source.
  2. If you add the hostname to Trusted Domains, the system bypasses certificate and hostname verification. Only add genuinely trusted hosts.
Read Only
Enable the Read Only toggle. This action,
  1. Restricts this source to only SELECT operations at the Zoho CRM level.
  2. Blocks INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE queries even if the zoho_crm_reader SQL login is later granted write permissions at the database level.
Since this source is used purely to display employee information in CRM views, you must enable Read-Only.
You can change this setting after the source is created, unlike SSL.

Time Zone
Set Time Zone to match the time zone of your SQL Server instance (e.g., UTC, or the server's local time zone).
The DATE_OF_JOIN and MODIFIED_ON columns are stored as DATETIME in SQL Server (without time zone information). Setting the correct source time zone allows Zoho CRM to convert these values to each viewing user's local time zone for accurate display.
Example: If the server stores MODIFIED_ON = 2026-04-15T18:30:00 in IST, a user in UTC will see 2026-04-15 13:00.

Connection Timeout
Set Connection timeout to 10 seconds. This action defines how long Zoho CRM waits for the SQL Server to accept the connection before giving up.
10 seconds accommodates typical network latency while preventing the CRM UI from hanging indefinitely during server downtime or network issues.



Click Validate and Save.
Zoho CRM tests the connection. On success, the source is saved and available for queries.

Step 5: Create the Query

  1. Go to Setup > Developer Hub > Queries.
  2. Click Create Query.
  3. In the dialog box enter the name of the query.
  4. Click Next.
  5. Under Configuration, click Change and select the source we added.
  6. Click Done.

Step 6: Write the SQL Query

In the query editor, enter the following query.
SELECT EMP_ID,EMP_FIRST_NAME,EMP_LAST_NAME,EMP_GENDER,EMP_EMAIL,EMP_PHONE,EMP_DESIGNATION,EMP_SALARY,DATE_OF_JOIN,MODIFIED_ON FROM EMPLOYEE WHERE EMP_ID = {{EMP_ID}} ORDER BY EMP_FIRST_NAME

Zoho CRM automatically detects {{EMP_ID}} as a query variable. At runtime, the value of the "Employee ID" custom field on the Deal record is passed to this variable.

Step 7: Execute and Validate the Query

  1. Click Execute Query.
  2. Enter a valid employee ID from your SQL Server database.
  3. Click Next.
  4. Review the raw response.
  5. Review the Schema panel and verify CRM Field Type mapping.

Step 8: Add a Serializer

The serializer combines the first and last name, formats dates, and computes the employee's tenure.
  1. Click Add Serializer.
  2. Enter the following JavaScript.
    return result.map(record => {
    // Compute tenure in years from DATE_OF_JOIN
    const joinDate = new Date(record.DATE_OF_JOIN);
    const today = new Date();
    const tenureYears = Math.floor(
    (today - joinDate) / (1000 * 60 * 60 * 24 * 365)
    );

    return {
    emp_id: record.EMP_ID,
    full_name: record.EMP_FIRST_NAME + " " + record.EMP_LAST_NAME,
    gender: record.EMP_GENDER,
    email: record.EMP_EMAIL,
    phone: record.EMP_PHONE,
    designation: record.EMP_DESIGNATION,
    date_of_join: record.DATE_OF_JOIN
    ? String(record.DATE_OF_JOIN).split("T")[0]
    : "N/A",
    tenure: tenureYears + (tenureYears === 1 ? " year" : " years"),
    last_modified: record.MODIFIED_ON
    ? String(record.MODIFIED_ON).split("T")[0] + " " + String(record.MODIFIED_ON).split("T")[1].slice(0, 5)
    : "N/A"
    };
    });

This serializer:
  1. Combines EMP_FIRST_NAME and EMP_LAST_NAME into a single full_name field
  2. Computes tenure in years from DATE_OF_JOIN to today, a derived field not stored in the database
  3. Formats date_of_join as YYYY-MM-DD (strips the time component)
  4. Formats last_modified as YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM.
Click Execute Query again to preview the serialized output.


Click Save to save the query.

Conclusion

The Queries feature in Zoho CRM makes it straightforward to surface employee records from an external Microsoft SQL Server HRMS directly within CRM without any middleware, scheduled sync, or manual copy-paste. The advanced configuration options (SSL, Read-Only, Time Zone, Connection Timeout) ensure the connection is secure, non-destructive, and accurate across time zones.

With a single parameterized query and a lightweight serializer, sales reps can see the full profile of an assigned employee such as designation, contact info, tenure etc., right on the Deal Canvas when they need it most. The same query can be reused across multiple CRM UI components for different team workflows.

This approach is best suited when:
  1. The employee data is authoritative in an external HRMS and should not be duplicated into CRM fields.
  2. Real-time accuracy matters (recently onboarded or transferred employees are immediately visible).
  3. The organization wants to avoid building and maintaining a custom sync integration.

Associating the query with CRM's UI components

You can associate a query with multiple UI components such as Canvas, Kiosk, Custom Related Lists based on the workflow.

Canvas List View

Associate the query with the Canvas List View of the Deals (or Contacts) module.
Map {{EMP_ID}} to the "Employee ID" custom field on the record. When a sales rep opens a Deal, the assigned employee's full profile, including name, designation, phone, email, tenure etc., appears as an "Assigned Employee" panel on the canvas. Refer to our Kaizen post for associating a query with Canvas List View.

Kiosk

Associate the query with a Kiosk Decision component to build an internal lookup screen, say a self-service screen, where a sales rep types an Employee ID, and the Kiosk fetches and displays that employee's profile from the HRMS. The Decision component evaluates the query response (e.g., checking if EMP_DESIGNATION matches a required role) and branches the Kiosk flow accordingly.
Map {{EMP_ID}} to a Kiosk input variable collected in a preceding Screen component.
For more details, refer to our Kaizen post on Handling Query variables in Zoho CRM and associating it in Kiosk.

Custom Related List

Use a modified version of the query (filtered by ACCOUNT_ID instead of EMP_ID) to display a related list of all employees assigned to a given account on the Account record. This is useful when multiple internal team members like solutions engineers, CSMs, support contacts, are mapped to an account in the HRMS.
Map {{ACCOUNT_ID}} to the Account record's identifier during association, and the related list will show all employees assigned to that account, updated automatically as the HRMS changes.
For step-by-step instructions on associating a query with a Custom Related List, refer to this Kaizen post.

We hope you found this post useful.
Writer to us at support@zohocrm.com or let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Cheers!

=================================================================================


    • Sticky Posts

    • Announcing the new SKILL.md for Zoho CRM and the updated OAS repository!

      We are introducing a new zoho-crm skill to make working with Zoho CRM Developer tools (like APIs, functions, widgets, client scripts, queries etc) easier and faster, with the help of AI in your preferred AI harness like Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VSCode

    • Kaizen #261 : Using Zoho CRM Skill to generate complex COQL queries

      Hello everyone, In the previous Kaizen posts, we introduced the zoho-crm SKILL.md and discussed how it can help you when you are working with Zoho CRM APIs and Client Script. In this Kaizen, we will focus on using the Zoho CRM `SKILL.md` with GitHub Copilot

    • Kaizen #256 - Build an Arrival Readiness Web Tab in Zoho CRM

      Hi everyone! Welcome back to the Kaizen series! In the post, we discuss a use case in hospitality industry: how an Arrival Readiness web tab widget can be used to let reception staff identify and resolve issues before arrival of guests. Use case In the

    • 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

    Nederlandse Hulpbronnen


      • Recent Topics

      • Changing an existing item to different accounts & inventory-tracked

        Hi everyone, I have an item in Zoho Books that was originally set up as a non-inventory item. Over time, I associated it with different sales and purchase accounts, and I now have many invoices, bills, and reports that use this item. My business process

      • Address limits per customer by edition

        I’m on the Standard edition and have reached a limit of 30 addresses under a single customer. Before I move to an annual Professional subscription, I need to confirm the following: What is the maximum number of addresses allowed under one contact, and

      • Zoho Books | Product updates | October 2026

        Hello users, October brings a range of new features and enhancements to Zoho Books, designed to simplify compliance, streamline accounting workflows, and improve inventory management. From the launch of the Nigeria Edition and France’s e-invoicing capabilities

      • Create custom rollup summary fields in Zoho CRM

        Hello everyone, In Zoho CRM, rollup summary fields have been essential tools for summarizing data across related records and enabling users to gain quick insights without having to jump across modules. Previously, only predefined summary functions were

      • Button or Links order

        Is there a way to re-order the buttons or links that are created? Moderation Update: With our recent enhancement to custom button creation from the layout editor, administrators can now reorder custom buttons directly from the layout editor, and this

      • Zoho Books | Product updates | August 2026

        Hello users, July has been an exciting month for Zoho Books! This month, we're excited to introduce HTML PDF Templates, Placeholders as Pills, expanded approval workflows for Sales Returns and Journals, and significant compliance updates across the India,

      • Bulk updating tags

        My organisation handles a number of restricted funds. We previously did this by having a chart of accounts where each restricted fund has its own income and expense accounts. However, our accountant changed this, moving all transactions into accounts

      • How to Convert Emails to PDF Format in Batch

        It is helpful to convert emails into PDF format when you want to save important messages, when you need to share business correspondence, or when you wish to keep email records for future reference. PDF files can be readily opened, printed, and shared

      • Download or Backup Bulk Emails from IMAP Server

        Taking email messages from an IMAP server and saving them is a wise method for ensuring that important emails are kept safe and easy to access. No matter whether you have a business email address or a personal mailbox, keeping a local copy of your emails

      • Months of WooCommerce–Zoho Inventory sync failures and repeated support requests – has anyone experienced this?

        Months of WooCommerce–Zoho Inventory sync failures and repeated support requests – has anyone experienced this? I run a small retail business using WooCommerce and Zoho One. For months, I have been trying to resolve recurring synchronisation failures

      • Kaizen #263: Using Zoho CRM Skill to Build Widgets

        Hello everyone! Welcome back to another exciting Kaizen post. In the previous Kaizen posts, we introduced the zoho-crm skill.md and explored how it can help with Zoho CRM APIs, Client Scripts, complex COQL queries, and Skill to build Queries. In this

      • Zoho notebook No login

        Hello Team, I recently downloaded and installed the latest version of zoho notebook for windows. But I am not able to login without providing any sso or email address. Did you removed the no login feature for this app? This is just a windows app. can

      • Search is completely broken for PC

        I go to note, try to search for "mtga" and it shows 702 results (it's a big note), highlights all letters "m" and I can't find anything. Same for "gathering" - it thinkgs I think only for "g". Looking for "zoho" shows as if I searched only for "z". Using

      • Losing description after merging tickets

        Hello, We merge tickets when they are about the same topic from the same client. It happens sometimes. We recently noticed that after the merger only the description from the master ticket is left in a thread. And the slave-ticket description is erased.

      • Behind a great customer experience is a team

        Hi everyone, October is here, and the first week marks the Customer service week. Each year, we thank our customer service professionals. Service professionals are all around us, even in our own workplaces: They handle essential administrative work like

      • What's New - August and September 2026 | Zoho Backstage

        Hello everyone, August and September bring a fresh wave of intelligence to Zoho Backstage. AI takes the spotlight with tools that help you create content, support attendees, and manage how AI fits into your events. Alongside AI, we’ve refined email communication,

      • Images Not Displaying Properly in Zoho Desk

        Hi, We are experiencing an issue with image rendering in Zoho Desk, affecting both incoming and outgoing emails. Images embedded in email conversations are not displaying properly. Instead, we see broken image icons or empty placeholders where the images

      • Announcing the new SKILL.md for Zoho CRM and the updated OAS repository!

        We are introducing a new zoho-crm skill to make working with Zoho CRM Developer tools (like APIs, functions, widgets, client scripts, queries etc) easier and faster, with the help of AI in your preferred AI harness like Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VSCode

      • Widget Height were destroyed

        All widget heights in the Details Canvas view are broken. Moderation Update: This is a known issue with widget heights in Client Script popups and flyouts. A fix is in progress, and this post will be updated once it's released.

      • Zoho Projects - Has something changed regarding to linking Projects and Deals via the API?

        I am trying to link Zoho Projects to Deals in CRM using the API, but each time, the Deal Contact is added as a Client user and receives an email invite asking them to join the organisation. These are internal projects and the customer should not have

      • How long does it take to review campaigns?

        Hello Zoho, i scheduled my campaigns yesterday afternoon and it has been under review for over how many hours and those campaigns were supposed to be out yesterday so new ones can go out today. Is there something i'm doing wrong?

      • Convert MSG to PDF in Bulk with Attachment Free

        Microsoft Outlook saves each email as an MSG file, keeping with it key information like the sender, the recipient, the subject, the date, the body of the message, and any attachments. It can, however, be quite difficult to access a large number of MSG

      • Using Mail Merge Template to Print Documents with One Subform Record's Fields per Document

        Hello, We have a Mail Merge template created in Zoho Writer which is not able to perform the functionality which is currently required to automate the documentation task portion of our process. The CRM module we are primarily using is based on a "Loans"

      • Convert MBOX to PST File Using Free Methods

        MBOX is a mailbox format that is used by various email clients and services, such as Thunderbird, Apple Mail, Eudora, and Google Takeout. Yet, in order to be able to open your MBOX emails in Microsoft Outlook, you have to convert them from MBOX to PST

      • Zoho Community Digest - September 2026 | Part 4

        Hi everyone, and welcome back! The final week of September brought a revamped Books integration in Zoho CRM and Zoho Key Service for LLM access without API keys, Zoho Creator's audit trail becoming a full enterprise-grade auditing system, and Zoho One

      • Automate weekly reports from Channels | Zoho Cliq AI use case #01

        Scrolling endlessly through numerous threads in a Cliq channel and manually counting how many have been closed, how long people took to reply, and who actually participated can be tedious. After 20 minutes, you might have a number that no one can verify.

      • Apple Mail to Outlook Converter - Export Apple Mac Mail to PST File

        Apple Mail is a well-known email application among people who use Macs, whereas Microsoft Outlook is widely employed for both personal and business use. Should you decide to move from Apple Mail to Outlook, you'll probably need to transfer your mailbox

      • Creator -Dynamic addition of Customer Portal User Licenses

        Hi, We have a Creator App for B2C about to get released. We are experiencing the Portal User license challenge. Unable to predict the number of users who will download and Subscribe. When a User is about Subscribe and the portal licenses does not exists,

      • Zoho Tables is now part of Zoho One!

        Hey everyone! We've got some exciting news to share. Zoho Tables is now included in your Zoho One subscription at no extra cost. If you're already on Zoho One, head to your app list, add Zoho Tables, and get started right away. You don't need a separate

      • How to import PST files in Office 365?

        You can import PST files into Office 365 using native Outlook applications, the Microsoft Purview network upload method, or specialized third-party migration tools. Choosing the right method depends on whether you are migrating a single mailbox or executing

      • [Webinar] Zoho CommunitySpaces MCP

        New to MCP, or just exploring what's possible? Join us for a webinar on Zoho MCP and your community. We'll show you how Zoho CommunitySpaces and Zoho MCP work together, what your AI co-host can do inside your community, and how to get started. Register

      • Solution to Import OST File into Office 365.

        In today’s digital workplace, organizations are rapidly moving toward cloud-based email systems for better flexibility, security, and collaboration. Microsoft 365 has become one of the most widely used platforms for business communication. A common requirement

      • How can I show an uploaded image larger/full size in a Zoho Forms response PDF?

        Hi,  I noticed that in a response PDF for Forms, the uploaded image is shown in a tiny box as seen in my screenshot. Is there any way I can make that appear larger in the response PDF? thanks.

      • Live connection to DS files in Zoho Creator / ChatGPT

        As an idea, we are using ChatGPT to build with Zoho Creator (outside of Zia), which is works brilliantly to assist write deluge, provide test suggesitons etc. Currently we are uploading the DS files which are very point in time, it would be great to have

      • Meet PageHealth by Zoho PageSense: a free way to find out what's holding your page back

        We all know the feeling. You've spent days tweaking headlines, moving buttons, and rewriting copy, and you're still not sure why visitors aren't sticking around. Revamping your website is hard, and figuring out what's actually getting in the way is even

      • Export Exchange Online Archive Mailboxes to PST for Microsft 365 Users

        With Microsoft 365 it is possible to archive older emails in Exchange Online in order to keep the main mailbox tidy. If however you need to export the archived emails to a PST file for the purposes of backup, migration, compliance or for use offline,

      • Lookups and Custom Modules

        I created a Custom Module that I'm calling "Item Purchasing Group". This module will store information for groups of Items that must be purchased together (including minimum overall quantities and/or values, etc.). This will have a one-to-many relationship

      • Task Module quick create settings

        Hello, requesting the Task module receive a quick create customization settings. We have added custom fields and have to select "More fields" at the bottom of the pop-up to access the custom fields.

      • Your employees changed departments. Did your IT systems notice?

        An employee joins your Marketing team. HR adds their details to the organization's user directory. The IT admin, in turn, creates their Zoho One account, assigns the required applications, adds them to groups and provides access based on the organization's

      • AI Calling

        Hi, does anyone have experience or any thoughts on AI Calling. Getting AI to make calls on behalf of your company. We are looking into it, but are finding it difficult to get info and providers that can assist.

      • Next Page