Kaizen #199: FAQs on Multi-Select Lookup (MxN) Field in Zoho CRM

Kaizen #199: FAQs on Multi-Select Lookup (MxN) Field in Zoho CRM

 Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – We want to hear from you!
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. 

Hey everybody!!!
Welcome back to another post in the Kaizen series!
In this post, we will address some of the most frequently asked questions about the Multi-Select Lookup(MxN) field from the Zoho CRM developer community forum.

1. What is a Multi-select lookup field?

A multi-select lookup field in Zoho CRM lets you create a many-to-many relationship between two modules. This means a record in one module can be linked to multiple records in another module and vice versa.
For example, using an multi-select lookup field, you can associate multiple skills with an employee.

2. How does the Mutli-Select Lookup relationship work?

When you create a Multi-Select Lookup between two modules, for example, Employees and Skills, Zoho CRM automatically creates a hidden linking module, which is also known as an MxN module. This module stores the associations between records in the two modules, enabling you to track and manage many-to-many relationships.

For instance, if you link Employees and Skills, a linking module named EmpXSkills will be created.

This linking module is accessible only via API.

Backend Flow of multi-select lookup Relationship



In the linking module, two lookup fields (lookup fields with api names - Employees and Skills) will be created. The lookup fields, one pointing to Employees and the other pointing to Skills from the linking module, establish a connection between the linking module and its associated module.

Why you cannot use a lookup field for this use case? 
In Zoho CRM, a lookup field creates a one-to-many relationship between two modules i.e. one record in the source module can be linked to only one record in the target module.

Example :
If you create a lookup field for Skills in the Employees module, each employee can be linked to only one skill. So, use a multi-select lookup field instead of a lookup field when you need to represent complex relationships like one employee - many skills and one skill - many employees.

3. How to create a multi-select Lookup field using Zoho CRM APIs?

To create a Multi-Select lookup field between two modules using Zoho CRM APIs, follow these steps:

Step 1: Identify the Module API Name
Before creating the field, you should know the API names of the Employees and Skills modules. For that, use the Get Module Metadata API.  

Request URL  : {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/settings/modules
Request method : GET



Now, search for the Employees module in the response and note its API name.

Step 2: Use the Create Custom Fields API

To establish a many-to-many relationship between two modules, in our case, Employees and Skills, you need to create a custom field of type multi-select lookup in the Employees module (parent module).  Here, we will associate multiple skills to an employee.

This custom field requires:
  • The related module you want to link to - Skills.
  • A display field from the related module
  • The linking module (EmpXSkills), which stores the actual associations.
Use the Create Custom Fields API to create custom fields.

Request URL : {{api_domain}}/crm/v8/settings/fields?module=Employees
Request method : POST

Sample input :



{
    "fields": [
        {
            "field_label": "Skills", //Name of the field in your module
            "data_type": "multiselectlookup", //Type of the field
            "multiselectlookup": { //This JSON object contains the multi-select lookup relationship details

                "connected_details": { //Details about the module and field you want to link
                    "module": {
                        "api_name": "Skills" //API name of the related module
                    },
                    "field": {
                        "field_label": "Skills" //The field in the related module to display
                    }
                },
                "linking_details": { //Details about the junction or linking module that manages the many-to-many relationship
                    "module": {
                        "plural_label": "EmpXSkills" //Plural label of the junction module
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    ]
}

4. How Do You Find the Linking Module and Field API Names?

To know the API name of the linking module:
Use the Get Modules API and search for "generated_type" : "linking" in the response to identify MxN modules. In our case, EmpXSkills.

Request URL : {{api_domain}}/crm/v8/settings/modules
Request method : GET



To know the field API names in the linking module:
Use the Get Fields Metadata API to retrieve the API names of lookup fields within the linking module.

Request URL : {{api_domain}}/crm/v8/settings/fields?module=EmpXSkills
Request method : GET

5. How do I associate records via a multi-select lookup field using the Insert Records API in Zoho CRM?

To associate records using a multi-select lookup field, you must provide the record IDs from the related module. The association is made through the linking module.

Example :
Associating multiple skills with an employee using the multi-select lookup field.

Request URL : {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/Employees
Request method : POST

Sample input :


{
  "data": [
    {
      "Name": "Patricia",
      "Email": "patricia@mail.com",
      "Position": "Marketing Specialist",
      "Year_of_Experience": 5,
      "Skills": [   // API name of the multi-select lookup field in the Employees module
        {
          "Skills": { // API name of the lookup field in the linking module pointing to the Skills module
            "name": "Marketing",
            "id": "5725767000002149427"  //ID from the Skills module are mandatory to establish the link
          }
        },
        {
          "Skills": {
            "name": "Social Media Marketing",
            "id": "5725767000002149476"
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}


6. How do I associate an Employee's skills using the linking module in Zoho CRM?

To establish a relationship between the Employees and Skills modules through the linking module, use the Insert Records API to create a record in the linking module, EmpXSkills.

To do this,
  • Use the appropriate lookup field API names to reference the parent module.
  • You must need the record IDs from both the Employees and Skills modules to create the associations.
Request URL : {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/EmpXSkills
Request method : POST

Sample input :


{
  "data": [
    {
      "Name": "Patricia",
      "Employees": {
        "id": "5725767000002161001"  // Record ID from the Employees module
      },
      "Skills": {
        "id": "5725767000002149476"  // Record ID from the Skills module
      }
    }
  ]
}


7. When should I use create/update operations in the Employees module vs the EmpXSkills module?

                Employees Module

               EmpXSkills (linking) Module

Use when you want to create or update an Employee and associate Skills using the Multi-select Lookup field.

Use when you want to create or remove associations between existing Employee and Skill records without modifying the actual Employee or Skill data.

Creating a new employee and assigning their skills at once.

Managing relationships between existing records i.e., linking and unlinking skills to employees.


8. How to update a record in the linking module?

To update a record in the linking module, use the Update Records API.
Request URL : {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/EmpXSkills/5725767000006269044
Request method : PUT

Sample input :


{
    "data": [
        {
            "Skills": {
                "name": "Marketing",
                "id": "5725767000002170035" //Associating another skill with the employee 
            }
        }
    ]
}
In the above sample, we have replaced an existing skill associated with an employee with another Skill in the linking module.This is done by updating the Skills lookup field in the EmpXSkills record.

Please note that in the linking module, Skills is a lookup field, so you can associate only one skill per linking record. But in the Employees module, Skills is a multi-select lookup field, so an employee can be associated with multiple skills.

9. How to unlink records from the parent module as well as the linking module?

Unlink the associated records from the parent module:

Using the Update records API, you can remove an associated skill from an employee, use the "_delete": null key within the multi-select lookup field in the Employee record update.

Request URL : {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/Employees/5725767000006269044
Request method : PUT

Sample input :

{
"data": [
        {
            "Skills": [
               {
                    "Skills": {
                        "name": "Marketing", 
                        "id": "5725767000002170035" // The Skill record you want to unlink
                    },
                    "id": "5725767000007228047", //record ID - The record created in the linking module for the employee with the Marketing skill
                    "_delete" : null 
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}

Replace an associated record from the linking module:

Use the Update Records API to replace an existing association in the linking module.

Request URL : {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/EmpXSkills/5725767000007228035
Request method : PUT

Sample input :


{
    "data": [
        {
            "Skills": {
                "name": "Java",
                "id": "5725767000005259075" //replacing a new skill 
            }
        }
    ]
}
In the above sample, we have replaced the existing skill with Java.

10. Why am I seeing the error "DUPLICATE_LINKING_DATA"  in the Update Records API? 

This error occurs when you try to associate records with the parent record that are already linked with the Multi-select lookup field. To resolve this, check the records you are trying to link and make sure your association is only with records that are not already linked.

Know your existing linked records:

Before the Update Records API, use the Get Related Records Data API and search for the multi-select lookup field. In our case, Skills is the multi-select lookup field created in the Employees module. This will return all records already associated.

Example :


The response returns all Skills already linked with that Employee.

Using this way, compare the IDs from the API response with the new records you are about to link, and only proceed with non-duplicate IDs. This avoids duplicate entries and prevents the "DUPLICATE_LINKING_DATA" error.

11. What happens if I delete a record in the linking module?

When you delete a record in the linking module, it only removes the association between the related records in the Employees and Skills modules.

Note :
  • Deleting a linking module record removes only the relationship between two records from the Employees and Skills modules.
  • Deleting an Employee or Skill record deletes all corresponding entries in the linking module as well.

12. How do I query linked records?

Use the COQL API to query multi-select lookup data by specifying the corresponding linking module's API name directly in your query. The linking module is treated as a separate module in Zoho CRM, so you can retrieve associated records by querying it like any other module.

Sample query :


{
  "select_query": "select Skills.Name as skill, Employees.Name as employee from EmpXSkills where Skills.Name like '%Marketing%'"
}

Use the Get Module Metadata API to know the linking module's API name.

13. How do I export multi-select lookup records using the Bulk Read API?

To export multi-select lookup data, linking module records efficiently, use the Bulk Read API with the linking module’s API name.

Request method : POST

Sample Request :


{
    "callback": {
        "method": "post"
    },
    "query": {
        "module": {
            "api_name": "EmpXSkills" //API name of the linking module
        },
        "fields": [
            "Employees.Name",
            "Employees.Year_of_Experience",
            "Skills.Name"
        ],
        "criteria": {
            "group": [
                {
                    "field": {
                        "api_name": "Employees.Year_of_Experience" 
                    },
                    "comparator": "greater_than",
                    "value": "4"
                },
                {
                    "field": {
                        "api_name": "Skills.Name"
                    },
                    "comparator": "contains",
                    "value": "Social"
                }
            ],
            "group_operator": "AND"
        }
    }
}

14. Can I import my linking module's data using the Bulk Write API?

Yes. Like the Leads and Contacts modules, you can also import linking module's data into Zoho CRM using the Bulk Write API by directly specifying the linking module’s API name.

If you are importing data that involves both a parent module, Employees and its associated MxN linking module, follow these steps:

1. Create separate CSV files:
  • One for the parent module - Employees
  • One for the linking module - EmpXSkills
2. Zip the files into a single ZIP file.
3. Upload the ZIP in a single Bulk Write API request.
4. Ensure accurate field mappings are provided in the API request body.

Refer to Kaizen #131 - Bulk Write for parent-child records using Scala SDK for more details on handling parent-child records.


15. Can I receive notifications if a multi-select lookup field in a module is modified or updated?

Yes, you can receive notifications when a MxN field is updated using the Notification API. To enable instant notifications for actions performed in a module, use the respective API names of the linking module in the input body.

Request method : POST

Sample input :


{
    "watch": [
        {
            "channel_id": "10000",
            "events": [
                "EmpXSkills.all"  //EmpXSkills represents the API name of the linking module
            ],
            "return_affected_field_values": true  
        }
    ]
}

16. Can I use criteria-based filtering when accessing multi-select lookup data using the Search API?

Yes, you can filter multi-select lookup data using the criteria parameter in the Search API's URL.

Here is an example that fetches records from the EmpXSkills linking module.

Request URL : {{api-name}}/crm/v8/EmpXSkills/search?criteria=((Secondary_Email:equals:patricia@mail.com)and(Skills:equals:Content_Marketing))
Request method : GET

Sample response :



                                                                                                                               x-----------------------------x


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!


Other FAQs in the Kaizen series :


    • Recent Topics

    • Custom Field for Subscription

      Hi, I can't find a way to add a custom field (to contain a license key generated from our software) against a subscription? Is the only place to add this information in the Invoice module (as custom field for invoice)? When a customer views his subscription via the customer portal, there appears no way to display a license key for them? The invoice is not the natural place to store a license key for a particular subscription, so where else can this be stored and displayed?

    • Standalone custom function not generating logs

      Why dont't standalone custom functions generate logs when the're called from another function? I have some functions (workflow, buttons and blueprint) that have common parts, so I put that part in a standalone function which is called from the others.

    • Automated log-out/session end

      I'm concerned about security of our data. Is it possible to set an automatic time-out for user sessions on Zoho CRM, after a certain period of inactivity or when the session reaches a certain duration (12 hours perhaps)? 

    • Add "Reset MFA" Option for Zoho Creator Client Portal Users

      Hello Zoho Creator Team, We hope you are doing well. We would like to request an important enhancement related to Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for client portal users in Zoho Creator. Currently, Creator allows us to enforce MFA for portal users,

    • Support Bots and Automations in External Channels

      Hello Zoho Cliq Team, How are you? We actively use Zoho Cliq for collaboration, including with our external developers. For this purpose, external channels are a key tool since they work seamlessly within the same interface as all of our other channels

    • Urgent Security Feature Request – Add MFA to Zoho Projects Client Portal Hello Zoho Projects Team,

      Hello Zoho Projects Team, We hope you are doing well. We would like to submit an urgent security enhancement request regarding the Zoho Projects Client Portal. At this time, as far as we are aware, there is no Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) available

    • Creator HTML page refresh

      Hi, I have added around 5 different html snippets in single creator page. I understand, I can refresh the entire page from page script using Navigational URLs https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/creator/developer-guide/others/url-patterns/articles/navigational-urls

    • Zoho Desk - Custom Module Related List Columns on Tickets

      I have a custom module in Zoho Desk called Asana Tasks, each task has a lookup to a Ticket. On the Ticket I want to see the columns of the Asana Tasks in the related list . Is there a way to do this? Right now it just has the name of the record and I

    • Why is Zoho Meeting quality so poor?

      I've just moved from Office 365 to Zoho Workplace and have been generally really positive about the new platform -- nicely integrated, nice GUI, good and easy-to-understand control and customisation, and at a reasonable price. However, what is going on

    • Google Analytics import data inaccurate (as of October 11, 2025)

      We have Zoho Analytics connected to GA4 to import daily event data. This has been running without issue for a couple of years. However, a month ago we started noticing discrepancies. All data until October 10 lines up perfectly - October 11 onward is

    • Paid Support Plans with Automated Billing

      We (like many others, I'm sure) are designing or have paid support plans. Our design involves a given number of support hours in each plan. Here are my questions: 1) Are there any plans to add time-based plans in the Zoho Desk Support Plans feature? The

    • What is your opinion of the new UI?

      Hi Everyone, I would like to see what everyone thinks of the new Zoho One Dashboard. I don't get it, but perhaps I'm missing something. What are your thoughts?

    • What are the OAuth scopes needed to access the Zoho MCP server?

      I think I'm authenticating with the MCP server endpoint successfully using a bearer token but I can't successfully initialize an MCP session. I'm using the official MCP Python sdk (https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/python-sdk). I get as far as here

    • Support Uploading YouTube Videos Longer Than 60 Minutes

      Hi Zoho Social Team, How are you? We would like to request support for uploading YouTube videos longer than 60 minutes directly through Zoho Social. Your support team informed us that Zoho Social currently cannot upload videos over 60 minutes due to “API

    • Account blocked for IMAP use

      Hello, My email client (Evolution) can't sync mail anymore. It gives the error: "Your account is temporarily blocked for IMAP use. This may happen if you exceed the maximum number of simultaneous IMAP connections allowed. Kindly try again after some time."

    • Is SMTP included in the free plan?

      My client has a Zoho Mail Free 14 day trial that ends tomorrow. She has set up a domain email address with SMTP on a third party app and is wondering if it will continue working once her plan downgrades to the free forever plan. Thanks

    • Zoho mail issue.

      I have verified my domain ohhoexpress.online by adding necessary TXT and MX records. But when I am sending email to any external email id, it is showing as zohomail.com. Also while I am sending mail to internal mail id, it is saying user not found whereas

    • My email is blocked from sending

      I get this message when I try to send any message .. > Unable to send message, Reason 554 5.1.8 Email Outgoing Blocked We have urgent emails to send and the issue continues to persist from yesterday. Please help us with this issue as soon as possibl

    • [WEBINAR] Smooth year-end closure with Zoho Books (KENYA)

      Hello there, This webinar is for all Kenyan businesses looking to wrap up their financial year smoothly! Join our free session to learn how Zoho Books can simplify your year-end process. What to expect from this webinar: - All the latest updates in Zoho

    • cannot recieve or send emails

      we are not recieving or cannot send emails.Shows sysytem error

    • Getting Attachments in Zoho Desk via API

      Is there a way to get attachments into Zoho Desk via an API?      We have a process by which a zoho survey gets sent to the user as a link in a notification.    The survey has several upload fields where they can upload pdf documents.    I've created

    • Zoho Sites - contact us form

      I have added a contact us form to my website. I wanted to change the layout so I deleted the section of Contact Us form. When I again try to add the section of Contact Us form, it shows error that "This form already exists on this page."  I am unable

    • Setting checkbox value on template in Sign from Creator

      Good day, Please help me understand how do I set a tick from a checkbox in Creator into a checkbox on a Sign template. Below is the only values on the Sign template and the code from Creator, "field_boolean_data": {}, "field_date_data": {}, "field_radio_data":

    • Scheduled Reports - Do not send empty report

      Hello, We are intensively using reports in the CRM, especially for sales managers.  When data is empty, they still receive an email. Can you add an option to avoid sending the report when data is empty?

    • Zoho Forms - Improve the CRM integration field to query data from more than one module

      Hi Forms team, Something I get stuck on regularly is pre-populating a form with data when that data is spread across 2 or 3 modules. For example Contacts, Accounts and Deals. I don't want to duplicate the information in CRM so I end up writing a function

    • Ask the Experts 25: Experience the full spectrum of Zoho Desk’s autumn and spring releases for 2025

      Hello Everyone, We’re on the 25th episode of our ATE series! It's a true milestone in our live community interactions! It’s been an amazing journey since we started in October 2018. Zoho Desk has come a long way, evolving with the support of a wonderful

    • switching from POP3 to IMAPI do I need to change settings in Web email?

      hi so I am using Outlook with My Zoho mail, also have Verizon email /AOL. they no longer support POP3 and said imapi is much better, so I want to switch my ZoHo to imapai. I googled and it said i need to change it in my account....i looked at my account

    • Can multiple agents be assigned to one ticket on purpose?

      Is it possible to assign one ticket to two or more agents at a time? I would like the option to have multiple people working on one ticket so that the same ticket is viewable for those agents on their list of pending tickets. Is something like this currently

    • What functionality is new in the Z025 Spaces UI dashboard compared to the previous Zoho One dashboard?

      My company is interested in creating a revamped dashboard this coming year, and are trying to weigh different platform options. The new Spaces UI is said to be a more "feature-rich" dashboard experience than the previous. Could a developer please explain

    • Collections Management: #5 Convenience on Offer, using Self-Checkout

      "Is this the right page? Oh, now, it wants my address again. Why am I being redirected?" These were the exact thoughts running through Karan's mind as he tried to subscribe to an application he genuinely liked. He clicked "Buy Now", expecting a quick

    • Uploading a signed template from Sign to Creator

      Good day, Please help me on how to load a signed document back into Creator after the process has been completed in Sign. Below is the code that I am trying, pdfFile = response.toFile("SignedDocument_4901354000000372029.pdf"); info pdfFile; // Attach

    • Tip #50- A Closer Look at the Unattended Access Dashboard- 'Insider Insights'

      Having complete visibility and quick access to everything you need certainly makes managing multiple remote devices a lot easier, and that is precisely what the Unattended Access Dashboard in Zoho Assist is designed to offer. Once you go to the Unattended

    • Zoho CRM Portal User Timeline History Unavailable

      Hi Support Team, We have noticed a feature limitation in the Zoho CRM portal. We created a portal for our vendors to edit records directly, but when vendors make updates, the Modified Time and Date fields are not being updated. Additionally, these updates

    • New in Smart Prompt: Record Assistant for contextual assistance, and support for new AI models

      Smart Prompt helps teams stay informed and move faster by providing relevant suggestions where work happens in CRM. With this update, Smart Prompt becomes more adaptable to your organization’s AI preferences. You can now choose which Large Language Model

    • Almost all Flows are being queued

      A few days ago I saw one of my Flows status was Queued. This was the first time this had ever happened. Now, almost every Flow that triggers is Queued for at least a few minutes. If I re-trigger the Flow (which causes separate problems) they sometimes

    • Zoho Map integration tasks have changed - you need to "Locate all instances of Zoho Map integration tasks in your Deluge scripts by searching for the v1 marker... before 16 January 2026"

      Details of an issue specific to Zoho CRM + Deluge Functions (originally posted in this forum) can be found here: https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/community/topic/zoho-map-integration-tasks-have-changed-you-need-to-locate-all-instances-of-zoho-map-integration-tasks-in-your-deluge-scripts-by-searching-for-the-v1-marker

    • How to update custom multi-user field in Zoho Projects?

      I'm trying to update custom multi-user fields in Zoho Projects via a Deluge function in CRM. The code I have so far is below. It works for updating standard project fields and single-line custom fields, but it does not work to update multi-user fields.

    • Tip of the Week #75– Manage your social media messages from a single shared inbox.

      Are you tired of jumping between apps or browser tabs to reply to your business's Facebook and Instagram DMs? Handling customer messages on social media might seem simple, but switching between multiple platforms can easily lead to lost messages, duplicate

    • Zoho Map integration tasks have changed - you need to "Locate all instances of Zoho Map integration tasks in your Deluge scripts by searching for the v1 marker... before 16 January 2026"

      The Zoho Map deluge integration task has been changed (as at 21 October 2025) to provide a more structured, JSON-like response. This change affects all three Zoho Map integration tasks (Geocode, Reverse Geocode, and Distance Between). More details can

    • Using files from Zoho CRM in Gemini/ChatGPT/Claude

      Hi all, I’ve got subscriptions to Gemini and a few other AI tools which I use for tasks like data enrichment, email composition, etc. In our workflow, we often receive various documents from clients — such as process workflows, BRDs/requirement documents

    • Next Page