Howdy, tech wizards!
This week’s Kaizen explores how Catalyst Solutions in the Zoho CRM Developer Hub help import large volumes of data into Zoho CRM while improving data quality and simplifying the migration process.
Catalyst Solutions provide a library of independent, ready-to-use backend solutions called
CodeLibs. The
CRM Bulk Data Processor CodeLib helps handle complex data operations on large datasets. Following are the key benefits:
- Highly Scalable: Processes large datasets efficiently, supporting up to 200,000 records per API call.
- Automation Made Simple: Automate complex tasks like segmentation, data cleansing and lead scoring with minimal effort.
- Effortless Integration: Comes with pre-configured Catalyst resources such as serverless functions and data stores that integrate directly with Zoho CRM.
Business Scenario
Zylker, a manufacturing company, migrated over 3 lakh Lead records into Zoho CRM from spreadsheets.
Post-migration, the Lead data showed the following inconsistencies and challenges:
- Phone number field did not include country codes, or contained incorrect country codes. This inconsistency made it difficult for sales teams to contact Leads reliably.
- Identifying potential Leads for follow-up required manual effort and marketing team has to run generic campaigns without lead segmentation.
Using workflows before record creation to fix phone numbers for this volume would result in 3 lakh individual workflow executions, which can slow imports and cause partial failures.
Solution Overview
Zylker can use the CRM Bulk Data Processor available in Catalyst Solutions to address these challenges at scale.
The solution works as follows:
- Lead records are fetched in bulk from Zoho CRM using the Bulk Read API.
- The fetched data is temporarily stored to evaluate the priority and quality of each record. Based on this evaluation, the records are also segmented accordingly.
- The Country field value is used to identify and append the correct country code to the phone number.
- The processed records are updated back into Zoho CRM using Bulk Write API.
All operations are executed using pre-configured Catalyst resources provided by the CodeLib. You can explore the
Bulk Data Flow in Catalyst help page to understand how each resource participates in the processing pipeline.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, ensure the following:
1. Log into your Zoho CRM and navigate to Setup > Customization > Modules and Fields > Leads.
Create the following custom Single Line fields to map existing record data in Zoho CRM.
- Last Activity Days
- Web Engagement Score
2. Create the following custom Single Line fields to store the calculated values during bulk processing:
- Lead Score Value
- Lead Segment
- Sales Priority
- Data Quality Status
3. Go to Setup > Developer Hub > Catalyst Solutions > Zoho CRM Bulk Data Processor.
4. Click Go to Catalyst and create a Catalyst account if required.

6. Create a new folder on your local system, which will act as a local project directory. Use the following command:
7. Navigate to the project folder in your terminal and execute the following command:
8. Follow the prompts to select and initialize your desired project from the Catalyst console.
When prompted to choose a feature, press Enter and proceed without choosing any feature.
9. Run the following command to install the CRM Bulk Data Processor CodeLib.
Step 1: Create a Cron Job
1. Open the Catalyst Console and navigate to the same project in which you have installed the CRM Bulk Data Processor CodeLib.
2. Go to Cloud Scale > Triggers > Cron and click Create Cron.
3. Fill in the following details:
- Provide a Name and Description for the cron job.
- Select Function and choose BulkJobScheduler from the dropdown in the Target Function field.
- Enter the following parameters and values:
MODULES -> Leads
FIELDS_TO_BE_PROCESSED -> Last_Name, Company, Mobile, Country, Designation, No_of_Employees, Web_Engagement_Score, Lead_Score_Value, Lead_Segment, Sales_Priority, Data_Quality_Status
Use GET Modules Metadata API and GET Fields Metadata API to get the API names of the required module and fields.
- Choose the Schedule Type as One Time for our use case.
Step 2: Configure Zoho CRM API Credentials
2. Generate a Grant Token with the following scopes:
- ZohoFiles.files.ALL
- ZohoCRM.bulk.ALL
- ZohoCRM.modules.ALL
- ZohoCRM.settings.ALL
- ZohoCRM.org.ALL
3. Follow the
OAuth Help Section for a step-by-step guide to generate Access and Refresh tokens for your Zoho CRM organization.
Store all the API credentials securely for later use.
4. To allow Catalyst to access Zoho CRM data, configure the stored API credentials as environment variables in the catalyst-config.json file within the BulkDataProcessor function.
These environment variables are used by
Catalyst Connectors to create access tokens for establishing secure connection between Zoho CRM and Catalyst.
Step 3: Add Business Logic
1. Go to com.processor.record.ZCRMRecordsProcessorImpl.java file of the BulkDataProcessor in the functions directory.
2. Override the ZCRMRecordsProcessor method with the business logic.
The complete code sample for this use case is available on
GitHub for reference.
Following is the major custom logic used here:
Phone Number Normalization:
This can be implemented in two stages, Country standardization and Phone Number formatting.
For country standardization, CountryStandardizerUtil maps different variations of the Country field in records to a single standardized country identifier. These variations may include,
- Country Names (India, Unites States, United Kingdom)
- Abbreviations (Ind, IN, USA, US, UK)
- Calling Codes (+91, +1, +44)
With this, we can ensure different interpretations of the same country are interpreted consistently during the process.
Once the country is standardized, Phone Numbers are formatted to E.164 format in the PhoneNormalizerUtil.
It removes all non-numeric characters and converts the Phone input to E.164 format with the respective country codes.
public class PhoneNormalizerUtil { private static final Pattern NON_DIGIT = Pattern.compile("[^0-9]"); public static Optional<String> normalizeToE164(String rawPhone, String countryCode) { if (rawPhone == null || rawPhone.trim().isEmpty()) { return Optional.empty(); } String digits = NON_DIGIT.matcher(rawPhone).replaceAll(""); if (rawPhone.startsWith("+") && digits.length() >= 10) { return Optional.of("+" + digits); } switch (countryCode) { case "IN": return normalizeIndia(digits); case "US": return normalizeUS(digits); case "UK": return normalizeUK(digits); default: return Optional.empty(); } } private static Optional<String> normalizeIndia(String digits) { if (digits.length() == 10) { return Optional.of("+91" + digits); } if (digits.startsWith("91") && digits.length() == 12) { return Optional.of("+" + digits); } return Optional.empty(); } private static Optional<String> normalizeUS(String digits) { if (digits.length() == 10) { return Optional.of("+1" + digits); } if (digits.startsWith("1") && digits.length() == 11) { return Optional.of("+" + digits); } return Optional.empty(); } private static Optional<String> normalizeUK(String digits) { if (digits.startsWith("44") && digits.length() == 12) { return Optional.of("+" + digits); } if (digits.length() == 10) { return Optional.of("+44" + digits); } return Optional.empty(); }
} |
Lead Priority and Segmentation
The lead priority is calculated using the Title, No of employees, Last Activity Days and Web Engagement Score fields in the record.
Each field value contributes a predefined number of points:
- If the job title indicates a senior role such as CEO, CTO, Director, or VP, 25 points are added.
- If the company size is 200 employees or more, 20 points are added.
- If the Lead has been active within the last 7 days, 15 points are added.
- If the web engagement score is 70 or higher, 10 points are added.
The sum of all applicable factors is returned as an integer and based on this score the lead's priority and segmentation is assigned as follows:
- High (Hot): score ≥ 70
- Medium (Warm): score ≥ 40
- Low (Cold): score < 40
public static int calculateLeadScore( String jobTitle, Integer companySize, Integer lastActivityDays, Integer webEngagementScore) { int score = 0; // Decision Maker if (jobTitle != null) { String title = jobTitle.toLowerCase(); if (title.contains("ceo") || title.contains("cto") || title.contains("director") || title.contains("vp")) { score += 25; } } // Company Size if (companySize != null && companySize >= 200) { score += 20; } // Recency if (lastActivityDays != null && lastActivityDays <= 7) { score += 15; } // Engagement if (webEngagementScore != null && webEngagementScore >= 70) { score += 10; } return score; } public static String deriveSegment(int score) { if (score >= 70) return "Hot"; if (score >= 40) return "Warm"; return "Cold"; } public static String derivePriority(String segment) { switch (segment) { case "Hot": return "High"; case "Warm": return "Medium"; default: return "Low"; } }
|
Lead Quality:
Lead quality is evaluated based on the validity of the Mobile and Country fields in the records.
- Clean: Both field values are valid.
- Critical: Both field values are invalid.
- Needs Review: Only one of the field values is invalid.

Write Back to Records:
The processed data is written back to Zoho CRM as follows:
- Mobile: Formatted phone numbers.
- Lead Score: Total score calculated from all applicable fields.
- Lead Segment: Segment derived from the lead score.
- Sales Priority: Priority assigned based on the lead segment.
- Data Quality Status: Overall quality of the Lead record.
if (normalizedMobile.isPresent()) { data.put("Mobile", normalizedMobile.get()); } data.put("Lead_Score", leadScore); data.put("Lead_Segment", leadSegment); data.put("Sales_Priority", salesPriority); data.put("Data_Quality_Status", dataQualityStatus); }
|
Step 4: Deploy to Development
You can find the complete code sample on
GitHub for reference.
Try it Out!
With the changes deployed to the Development environment, let us now test the solution.
We hope this Kaizen helps you import large volumes of data into Zoho CRM while improving data quality and lead intelligence using the CRM Bulk Data Processor.
Have questions or suggestions? Drop them in the comments or write to us at
support@zohocrm.com.
We will circle back to you next Friday with another interesting topic.
On to Better Building!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recent Topics
Zoho Autoplay Issue
Currently, we run our graphics on a playlist with youtube videos interspersed in our office -- however, when we go to update the playlist (since last Thursday at around 8-9am EST) it no longer saves the autoplay function. We have tried making a new account, manually saving with cntrl+s, making a new show, etc but nothing seems to work. Even with our old program, we can't change it off of autoplay for ones that were created in the past. Another issue is that if we change a slide transition to anything
Adding hyperlinks in CRM emails time automatically
It may just be me, but when I am writing an email to a lead, I find inserting a hyperlink very time consuming. Granted, I can use templates but there are a ton of scenarios where I might want to put a link in to an website that wouldnt require me to go though the effort of creating a template. Ideally, the crm would identify that I that a string of text is a URL and insert the hyperlink automatically, just like microsoft outlook or gmail. Has anyone else had this same experience and found a way
Enhance "Applications Usage" with Date Filters, Historical Analytics & App-Level Breakdown
Hello Zoho Creator Team, We are writing to request a critical enhancement to the Applications Usage section to improve our ability to monitor, analyze, and manage our platform consumption over time. While the current view of today’s usage is helpful for
External File Share - Allow delete
Hi Team, when I share an external link and give it edit rights the external user can add but not delete files and folders. what am i doing wrong?
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 s et notifications that go to the team for any and all changes
How to change the format for phone numbers?
Mobile phone numbers are currently formatted (###) ###-####. How can I change this to a more appropriate forms for Australia being either #### ### ### or (#)### ### ###?
Unattended Access on Android without Play Store
I'm testing Zoho Assist for remote config and maintenance of our IoT devices. The devices are running Android 8.1 and do NOT have Google Play Store installed, nor can it be installed. I've been able to install Zoho Assist on the devices and load the enrollment
Is it possible to embed Zoho Bookmarks in the Cliq sidebar?
Is there any way that each Zoho user can access their bookmarks (that live in https://bookmarks.zoho.eu/ which is technically a part of Zoho Mail) directly within Cliq? As a widget, or an item in the sidebar? My team does not use Mail, it uses Cliq all
Show Attachments in the customer portal
Hi, is it possible to show the Attachments list in the portal for the particular module? Bests.
Kaizen #142: How to Navigate to Another Page in Zoho CRM using Client Script
Hello everyone! Welcome back to another exciting Kaizen post. In this post, let us see how you can you navigate to different Pages using Client Script. In this Kaizen post, Need to Navigate to different Pages Client Script ZDKs related to navigation A.
Navigate with Ease: Announcing Improvements to Your Zoho CRM for Everyone's Setup Experience
Hello Everyone, We’re thrilled to announce new enhancements to the Setup Menu in our Zoho CRM for Everyone system, designed to simplify your workday and streamline your overall experience. What's New? Addition of a Setup Homepage Faster Search in Setup
Zoho Projects Webhook fails with HTTP Error 0
Hello Zoho Community, I am pulling my hair out over this one. I have setup a very basic http(s) server that always responds "ok" and code 200 to incoming GET requests. It will accept any parameters, and any path. Really, all it does is say "ok," and log
ZOHO Campaignで表のカラムの幅を調整したい。
表を作成した際、個々のカラムの幅を調整したいのですが、方法が分かりません。 どなたかご存じの方ご教示ください。
Kaizen #129 : Client Script Support for Blueprints
Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of Kaizen. Today, let us discuss about how you can use Client Script during a Blueprint transtion to meet your requirements. This Kaizen post will provide solution for the post - Need non-mandatory fields in blueprint
Search Bar Improvement for Zoho Commerce
Hey everyone, I've been using Zoho Commerce for a bit now, and I think the search bar could really use an upgrade. Right now, it doesn't show products in a dropdown as you type, which would make finding items a lot faster. On Shopify, for example, you
Making digital signatures accessible to all: Introducing accessibility controls in Zoho Sign
Hi there! At Zoho Sign, we are committed to building an inclusive digital experience for all our users. As part of our ongoing efforts to align with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), we’re updating the application with support that will go
Account Owner Field From Accounts Module to be Displayed in Contacts module
I have a field in the Accounts Module in the CRM called "Account Owner" i want that field to be also mapped into the Contacts Module custom single line field called "Account Manager".
Update a field in the ZOHO Form, basis numeric value in another field in the same form
I am trying to create a questionnaire in ZOHO, where clients need to answer 10 questions, and basis response, values are assigned. I have created a total score field where the sum of the values is stored. But i am unable to create a rule whereby another
Meet up de Zoho en Bilbao
Buenos días comunidad! Estamos estudiando hacer un Meet up en Bilbao desde zoho y varios Partners. Para que la experiencia sea excelente, queremos saber cuantas pesonas se vendrían a Bilbao al evento. Y para que sea lo mas útil posible, que temas dentro
Picklist reference value in REST
picklist options can be configured to have a different reference value than the displayed one, should be helpful in things like multilanguage: https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/crm/customize-crm-account/translations/articles/translations is there a way
In Zoho inventory Converting sales return to cerdit note from using Api from Creator Error details: {"code":-1,"message":"Invalid Sales Return ID."}
In Zoho inventory Converting sales return to cerdit note from using Api from Creator Error details: {"code":-1,"message":"Invalid Sales Return ID."} this is button Function used in the Creator map Inventory.Create_Credit_note(int CRE_ID) { return_value
Marketing Tip #2: Recover lost sales with abandoned cart emails
Did you know most online shoppers don’t complete checkout? Automated cart recovery emails are an easy way to bring them back. A simple reminder can recover sales you’d otherwise lose. Try this today: Enable abandoned cart emails in Zoho Commerce and set
Billing Management: #9 Usage Billing in IoTs
We live in a world where connectivity has become a lifestyle rather than a luxury. From smart thermostats that adjust your home's temperature to GPS trackers monitoring end-to-end fleets and sensors that optimize energy grids, the Internet of Things has
{"code":1038,"message":"JSON is not well formed"}
Today this began failing: sales_order_data = zoho.books.createRecord("salesorders",books_organization_ID,order_data); with this error message. {"code":1038,"message":"JSON is not well formed"} This code has been running for two years. Here is the input
How can I migrate Shared Mailbox from Zoho Mail to Team Inbox?
I am unable to migrate mails from my shared mailbox in Zoho Mail to Team Inbox. I am the super admin of my Zoho One plan and yet I am getting an error saying only admins can do this? I don't understand the issue.
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
Can no longer upload my own Notebook cover
I've had Notebook for over a year and have been able to create my own notebook covers, but when I tried to upload my own cover for a new notebook today, the upload feature has suddenly been starred, requiring me to upgrade my account. When did this
Zoho Desk - Cannot Invite or Register New User
Hi who may concern, we encountered a problem that we cannot invite user or the visitor cannot register for a user at all through our help center portal, with the snapshot shown as below and the attachement. It always pops up that "Sorry, Unable to process
Custom domain issue
I recently changed records for my support area custom domain for a few months, I then wanted to come back to Zoho, but now I can't connect it and I can't login as it's having an SSL issue. I cannot get a good response from support, as I've been notified
How do you generate personalized certificates and save them in dynamic folders using Writer's mail merge?
Zoho Writer's mail merge feature can help you enhance the certificate management process. It's a great way to save time and effort! Merge certificates and maintain a well-organised repository with personalised certificates stored in separate folders for
Zoho Editor
Zoho PDf Editor is not working I am clicking on EDIT PDf then it again bringing me back to the same page. again and again.
The present is a "present"
The conversation around mental health has been gaining attention in recent years. Even with this awareness, we often feel stuck; the relentless pace of modern life makes us too busy to pause, reflect, and recharge. In the world of customer support, this
Market cap
Market cap formula?? Kaise nikale
Create project (flow) and assign to person without account (company)
Hi Zoho Support & Community, I'm trying to automate a process using Zoho Flow to create a Zoho Project and link it directly to a Zoho CRM Contact. This reflects our B2C workflow where we primarily deal with individual Contacts, not Companies/Accounts.
Mail and OS
Jai Hind! Zoho is doing good by creating good software (made in india) on par with other tech giants. 🥰 Suggestion: 1. Whenever we sign up on zoho mail its asking for other mail id. It shouldn't be like that. You should ask general details of a user
Need Help to setup plugs along with codeless bot buidler. To send sms OTPs to users via Zoho Voice and to verify it
Need Help to setup plugs along with codeless bot buidler. To send sms OTPs to users via Zoho Voice and to verify it. I get leads from our website and we need to make sure those are not junk. So we are using proactive chat bot and we need mobile OTPs to
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
Zoho sheet
Unable to share zoho sheet with anyone on internet with editer option only view option is show
Personal account created under org account
Hi there, I am Jayesh. We are using ME Central, and we have an account by the email ID soc@kissht.com.. Now I have created a personal account., jayesh.auti@zohomail.in, accidentally. Can you help me to remove this jayesh.auti@zohomail.in from my organization
Add another account
How to add another mail account to my zoho mail.
Next Page