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How do I create Zoho CRM and Zoho Desk data sources?

Updated

Ready to get the most from your CRM and help desk data? Get started by setting up a connection between Klipfolio Klips and your Zoho data and adding some data sources.

When you're finished adding Zoho data sources, you'll use them to power your custom Klips.

Note: Klipfolio includes a pre-built connector for Zoho CRM and a pre-built connector for Zoho Desk.

This article includes:

Connecting to your Zoho data

Here are a couple things to note about connecting Klipfolio to your Zoho data:

Your data is safe with us. The first time you connect your Zoho data to Klipfolio, you'll be prompted to sign in to Zoho and give permission to allow Klipfolio to securely access data within your Zoho account. We are serious about protecting your data privacy.

Managing your connections. By default, your connection name looks like this: yourname@Zoho<date and time created>. You can modify the default connection name when you create a new connection or from your list of connections, accessed by clicking your Account Name (located at the bottom of the left navigation sidebar) and selecting Account > Connected Accounts or by clicking the button in the left navigation sidebar and selecting Connections.

You can use and reuse the same account connection every time you connect to Zoho. If you have trouble accessing an existing connection, your OAuth token may have expired. If that happens to you, check out these troubleshooting tips.

Adding a Zoho pre-built or custom data source

Our pre-built data sources for Zoho CRM focus on the most sought-after Zoho data. Either use them as complete solutions or as starting points for custom building.

Need a unique set of data? When our pre-built data sources don't include exactly what you're looking for, create your own custom data source. You can either use a pre-built data source query as a base or write your own queries from scratch.

To add a Zoho pre-built or custom data source:

  1. Click the + beside Data Sources in the left navigation sidebar.

If you don’t see the option above, go to the bottom of the left navigation sidebar and click your Account Name > Data Sources > Create a New Data Source.

  1. On the Where is your data? page, select Zoho Desk or Zoho CRM.
  2. Select a pre-built data source from the left section of the Choose a pre-built or custom connection page. Alternatively, if you want to create a custom data source, click Create a custom Zoho data source.
    Note: Pre-built data sources are only available for Zoho CRM.
  3. If this is your first time connecting to Zoho:
    • Click Connect an account. Enter your Zoho login credentials and click Next. If prompted, click Allow Access to enable Klipfolio to securely access your Zoho data. Click Continue.
  4. If you have connected to Zoho before:
    • Select an existing connection (token) from the drop-down list and click Continue.
  5. If you're creating a custom data source, edit the Query URL further to return the data you need. Refer to the Zoho CRM API documentation or Zoho Desk API documentation for details.
    Note: To limit your results to data returned within a specific date range, you must modify the query parameters as in the example below and set the Type to Header:
  6. Click Get data.
  7. Ensure this is the data you’re looking for. Optionally, select the checkbox to Model your data. Learn more about modelling data sources. Note: Zoho returns JSON formatted data. Learn how to model JSON data.
  8. Click Continue.
  9. Name, choose refresh settings, and, optionally, share your data source.
  10. Click Save.

The data source is added to your account and is ready to use for custom Klips. You can see all your data sources in your Data Source Library, accessed by clicking Data Sources in the left navigation sidebar.

Custom building: About APIs and queries

Want to learn more about custom building? This section is for you. Klipfolio connects to hundreds of services in the cloud that have a REST API. If you take the time to learn your service’s API to create queries for the data you want, your possibilities are endless. Here’s a quick overview video on APIs and Klipfolio:

Klipfolio API's 101

If you need help using APIs, ask a data analyst or developer.

Refer to the Zoho CRM API documentation and the Zoho Desk API documentation to discover more data requests.

See the reference table below for API related information and sample queries.

API Documentation

Zoho CRM API documentation

Zoho Desk API documentation
Authentication Method OAuth Token Authentication
Response Format JSON
API Limits and Notes API calls in Zoho CRM are associated with credits. Each API call that you make deducts credits from your daily Credit Count. Go here for more information.
Date Format

Example date format (hard code as a header at Parameters):

2019-04-01T12:00:00-05:00
Sample Queries

List of tickets (Zoho Desk):

https://desk.zoho.com/api/v1/tickets

Zoho Potentials (Last 200 Deals) (Zoho CRM):

https://www.zohoapis.com/crm/v2/Leads?page=1&per_page=200&sort_by=Modified_Time&sort_order=desc

Zoho Leads (Zoho CRM):

https://www.zohoapis.com/crm/v2/Leads

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