Zoho CRM mass update, mass delete and mass transfer: a safe process

The three bulk actions and what each needs

Source: Zoho Help: Common Operations with Records

Going beyond 500 records

Zoho's record-management page says that for more than 500 records you create a custom view with the right criteria and use Select all records in this view. Through the API, Zoho's v8 pages describe up to 50,000 records per call when you pass a custom view ID, run as a scheduled background job whose status you check separately, and up to 500 per call when you pass record IDs. The custom view ID option is listed only for Enterprise, Ultimate, CRM Plus and Zoho One Enterprise editions. Only one update job can run for a given custom view at a time, and only one mass delete job at a time.

Zoho's help page and API pages describe different routes (user interface versus API), so the 500 and 50,000 figures are not in conflict. Check your own edition before planning a large run.

Source: Zoho Help: Common Operations with Records, Zoho Developer: Mass Update Records (v8), Zoho Developer: Mass Delete Records (v8)

What mass update cannot or will not do

• Zoho's help page says Text Area and Lookup fields cannot be mass updated. The v8 API page lists Email, lookup fields, layout fields, multi-line fields and line items, plus primary fields tied to a layout rule or validation rule and fields that are hidden or inaccessible to you. The two lists differ, so test the field you need.
• For multi-select fields the UI offers Overwrite (default) or Append. In the API, over_write false (default) adds the value and true replaces existing values.
• Per the API page, records that are locked, not yet approved, in a blueprint or in stop-processing status cannot be updated.
• The API allows up to three fields per call in Deals and one field in other modules.
• Invalid data: for custom-view calls invalid records are skipped and the rest processed; for ID calls each invalid ID returns its own error.

Source: Zoho Help: Common Operations with Records, Zoho Developer: Mass Update Records (v8)

Automation: what may or may not fire

The v8 mass update page says that for record-ID calls approvals, blueprints and workflows run automatically. For custom-view (scheduler) calls it says automation rules run only when the record count is below 1,000, and that above 1,000 they do not trigger. The help page says nothing about whether the user interface mass actions trigger workflows, so we cannot state that from Zoho's pages; test on a few records in a sandbox first.

Zoho's help page also notes, for Change Owner, that rules triggered by record edits or field updates apply to the parent record and first-level child records only, not second-level children.

Source: Zoho Help: Common Operations with Records, Zoho Developer: Mass Update Records (v8)

Mass delete: children and the Recycle Bin

• Zoho says deleting a record also deletes its associated child records, including notes and open and closed activities. Its example: deleting an account deletes its contacts and deals.
• Deleted records are kept in the Recycle Bin for 60 days then permanently removed. To restore, select the records and click Restore. Only Administrators can delete records from the Recycle Bin.
• For the API, Zoho says only approved records can be deleted, and the v8 page does not mention the Recycle Bin or whether deletions can be restored. Use the help page for that.
• Mass Delete is recorded in Last Activity Time, unlike the other mass actions.

Source: Zoho Help: Common Operations with Records, Zoho Developer: Mass Delete Records (v8)

A safe process (advice)

• Write down the goal and the exact filter. Search by owner first so you do not touch other users' records; Zoho's page advises using Bulk Change Owner carefully, because ownership changes regardless of current owner.
• Export the records you are about to change so you have a before copy. Zoho's help page does not say mass actions create a backup for you.
• Run on a small batch first and check the result, including any workflow that fires.
• Do large changes in a sandbox where your edition has one, then repeat in production.
• Do deletes last, and note the 60-day Recycle Bin window in case you need to restore.
• Log what was run, by whom and when.

Source: Zoho Help: Common Operations with Records

When to bring in help

A one-off tidy of a few hundred records is usually fine in-house. Bulk work across linked modules, with automations that may fire and no tested backup, is where mistakes get expensive. A reviewed plan for a clean-up or re-implementation is part of Zoho CRM customization at Skyfall Labs. We have a commercial interest, so weigh our view accordingly.