Zoho Integration & Data Synchronization with Office 365, SharePoint and 150+

Zoho CRM can be integrated and synchronized without code to various other data sources using the Layer2 Cloud Connector via the Layer2 Data Provider for XML. Please take a look here for supported systems and applications.

To connect to the Zoho XML data, the data source entity must be configured as follows in the Layer2 Cloud Connector Connection Manager:

Fig. Example connection configuration to connect to Zoho CRM data via XML.

Zoho CRM Specific Configuration Settings

​Please note the following specific settings.

• Select the Layer2 Data Provider for XML to connect. The provider is part of the Layer2 Cloud Connector ADO.NET provider package and should be already installed. You will find a Layer2 Data Provider for XML specification here.
• You can use a connection string like this to connect:
  url=https://crm.zoho.com/crm/private/xml/Potentials/getRecords?authtoken=<authtoken>&scope=crmapi&version=1&newFormat=2;
• The format of the URL may change slightly based on your Zoho account. The example above is looking at a specific "Potentials" section. See the Zoho Developer Guide for more information on how the API works.
• For authentication, you will need a authorization token, which is included in the URL to the XML data end-point (noted as <authtoken> above). For how to generate this token, see the Zoho API documentation.
• You can make use of Xpath to query your data as supported by the data provider and source system. For any specification of supported queries see the provider documentation. You can map your data fields to specific external fields in the Layer2 Cloud Connector. Please take care about data types (simple type conversions are supported).
• Please enter an appropriate primary key (column with unique values - Title in this example), depending on query (see data preview for this).
• The data provider supports read-only, write is not supported to the XML data source.
• Data synchronization can be started manually in the Connection Manager, per command line or scheduled in background by the Layer2 Cloud Connector Windows Service. Only data changes are processed (no delete / bulk import).
• No programming required for setup a connection and sync.
• No need to open your local network for access from outside.

Step-by-Step Intros For Zoho CRM Integration and Synchronization Scenarios

​The following step-by-step intros are available:

• How to connect and sync XML data with Microsoft SharePoint or Office 365

Just some other ideas:

• Sync with local SQL or SQL Azure for better reporting.
• Sync with Microsoft Exchange (on-premises or online) for notifications, tasks, calendar events, mobile access and offline availability on any device.
• Sync with 3rd party tools based on SQL databases like Oracle, mySQL or Microsoft SQL Server.
• Sync with Microsoft SharePoint or Office 365 for better collaboration (for example with customers or partners) or for intranet publishing.

Do you already have implemented any specific scenario? Just let us know to add it here. Can't find what you are looking for? Please contact [email protected] for help.

Known Issues and Workarounds with Zoho CRM Integration

​There are following known issues and workarounds with Zoho CRM integration:

• As the XML data provider only supports read-only, you cannot write data to Zoho.
• Zoho has a limit on API requests per day, based on license edition, which could impact how often the Cloud Connector can run against it. Please see API Methods and Limits for more information.

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