The Zuora API has objects and calls that you can use to perform a number of different kinds of tasks.
You can create a self-service interface for your customers that uses the API calls to create and manage subscriptions. Using that self-service interface, your customers can sign up for a subscription at your Web site. The self-service interface you can create will look like an integral part of your Web site, but underneath, once your customers have entered their information, the API sends that information to the Zuora system for processing. Your customers will use that interface to create an online account with you, including their contact information and payment method, and then provide their high-level subscription information.
In addition to managing subscriptions, you can use the API to perform such tasks as integration, data importing, data mining, and so on.
The major types of tasks you can perform with the API include the following:
Logging in to the Zuora system. In order to accomplish anything, you will first need to log in. Use the login call for this purpose.
Creating accounts and contacts. Each subscription will need an account and at least one contact. Use the Account and Contact objects to create these.
Creating subscriptions. You can use either the create or the subscribe call to create subscriptions. (Though you will want to use either one or the other; they should not be used together.)
Establishing payment methods and making and processing payments. Subscriptions will need to be paid for; various objects in the API, such as Invoice, Payment, and PaymentMethod, provide ways to manage payments.
Obtaining information by querying (reading) objects using the query call and Zuora's object query language. You can query every object in the API. For example, you can query the Product object to identify what is in the product catalog and to identify the product rate plan ID that is necessary for the subscribe call. Or, if you have used a specially-encode PDF in the Invoice object's Body field, you can query that field.
Provisioning using the query call.
Making changes to subscriptions using the Amendment object.
The following sections provide an overview of the calls and objects, data and field types, error handling, and understanding and using the WSDL. The API Reference section provides detailed information for each individual call and object.
The Differences Between subscribe and create
Logging In to the Zuora System
Creating a New Active Account with the create Call
Querying an Invoice Body Field
Creating and Applying Payments to an Invoice
Making Changes: Amendment Use Cases
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