Understanding how to structure queries in N2CS to access customer data safely and efficiently. Learn about read-only access patterns and query optimization.
N2CS uses a structured query system that ensures all data access is intentional, controlled, and auditable. Unlike free-form database queries, N2CS queries follow predefined patterns that optimize for both safety and performance.
Every query in N2CS is read-only by design. This means you can retrieve information without any risk of modifying, deleting, or corrupting your customer data. The query structure also ensures that your database performance remains stable, even during high-volume support operations.
N2CS provides several structured query types, each optimized for specific operational needs:
These queries retrieve basic customer account information:
Customer information queries are optimized for fast lookups using indexed fields. They return essential account data needed for support interactions.
Retrieve customer order and transaction history:
Order history queries support optional date filtering to limit results and improve performance. Results are paginated automatically to handle large datasets efficiently.
Access customer support interaction history:
Support ticket queries help you understand a customer's interaction history and identify patterns or recurring issues.
All N2CS queries follow strict read-only patterns. Understanding these patterns helps you work effectively within the system's constraints:
N2CS queries can only retrieve data. You cannot insert, update, or delete records through N2CS, ensuring system stability.
All queries require structured inputs (customer IDs, dates, status codes). This prevents SQL injection and ensures query safety.
You can only use query types that have been configured by your administrator. This limits access to approved data patterns.
Large result sets are automatically paginated to prevent performance issues and ensure responsive queries.
N2CS automatically optimizes queries for performance, but understanding how queries work helps you use them more effectively:
When possible, use the most specific identifier available. For example:
• Customer ID is faster than email lookup
• Email is faster than phone number lookup
• Exact matches are faster than partial matches
When querying historical data, always specify date ranges when available:
Limiting date ranges reduces the amount of data processed and improves query response times.
N2CS allows you to combine multiple query types in a single request. This is more efficient than making separate queries:
N2CS formats query results in a consistent, operational-friendly format:
• Structured data: Results are returned in a consistent structure, making them easy to read and understand
• Context included: Each result includes relevant context (timestamps, status codes, related records)
• Operational focus: Data is presented in a format optimized for support operations, not raw database format
When queries fail or return no results, N2CS provides clear error messages:
• No results found: The query executed successfully but found no matching records
• Invalid identifier: The provided identifier doesn't match any records in the system
• Permission denied: Your user account doesn't have permission to access this data
• System unavailable: The data source is temporarily unavailable (rare, but possible during maintenance)
All errors are logged in the audit trail, helping administrators identify and resolve issues quickly.
Choose the query type that matches your information need. Don't use a broad query when a specific one will do.
Always include date ranges for historical queries to improve performance and relevance.
Use combined queries when you need multiple pieces of information about the same customer.
Take time to understand the structure of query results. This helps you find information faster in future queries.
Now that you understand query basics, you can:
• Practice with different query types in your N2CS environment
• Review the Getting Started guide if you need to review setup basics
• Explore integration options to use N2CS queries from Slack or other tools
• Contact your administrator to request additional query types if needed