What is NetSuite SuiteQL: A Comprehensive Guide

In the dynamic world of business, data is the lifeblood that fuels informed decision-making and drives success. For NetSuite ERP users seeking a powerful and flexible solution to access and manipulate their data, SuiteQL emerges as a game-changer. Built upon the foundation of SQL (Structured Query Language), SuiteQL empowers developers and users alike to extract, modify, and manage data within the NetSuite platform seamlessly. In this blog, we will delve into the key features and benefits of SuiteQL, exploring how this robust querying language elevates the data analysis experience and helps businesses unlock deeper insights.

How do you enable SuiteQL?

You will first need to ensure that the SuiteQL is enabled in your NetSuite account before being able to use it. Navigate to Setup > Company > Enable Features and check the “SUITEANALYTICS WORKBOOK” checkbox under the Analytics sub-tab

How do you access/use SuiteQL?

SuiteQL can be used majorly in 2 different ways as of today

• Using SuiteScript – Users can use the “N/query” module in SuiteScript to query NetSuite. 
  • The “query.SuiteQL” object represents a query. It contains the details such as the query type, result columns to be returned by the query and any additional parameters needed for the query
  • The “query.runSuiteQL” method allows the users to run the query and return the results
• Using SuiteTalk REST web services – Users can also execute SuiteQL queries through REST web services by sending a POST request to the SuiteQL resource, and specifying the query in the request body after the query parameter “q”

NetSuite natively does not offer any UI screen or a way to use SuiteQL from the NetSuite UI. However, there are different app options available on the market place that allows the users to Query from the UI using a Suitelet screen

Key Features of SuiteQL

Here are some of the key features of SuiteQL

• Familiar Syntax – SuiteQL’s syntax is based on SQL which makes it familiar to developers and easy to transition
• CRUD Operations – SuiteQL allows the users to perform all the operations including create, update and deletion of records from NetSuite along with the ability to retrieve the data based on specific criteria and filters
• Joins – SuiteQL supports joins and subqueries which allow the users to combine data from multiple tables which allows for analysis of complex data
• REST Integration – SuiteQL can also be available for external applications through web services and Restlets integration making it very useful

Benefits of SuiteQL

• Data Flexibility – SuiteQL allows the users to retrieve the exact data that they are looking for and offers lot of flexibility and ease to the users in the process of data analysis
• SuiteQL Vs Saved Searches – Although NetSuite saved searches are very helpful, they have a restriction while retrieving data and can only allow one level of joining. SuiteQL allows the users to overcome this with the help of powerful joins

In conclusion, NetSuite SuiteQL provides a robust and flexible querying language that allows developers and users to query and interact with NetSuite’s data efficiently. With familiar SQL syntax, data manipulation and integration capabilities, SuiteQL is lot more user friendly and helps the users with in-depth data analysis