Delete Customer

Delete Customer Mutation

Deletes an existing customer entity from the system.

Arguments

Name	Type	Description
id	ID!	The ID of the customer to delete

Return Type

CustomerDeletePayload! - Confirmation of the delete operation.

Return Fields

CustomerDeletePayload:

Field	Type	Description
deletedID	ID	The ID of the deleted customer

Usage Example

mutation {
  deleteCustomer(id: "cust_123456789") {
    deletedID
  }
}

mutation {
  # Delete multiple customers (requires multiple calls)
  deleteCustomer1: deleteCustomer(id: "cust_111111111") {
    deletedID
  }
  deleteCustomer2: deleteCustomer(id: "cust_222222222") {
    deletedID
  }
  deleteCustomer3: deleteCustomer(id: "cust_333333333") {
    deletedID
  }
}

JavaScript Example

const DELETE_CUSTOMER = gql`
  mutation DeleteCustomer($id: ID!) {
    deleteCustomer(id: $id) {
      deletedID
    }
  }
`;

// Using the mutation
const [deleteCustomer] = useMutation(DELETE_CUSTOMER);

const handleDeleteCustomer = async (customerId) => {
  try {
    const { data } = await deleteCustomer({
      variables: { id: customerId }
    });
    
    console.log('Customer deleted:', data.deleteCustomer.deletedID);
    // Update UI to remove the deleted customer
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Error deleting customer:', error);
  }
};

Important Considerations

Soft vs Hard Delete

The pyck system implements soft deletes by default, meaning:

• The customer record is marked as deleted (deletedAt timestamp is set)

• The customer data remains in the database for audit purposes

• The customer will not appear in normal queries

• Related data (orders, transactions) remains intact

Data Integrity

Before deleting a customer, consider:

• Active Orders: Check if the customer has pending or active orders

• Outstanding Invoices: Verify all invoices are settled

• Related Records: Consider impact on order history, payments, and analytics

• Audit Requirements: Ensure deletion complies with business audit needs

Permissions

Customer deletion typically requires:

• Administrative privileges

• Proper authorization for the tenant/organization

• Compliance with data retention policies

Error Scenarios

The mutation may fail in these cases:

• Not Found: Customer ID doesn't exist

• Permission Denied: Insufficient privileges to delete customers

• Constraint Violations: Customer has dependent records that prevent deletion

• Business Rules: Custom business logic prevents deletion

Best Practices

1. Confirmation: Always confirm deletion with users before executing

2. Backup: Consider exporting customer data before deletion

3. Audit Trail: Log deletion operations for compliance

4. Bulk Operations: For multiple deletions, implement proper error handling

5. Related Cleanup: Plan for cleanup of related customer data if needed

Alternative Approaches

Instead of deletion, consider:

• Deactivation: Mark customer as inactive rather than deleting

• Archiving: Move old customers to an archived status

• Data Anonymization: Remove personal data while keeping transaction history