i4Query is a browser-based tool that gives every Infoware user — not just IT — the ability to pull live data, build custom reports, and push results straight into Excel. Here’s what it does and why it matters.
Most business data sits locked inside the system that created it. Getting it out means raising a ticket with IT, waiting days, and receiving a spreadsheet that’s already out of date. i4Query changes that equation entirely.
Built specifically for the Infoware product suite, i4Query is a guided, point-and-click query interface that runs in your browser. No SQL. No scripting. No waiting. You select the tables you need, define your filters, and get results — all in real time, with your existing security permissions enforced automatically.
What i4Query Does
At its core, i4Query lets you choose a primary database table — say, Debtors Transactions — and then select any fields from it and its logically joined tables. From there you can filter, sort, subtotal, and export. The whole process is driven by a step-by-step screen flow:
- Select Database & Fields
Pick your primary table and choose the fields you want to see — including fields from related tables that Infoware joins automatically.
- Set Column Order
Reorder columns, hide fields you don’t need in the output (but still want to filter on), and mark fields for totalling.
- Define Sort & Subtotals
Sort by multiple fields in ascending or descending order. Optionally add subtotals per branch, debtor, or any other grouping.
- Set Selection Criteria
Filter your results using up to 99 conditions. Combine AND/OR logic, brackets, and a full set of relationship operators — including field-to-field comparisons.
- Save & Run
Name your query to reuse it later, or run it immediately. A progress indicator shows you where the query is at.
- Review & Export
Results appear in a sortable table. Download as CSV, or send the data live into Excel via the i4 Plugin.
Key Capabilities
The Online Data Dictionary
Not sure which field number to use in a filter? i4Query includes a built-in data dictionary that shows you every screen in Infoware exactly as it appears in the product, with field numbers clearly labelled. Find the field on screen, note its number, and use it in your query — no guesswork.
Field-to-Field Comparisons
Most queries compare a field against a fixed value — filter invoices where the date is after 1 January 2025, for example. But i4Query also supports comparing two fields against each other. Want a list of debtors where their account balance exceeds their credit limit? Or transactions where the original amount differs from the outstanding amount (i.e. partially paid)? Both are possible using the f-suffixed relationship operators: gtf, nef, and so on.
Selection Criteria Operators
The Rel column in your selection criteria supports six operators: EQ (equals), NE (not equal), GT (greater than), GE (greater than or equal), LT (less than), and LE (less than or equal). Combine GE and LE to define a date range — for example, all transactions between 15 December 2024 and 16 January 2025.
Every query respects the same field-level and record-level access controls already configured for your Infoware user account.
Copying Queries Between Areas
If your Infoware site runs multiple qualified areas, you can export a query definition from one area and import it into another. This saves rebuilding the same report logic from scratch across different business units or stock areas.
The Excel Plugin — Live Data in Your Spreadsheet
The real power move is the i4 Excel Plugin. Once you’ve saved a query, you can embed it directly into an Excel workbook. When you open the file (or hit Refresh Data), Excel executes the i4Query against Infoware’s live data and populates the sheet automatically — no CSV download, no manual paste.
Plugin + PivotTables = self-refreshing reports
Combine an i4 Plugin with Excel’s PivotTables and you have a live, auto-updating management report. Open the file in the morning, hit refresh, and your charts and summaries update against today’s data.
Access to the plugin is controlled via an encrypted access key — not a user password. Keys can be scoped to expire within 365 days for non-admin users, ensuring access is reviewed as roles change. If an employee leaves or a key is compromised, delete the key and all plugin refreshes stop immediately.
Parameters can also be embedded in the plugin, prompting the user to enter a debtor code, stock code, or date range each time they refresh — keeping one template flexible enough for many scenarios.
User Restrictions
Administrators can restrict individual users in two ways: block access to specific fields entirely (for example, preventing a user from seeing pay rates in payroll tables), or limit the records they can see based on field values (for example, a supplier seeing only their own stock data). These controls sit on top of the query tool and apply regardless of how the query is built.
Payday Super is changing from 1 July 2026