Sending a request to the CCJ web service
To access the data provided by the County Court Judgement (CCJ) web service, you must send a request via a URL containing:
- Your user authentication details (Key)
- A set of parameter values on which you wish to conduct a CCJ search
On setting up your account, our web service support team will supply you with a consumer key and a consumer secret; these form your authentication details.
A consumer key is your unique identifier, and identifies you to the CCJ web service; the consumer secret confirms that you own the consumer key and therefore verifies that you have permission to use the key. This dual validation process, which utilises OAuth protocols, makes the authentication process extremely secure.
To conduct a successful search the request URL (search object) must contain the following parameter values as a minimum:
- Forename (or initial), surname, postcode
Request parameters, their data types and permissible formats, are highlighted in the table below, with supporting notes:
Authentication parameters
| Parameter | Data Type | Possible Formats | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| consumer key | Alphanumeric | a-z, A-Z, 0-9 40 character string |
User must be authenticated for every search |
| consumer secret | Alphanumeric | a-z, A-Z, 0-9 40 character string |
User must be authenticated for every search |
Search object parameters
| Parameter | Data Type | Possible Formats | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| title | Alpha | Mr; Mrs; Miss; Ms; 20 characters max |
Optional value; title can be used to determine gender if only an initial has been supplied as the forename value; this provides a greater likelihood that responses are related to the search. |
| forename | Alpha | a-z, A-Z, - 70 characters max |
Required value. An initial is the minimum requirement. |
| middleName | Alpha | a-z, A-Z, - 32 characters max |
Optional value; middle name can help improve the likelihood of a response being related to the search. |
| surname | Alpha | a-z, A-Z, -
35 characters max |
Required value |
| address1 | Alphanumeric | a-z, A-Z, 0-9, 64 characters max |
When entering an address, postcode must be provided, and is the minimum value which can be entered. An address (full or partial) must be provided with every request. |
| address2 | Alphanumeric | a-z, A-Z, 0-9, -
64 characters max |
As Above |
| address3 | Alphanumeric | a-z, A-Z, 0-9, -
64 characters max |
As Above |
| address4 | Alphanumeric | a-z, A-Z, 0-9, -
64 characters max |
As Above |
| address5 | Alphanumeric | a-z, A-Z, 0-9, -
64 characters max |
As above |
| postcode | Alphanumeric | a-z, A-Z, 0-9, -
7 characters min 8 characters max |
Postcode is the minimum value required when providing an address. An address (full or partial) must be provided with every request. |
| requestReference | Alphanumeric | a-z, A-Z, 0-9, - , _
32 characters max |
The requestReference parameter allows you to provide a unique reference for each search you conduct. |
| alias | Boolean operator | True/False (False by default) | This is a data matching option.
When turned on, the alias match function will provide matches for CCJ records containing commonly accepted alternatives to the forename supplied. For example, searches for ‘Elizabeth’ will also retrieve records for ‘Liz’ or ‘Lizzy’ where appropriate. |
| fuzzy | Boolean operator | True/False (True by default) | This is a data matching option.
A likeness match, which allows for misspelt names or names with slight variations to be matched. For example matches for Matthew will be returned, even if ‘Mathew’, ‘Natthew’ or ‘Mathee’ are searched for. Names must be ≥ 5 characters for this option to initiate. |
| strictMiddle | Boolean Operator | True/False (False by default) | This is a data matching option.
By default, records both with and without middle name are returned. This option ensures that only records which contain the same middle name as provided in the request are returned. This option allows you to narrow your search and filter out records which may not pertain to the original request. |