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Overview

The Customer model stores comprehensive customer information including personal details, contact information, and identification. This entity is used for customer relationship management, order tracking, and personalized service delivery.

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Class Definition

namespace SupermarketWEB.Models
{
    public class Customer
    {
        public int Id { get; set; }
        public string Document { get; set; }
        public string FirstName { get; set; }
        public string LastName { get; set; }
        public string Address { get; set; }
        public DateTime Birthday { get; set; }
        public string PhoneNumber { get; set; }
        public string Email { get; set; }
    }
}

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Properties

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Id
int
required
Primary key and unique identifier for the customer. Auto-generated by the database.
​
Document
string
required
Customer’s identification document number. Could be ID card, passport, driver’s license, or other official identification depending on the region.
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FirstName
string
required
Customer’s first name or given name.
​
LastName
string
required
Customer’s last name or family name.
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Address
string
required
Customer’s residential or mailing address. Full address including street, city, state, and postal code.
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Birthday
DateTime
required
Customer’s date of birth. Stored as a DateTime value in the database. Can be used for age verification, birthday promotions, or demographic analysis.
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PhoneNumber
string
required
Customer’s contact phone number. Stored as string to accommodate various phone number formats and international numbers.
​
Email
string
required
Customer’s email address for communication, receipts, and marketing purposes.

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Data Types

The Customer model uses specific data types for each field: 
// Text-based information
public string Document { get; set; }      // Alphanumeric ID
public string FirstName { get; set; }     // Text
public string LastName { get; set; }      // Text
public string Address { get; set; }       // Multi-line text
public string PhoneNumber { get; set; }   // Numeric string with formatting
public string Email { get; set; }         // Email format

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Usage Examples

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Creating a New Customer

var customer = new Customer
{
    Document = "12345678",
    FirstName = "John",
    LastName = "Smith",
    Address = "123 Main Street, New York, NY 10001",
    Birthday = new DateTime(1985, 3, 20),
    PhoneNumber = "+1-555-0123",
    Email = "[email protected]"
};

context.Customers.Add(customer);
await context.SaveChangesAsync();

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Updating Customer Information

var customer = await context.Customers.FindAsync(customerId);
if (customer != null)
{
    customer.Address = "456 Oak Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11201";
    customer.PhoneNumber = "+1-555-0199";
    customer.Email = "[email protected]";
    await context.SaveChangesAsync();
}

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Searching Customers

// Search by document
var customer = await context.Customers
    .FirstOrDefaultAsync(c => c.Document == documentNumber);

// Search by email
var customer = await context.Customers
    .FirstOrDefaultAsync(c => c.Email == email);

// Search by name
var customers = await context.Customers
    .Where(c => c.FirstName.Contains(searchTerm) || 
                c.LastName.Contains(searchTerm))
    .ToListAsync();

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Getting Customer Full Name

// In a service or view model
public string GetFullName(Customer customer)
{
    return $"{customer.FirstName} {customer.LastName}";
}

// Using LINQ projection
var customerNames = await context.Customers
    .Select(c => new {
        c.Id,
        FullName = c.FirstName + " " + c.LastName,
        c.Email
    })
    .ToListAsync();

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Birthday Queries

// Get customers with birthdays this month
var currentMonth = DateTime.Today.Month;
var birthdayCustomers = await context.Customers
    .Where(c => c.Birthday.Month == currentMonth)
    .OrderBy(c => c.Birthday.Day)
    .ToListAsync();

// Get customers by age range
var minDate = DateTime.Today.AddYears(-65);
var maxDate = DateTime.Today.AddYears(-18);
var adultCustomers = await context.Customers
    .Where(c => c.Birthday >= maxDate && c.Birthday <= minDate)
    .ToListAsync();

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Validation Example

public bool ValidateCustomer(Customer customer)
{
    if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(customer.FirstName))
        return false;
    
    if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(customer.LastName))
        return false;
    
    if (!IsValidEmail(customer.Email))
        return false;
    
    if (customer.Birthday > DateTime.Today)
        return false;
    
    return true;
}

private bool IsValidEmail(string email)
{
    try
    {
        var addr = new System.Net.Mail.MailAddress(email);
        return addr.Address == email;
    }
    catch
    {
        return false;
    }
}

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Database Schema

When migrated to the database, the Customer table has the following structure:
ColumnTypeNullableKey
IdintNoPrimary Key (Identity)
Documentnvarchar(MAX)No
FirstNamenvarchar(MAX)No
LastNamenvarchar(MAX)No
Addressnvarchar(MAX)No
Birthdaydatetime2(7)No
PhoneNumbernvarchar(MAX)No
Emailnvarchar(MAX)No
Consider adding indexes on frequently queried fields like Document and Email for better performance:
modelBuilder.Entity<Customer>()
    .HasIndex(c => c.Document)
    .IsUnique();

modelBuilder.Entity<Customer>()
    .HasIndex(c => c.Email);

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Data Annotations Enhancement

While the current model doesn’t include data annotations, you can enhance it with validation attributes: 
using System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations;

public class Customer
{
    public int Id { get; set; }
    
    [Required]
    [StringLength(50)]
    public string Document { get; set; }
    
    [Required]
    [StringLength(100)]
    public string FirstName { get; set; }
    
    [Required]
    [StringLength(100)]
    public string LastName { get; set; }
    
    [Required]
    [StringLength(500)]
    public string Address { get; set; }
    
    [Required]
    [DataType(DataType.Date)]
    public DateTime Birthday { get; set; }
    
    [Required]
    [Phone]
    [StringLength(20)]
    public string PhoneNumber { get; set; }
    
    [Required]
    [EmailAddress]
    [StringLength(200)]
    public string Email { get; set; }
}

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Best Practices

  1. Unique Identifiers: Ensure Document and Email are unique per customer
  2. Data Validation: Validate email format and phone number format before saving
  3. Date Handling: Use UTC for Birthday if customers span multiple time zones
  4. Privacy: Implement proper security measures for storing personal information
  5. GDPR Compliance: Implement data retention and deletion policies
  6. Phone Format: Store phone numbers with country codes for international support
  7. Address Normalization: Consider breaking Address into separate fields (Street, City, State, Zip) for better querying
  8. Email Verification: Implement email verification workflow for accuracy

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Relationships

The Customer model currently operates as an independent entity without foreign key relationships to other models. In a complete e-commerce system, you might extend this to include:
  • Orders collection (one-to-many)
  • Loyalty program membership
  • Shopping cart
  • Payment methods

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