Retrieving data identifiers from queue for search of external data system

A method, comprising:

• receiving, at a first computing device of a query system, query instructions from a second computing device of the query system, wherein the second computing device generates the query instructions from a search query, wherein at least one query instruction instructs the first computing device to obtain a data identifier from a data queue, wherein the data identifier corresponds to a data object stored in an external data system;
• requesting and receiving the data identifier from the data queue;
• requesting the data object from the external data system using the data identifier;
• receiving the data object from the external data system;
• processing the data object according to the query instructions;
• and
• communicating results of processing the data object to the second computing device of the query system, wherein the second computing device further processes the results with results received from other computing devices of the query system and communicates results to a third computing device.