Perform a basic InfluxQL query
InfluxQL (Influx Query Language) is an SQL-like query language used to interact with InfluxDB and work with times series data.
A basic InfluxQL query that queries data from InfluxDB most commonly includes the following clauses:
* Required- *
SELECT
: Specify fields, tags, and calculations to return from a measurement or use the wildcard alias (*
) to select all fields and tags from a measurement. It requires at least one field key or the wildcard alias (*
). For more information, see Notable SELECT statement behaviors. - *
FROM
: Specify the measurement to query from. It requires one or more comma-delimited measurement expressions. WHERE
: Filter data based on field values, tag values, or timestamps. Only return data that meets the specified conditions–for example, falls within a time range, contains specific tag values, or contains a field value outside a specified range.
Result set
If at least one row satisfies the query, InfluxDB Cloud Serverless returns row data in the query result set.
If a query uses a GROUP BY
clause, the result set includes the following:
- Columns listed in the query’s
SELECT
clause - A
time
column that contains the timestamp for the record or the group - An
iox::measurement
column that contains the record’s measurement (table) name - Columns listed in the query’s
GROUP BY
clause; each row in the result set contains the values used for grouping
GROUP BY result columns
If a query uses GROUP BY
and the WHERE
clause doesn’t filter by time, then groups are based on the default time range.
Basic query examples
- Query data within time boundaries
- Query data without time boundaries
- Query specific fields and tags
- Query fields based on tag values
- Query points based on field values
- Alias queried fields and tags
Sample data
The following examples use the Get started home sensor data. To run the example queries and return results, write the sample data to your InfluxDB Cloud Serverless database before running the example queries.
Query data within time boundaries
- Use the
SELECT
clause to specify what tags and fields to return. Specify at least one field key. To return all tags and fields, use the wildcard alias (*
). - Specify the measurement to query in the
FROM
clause. - Specify time boundaries in the
WHERE
clause. Include time-based predicates that compare the value of thetime
column to a timestamp. Use theAND
logical operator to chain multiple predicates together.
Query time boundaries can be relative or absolute.
Query data without time boundaries
To query data without time boundaries, do not include any time-based predicates
in your WHERE
clause.
If a time range is not defined in the WHERE
clause, the default time range is
the Unix epoch (1970-01-01T00:00:00Z
) to now.
Querying data without time bounds can return an unexpected amount of data. The query may take a long time to complete and results may be truncated.
SELECT * FROM home
Query specific fields and tags
To query specific fields, include them in the SELECT
clause.
If querying multiple fields or tags, comma-delimit each.
If a field or tag key includes special characters or spaces or is case-sensitive,
wrap the key in double-quotes.
SELECT time, room, temp, hum FROM home
Query fields based on tag values
- In the
SELECT
clause, include fields you want to query and tags you want to base conditions on. - In the
WHERE
clause, include predicates that compare the tag identifier to a string literal. Use logical operators to chain multiple predicates together and apply multiple conditions.
SELECT * FROM home WHERE room = 'Kitchen'
Query points based on field values
- In the
SELECT
clause, include fields you want to query. - In the
WHERE
clause, include predicates that compare the field identifier to a value or expression. Use logical operators (AND
,OR
) to chain multiple predicates together and apply multiple conditions.
SELECT co, time FROM home WHERE co >= 10 OR co <= -10
Alias queried fields and tags
To alias or rename fields and tags that you query, use the AS
clause.
After the tag, field, or expression you want to alias, pass AS
followed by the alias name as an identifier (wrap in double quotes ("
) if the alias includes spaces or special characters)–for example:
SELECT temp AS temperature, hum AS "humidity (%)" FROM home
When aliasing columns in InfluxQL, use the AS
clause and an identifier.
When aliasing columns in SQL, you can use the AS
clause to define the alias, but it isn’t necessary.
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