Perform a basic SQL query
The InfluxDB SQL implementation is powered by the Apache Arrow DataFusion query engine which provides a SQL syntax similar to other relational query languages.
A basic SQL query that queries data from InfluxDB most commonly includes the following clauses:
* Required- *
SELECT
: Specify fields, tags, and calculations to output from a measurement or use the wildcard alias (*
) to select all fields and tags from a measurement. - *
FROM
: Specify the measurement to query data from. WHERE
: 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.
An SQL query result set includes columns listed in the query’s SELECT
statement.
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 sample data written in the Get started writing data guide. To run the example queries and return results, write the sample data to your InfluxDB Cloud Serverless bucket before running the example queries.
Query data within time boundaries
- Use the
SELECT
clause to specify what columns (tags and fields) to return. To return all tags and fields, use the wildcard alias (*
). - In the
FROM
clause, specify the table (measurement) to query. - In the
WHERE
clause, specify time boundaries and other conditions for filtering. 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, don’t include any time-based predicates
in your WHERE
clause.
Querying data without time bounds can return a large number of rows. The query may take a long time to complete and results may be truncated.
SELECT * FROM home
Query specific fields and tags
To specify columns (fields, tags, or calculations) you want to retrieve, list them in the SELECT
clause.
Use a comma to separate column names.
If the field or tag keys include special characters or spaces or are case-sensitive,
wrap the key in double-quotes.
SELECT time, room, temp, hum FROM home
Query fields based on tag values
- Include the fields you want to query and the tags you want to base conditions
on in the
SELECT
clause. - Include predicates in the
WHERE
clause 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
- Include the fields you want to query in the
SELECT
clause. - Include predicates in the
WHERE
clause that compare the field identifier to another value. 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, pass a string literal after
the field or tag identifier in the SELECT
clause.
You can use the AS
clause to define the alias, but it isn’t necessary.
The following queries are functionally the same:
SELECT temp 'temperature', hum 'humidity' FROM home
SELECT temp AS 'temperature', hum AS 'humidity' FROM home
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