[role="xpack"]
[[sql-translate]]
== SQL Translate API

The SQL Translate API accepts SQL in a JSON document and translates it
into native {es} queries. For example:

[source,console]
--------------------------------------------------
POST /_sql/translate
{
  "query": "SELECT * FROM library ORDER BY page_count DESC",
  "fetch_size": 10
}
--------------------------------------------------
// TEST[setup:library]

Which returns:

[source,console-result]
--------------------------------------------------
{
  "size": 10,
  "_source": false,
  "fields": [
    {
      "field": "author"
    },
    {
      "field": "name"
    },
    {
      "field": "page_count"
    },
    {
      "field": "release_date",
      "format": "strict_date_optional_time_nanos"
    }
  ],
  "sort": [
    {
      "page_count": {
        "order": "desc",
        "missing": "_first",
        "unmapped_type": "short"
      }
    }
  ],
  "track_total_hits": -1
}
--------------------------------------------------

Which is the request that SQL will run to provide the results.
In this case, SQL will use the <<scroll-search-results,scroll>>
API. If the result contained an aggregation then SQL would use
the normal <<search-search,search API>>.

The request body accepts the same <<sql-search-api-request-body,parameters>> as
the <<sql-search-api,SQL search API>>, excluding `cursor`.