elasticsearch/docs/reference/esql/esql-syntax.asciidoc
2025-01-28 08:54:33 +01:00

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[[esql-syntax]]
=== {esql} syntax reference
++++
<titleabbrev>Syntax reference</titleabbrev>
++++
[discrete]
[[esql-basic-syntax]]
=== Basic syntax
An {esql} query is composed of a <<esql-commands,source command>> followed
by an optional series of <<esql-commands,processing commands>>,
separated by a pipe character: `|`. For example:
[source,esql]
----
source-command
| processing-command1
| processing-command2
----
The result of a query is the table produced by the final processing command.
For an overview of all supported commands, functions, and operators, refer to <<esql-commands>> and <<esql-functions-operators>>.
[NOTE]
====
For readability, this documentation puts each processing command on a new
line. However, you can write an {esql} query as a single line. The following
query is identical to the previous one:
[source,esql]
----
source-command | processing-command1 | processing-command2
----
====
[discrete]
[[esql-identifiers]]
==== Identifiers
Identifiers need to be quoted with backticks (+{backtick}+) if:
* they don't start with a letter, `_` or `@`
* any of the other characters is not a letter, number, or `_`
For example:
[source,esql]
----
FROM index
| KEEP `1.field`
----
When referencing a function alias that itself uses a quoted identifier, the
backticks of the quoted identifier need to be escaped with another backtick. For
example:
[source,esql]
----
FROM index
| STATS COUNT(`1.field`)
| EVAL my_count = `COUNT(``1.field``)`
----
[discrete]
[[esql-literals]]
==== Literals
{esql} currently supports numeric and string literals.
[discrete]
[[esql-string-literals]]
===== String literals
A string literal is a sequence of unicode characters delimited by double
quotes (`"`).
[source,esql]
----
// Filter by a string value
FROM index
| WHERE first_name == "Georgi"
----
If the literal string itself contains quotes, these need to be escaped (`\\"`).
{esql} also supports the triple-quotes (`"""`) delimiter, for convenience:
[source,esql]
----
ROW name = """Indiana "Indy" Jones"""
----
The special characters CR, LF and TAB can be provided with the usual escaping:
`\r`, `\n`, `\t`, respectively.
[discrete]
[[esql-numeric-literals]]
===== Numerical literals
The numeric literals are accepted in decimal and in the scientific notation
with the exponent marker (`e` or `E`), starting either with a digit, decimal
point `.` or the negative sign `-`:
[source, sql]
----
1969 -- integer notation
3.14 -- decimal notation
.1234 -- decimal notation starting with decimal point
4E5 -- scientific notation (with exponent marker)
1.2e-3 -- scientific notation with decimal point
-.1e2 -- scientific notation starting with the negative sign
----
The integer numeric literals are implicitly converted to the `integer`, `long`
or the `double` type, whichever can first accommodate the literal's value.
The floating point literals are implicitly converted the `double` type.
To obtain constant values of different types, use one of the numeric
<<esql-type-conversion-functions, conversion functions>>.
[discrete]
[[esql-comments]]
==== Comments
{esql} uses C++ style comments:
* double slash `//` for single line comments
* `/*` and `*/` for block comments
[source,esql]
----
// Query the employees index
FROM employees
| WHERE height > 2
----
[source,esql]
----
FROM /* Query the employees index */ employees
| WHERE height > 2
----
[source,esql]
----
FROM employees
/* Query the
* employees
* index */
| WHERE height > 2
----
[discrete]
[[esql-timespan-literals]]
==== Timespan literals
Datetime intervals and timespans can be expressed using timespan literals.
Timespan literals are a combination of a number and a temporal unit. The
supported temporal units are listed in <<esql-time-spans-table, time span unit>>.
More examples of the usages of time spans can be found in
<<esql-time-spans, Use time spans in ES|QL>>.
Timespan literals are not whitespace sensitive. These expressions are all valid:
* `1day`
* `1 day`
* `1 day`
[discrete]
[[esql-function-named-params]]
==== Function named parameters
Some functions like <<esql-match,match>> use named parameters to provide additional options.
Named parameters allow specifying name value pairs, using the following syntax:
`{"option_name": option_value, "another_option_name": another_value}`
Valid value types are strings, numbers and booleans.
An example using <<esql-match,match>>:
[source,console]
----
POST /_query
{
"query": """
FROM library
| WHERE match(author, "Frank Herbert", {"minimum_should_match": 2, "operator": "AND"})
| LIMIT 5
"""
}
----
// TEST[setup:library]
You can also use <<esql-rest-params,query parameters>> in function named parameters:
[source,console]
----
POST /_query
{
"query": """
FROM library
| EVAL year = DATE_EXTRACT("year", release_date)
| WHERE page_count > ? AND match(author, ?, {"minimum_should_match": ?})
| LIMIT 5
""",
"params": [300, "Frank Herbert", 2]
}
----
// TEST[setup:library]