"getRecordsUsingSQL"
The JSON DB API "getRecordsUsingSQL" action runs a SQL query and returns the resulting records
getRecordsUsingSQL positions the current record in the index at the key that most closely matches the comparison criteria.
The "getRecordsUsingSQL" action runs a SQL query and returns the resulting records. It is particularly useful when joining data from multiple tables, for aggregating data, for running ad hoc queries, and for sorting results by unindexed fields.
Only the SQL SELECT statement can be used. Any other SQL statements fail and return an error. The only unusual requirement is that JSON requires the double-quote character to be escaped by the backslash character. The semicolon that SQL requires at the end of a SELECT statement is optional.
Notice
JSON DB API transactions do not support SQL stored procedures, stored functions, and triggers. It also does not support "revertTransactionToSavepoint" when the transaction contains a call to "getRecordsUsingSQL" or "runSqlStatements". Unsupported actions return an error.
This and all FairCom JSON actions that run SQL statements use the FairCom "Direct SQL" API and as such access the data at full speed.
The
"sqlParams"property is an optional array of objects (containing zero or more SQL parameters) embedded in the SQL statement. It specifies the value of each parameter. SQL parameters are used instead of embedded values in the SQL statements as it makes it easier to reuse SQL code. It also prevents SQL injection attacks.Each object in the array represents one SQL parameter.
Each object contains the parameter’s name and its value.
For SQL and
"sqlParams"objects, put a semicolon in front of the parameter name.JSON DB API does not support specifying parameters by ordinal position because changing the parameter position in the SQL statement introduces bugs and makes the code harder to read.
If the fields returned by the SQL statement include JSON, you optionally can use the
"includePaths"property to filter which JSON properties are returned.If the results can be processed with one call to the operation, use
"maxRecords"with a value of -1 to return all the results.If the results are large, set
"returnCursor"to true and use"getRecordsFromCursor"to process the results.
Results return less quickly when:
The SQL query processes many records.
There are many records in the results.
Do not call this action repeatedly to return paginated results; it reruns the SQL query. Instead, you must return a cursor.
By default, the
"totalRecordCount"property in the response message is -1. To get an exact count, set the"forceRecordCount"totruein the request message. It will count all the records returned by the query. Forcing a record count may be a resource-intensive and time consuming process when the query walks many filtered records.
Request examples
Minimal request example
{
"api": "db",
"authToken": "replaceWithAuthtokenFromCreateSession",
"action": "getRecordsUsingSQL",
"params": {
"sql": "SELECT * from athlete"
}
}
{
"api": "db",
"authToken": "replaceWithAuthtokenFromCreateSession",
"action": "getRecordsUsingSQL",
"params": {
"sql": "SELECT * from athlete",
"returnCursor": true
},
"requestId": "2"
}
{
"api": "db",
"apiVersion": "1.0",
"requestId": "3",
"authToken": "replaceWithAuthtokenFromCreateSession",
"action": "getRecordsUsingSQL",
"params": {
"databaseName": "ctreeSQL",
"sql": "SELECT * from athlete WHERE earnings > ?",
"sqlParams": [
1000000000
],
"returnCursor": false,
"forceRecordCount": true,
"sqlForwardOnly": true
},
"responseOptions": {
"binaryFormat": "hex",
"dataFormat": "objects",
"numberFormat": "string",
"includeFields": [],
"excludeFields": []
},
"debug": "max"
}
Response examples
{
"authToken": "authToken",
"result": {
"dataFormat": "objects",
"numberFormat": "number",
"binaryFormat": "hex",
"fields": [
{
"name": "id",
"type": "bigint"
},
{
"name": "changeid",
"type": "bigint"
},
{
"name": "name",
"type": "varchar",
"length": 30
},
{
"name": "ranking",
"type": "smallint"
},
{
"name": "birthdate",
"type": "date"
},
{
"name": "playernumber",
"type": "numeric",
"length": 32,
"scale": 6
},
{
"name": "livedpast2000",
"type": "bit"
},
{
"name": "earnings",
"type": "money",
"length": 32,
"scale": 4
},
{
"name": "favoritesaying",
"type": "varchar",
"length": 500
}
],
"data": [
{
"birthdate": "1963-02-17",
"changeid": 1291366,
"earnings": 1700000000,
"favoritesaying": "There is no 'i' in team but there is in win.",
"id": 1,
"livedpast2000": true,
"name": "Michael Jordan",
"playernumber": 23,
"ranking": 1
},
{
"birthdate": "1942-01-17",
"changeid": 1291366,
"earnings": 60000000,
"favoritesaying": "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.",
"id": 3,
"livedpast2000": true,
"name": "Muhammad Ali",
"playernumber": 1,
"ranking": 3
},
{
"birthdate": "1895-02-06",
"changeid": 1291366,
"earnings": 800000,
"favoritesaying": "Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.",
"id": 2,
"livedpast2000": false,
"name": "Babe Ruth",
"playernumber": 3,
"ranking": 2
},
{
"birthdate": "1940-10-23",
"changeid": 1291366,
"earnings": 115000000,
"favoritesaying": "Everything is practice.",
"id": 4,
"livedpast2000": true,
"name": "Pele",
"playernumber": 10,
"ranking": 4
},
{
"birthdate": "1961-01-26",
"changeid": 1291366,
"earnings": 1720000,
"favoritesaying": "You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.",
"id": 5,
"livedpast2000": true,
"name": "Wayne Gretzky",
"playernumber": 99,
"ranking": 5
},
{
"birthdate": "1969-01-03",
"changeid": 1291366,
"earnings": 990000000,
"favoritesaying": "Once something is a passion, the motivation is there.",
"id": 6,
"livedpast2000": true,
"name": "Michael Schumacher",
"playernumber": 1,
"ranking": 6
}
],
"moreRecords": false,
"requestedRecordCount": 6,
"returnedRecordCount": 6,
"totalRecordCount": 6
},
"debugInfo": {
"request": {
"authToken": "authToken",
"api": "db",
"action": "getRecordsUsingSQL",
"params": {
"sql": "SELECT * from athlete"
},
"debug": "max"
},
"serverSuppliedValues": {
"databaseName": "ctreeSQL",
"ownerName": null
},
"errorData": {
"errorData": null
},
"warnings": []
},
"errorCode": 0,
"errorMessage": ""
}
{
"authToken": "authToken",
"result": {
"cursorId": "cursorId",
"totalRecordCount": 6
},
"requestId": "2",
"debugInfo": {
"request": {
"authToken": "authToken",
"api": "db",
"action": "getRecordsUsingSQL",
"params": {
"sql": "SELECT * from athlete",
"returnCursor": true
},
"requestId": "2",
"debug": "max"
},
"serverSuppliedValues": {
"databaseName": "ctreeSQL",
"ownerName": null
},
"errorData": {
"errorData": null
},
"warnings": []
},
"errorCode": 0,
"errorMessage": ""
}
{
"authToken": "authToken",
"result": {
"dataFormat": "objects",
"numberFormat": "string",
"binaryFormat": "hex",
"fields": [
{
"name": "id",
"type": "bigint"
},
{
"name": "changeid",
"type": "bigint"
},
{
"name": "name",
"type": "varchar",
"length": 30
},
{
"name": "ranking",
"type": "smallint"
},
{
"name": "birthdate",
"type": "date"
},
{
"name": "playernumber",
"type": "numeric",
"length": 32,
"scale": 6
},
{
"name": "livedpast2000",
"type": "bit"
},
{
"name": "earnings",
"type": "money",
"length": 32,
"scale": 4
},
{
"name": "favoritesaying",
"type": "varchar",
"length": 500
}
],
"data": [
{
"birthdate": "1963-02-17",
"changeid": "1291366",
"earnings": "1700000000",
"favoritesaying": "There is no 'i' in team but there is in win.",
"id": "1",
"livedpast2000": true,
"name": "Michael Jordan",
"playernumber": "23",
"ranking": "1"
}
],
"moreRecords": false,
"requestedRecordCount": 1,
"returnedRecordCount": 1,
"totalRecordCount": 1
},
"requestId": "3",
"debugInfo": {
"request": {
"authToken": "authToken",
"api": "db",
"action": "getRecordsUsingSQL",
"params": {
"databaseName": "ctreeSQL",
"sql": "SELECT * from athlete WHERE earnings > ?",
"sqlParams": [
1000000000
],
"returnCursor": false,
"forceRecordCount": true,
"sqlForwardOnly": true
},
"apiVersion": "1.0",
"requestId": "3",
"responseOptions": {
"binaryFormat": "hex",
"dataFormat": "objects",
"numberFormat": "string",
"includeFields": [],
"excludeFields": []
},
"debug": "max"
},
"serverSuppliedValues": {
"databaseName": "ctreeSQL",
"ownerName": null
},
"errorData": {
"errorData": null
},
"warnings": []
},
"errorCode": 0,
"errorMessage": ""
}
"params"
The "params" property is an object that contains an action's parameters. Each action defines its own required and optional properties.
Property summary
"params" property summariesProperty | Description | Default | Type | Limits (inclusive) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
contains the name of a database | Defaults to the | string |
| |||
| forces a query to return a record count when |
| Boolean |
| ||
contains the unique name of a schema in a database |
| string |
| |||
configures the server to return a customized response |
| Boolean |
| |||
contains a SQL statement | Required - No default value | string |
| |||
| returns records in forward-only order |
| Boolean |
| ||
contains an optional values where each value becomes a parameter in the SQL statement |
| array |
The "databaseName" property is an optional string that specifies the database that contains the tables. It defaults to the database name supplied at login.
Note
In the API Explorer, "defaultDatabaseName" is set to "ctreeSQL" in the "createSession" action that happens at login.
A zero-length
"databaseName"is invalid.Its limits are from 0 to 64 bytes.
If the
"databaseName"property is omitted or set tonull, the server will use the default database name specified at login.If no default database is specified during
"createSession","defaultDatabaseName"will be set to the"defaultDatabaseName"value that is specified in theservices.jsonfile.
The "ownerName" property is an optional string from 1 to 64 bytes that specifies the account that owns an object.
The
"ownerName"property is optional and has a dynamic default value.If the
"ownerName"property is omitted or set tonull, the server uses the value of the"defaultOwnerName"property supplied during the "createSession"action.If the
"defaultOwnerName"property is not defined, the server uses the"admin"as the owner name.The owner of an object has administrative rights over that object.
The
"ownerName"property is a namespace for an object. You can think of it as a container of objects.The
"ownerName"allows users to use any name for the objects they create — for example, a QA engineer may copy tables into their owner space to run a set of tests.It is common for a user to create their own copies of objects from other accounts for testing, troubleshooting, and fixing data. The copied objects can retain the same name because the
"ownerName"distinguishes between them.The fully qualified name of an object is the
"databaseName","ownerName", and the object's name, such as"tableName"meaning a FairCom server may contain many tables with the name"mytable"as long as each one is in a different database or in a different owner space.For example, an organization often creates different databases for different phases of the development lifecycle, such as dev, test, stage, ua, and prod. Each of these databases contains the same set of objects with the same names. Applications leave the
"databaseName"out of their JSON actions and use the"defaultDatabaseName"property to specify the target database.Queries and scripts are often written without specifying
"databaseName"and/or"ownerName", allowing queries and scripts to work properly when run in different databases or in different schemas.
The "returnCursor" property is an optional Boolean. When true, an action returns a cursor instead of directly returning records. It defaults to "false".
To retrieve records, call the
"getRecordsFromCursor"action and pass the"cursorId"value into it.When
"returnCursor"is"true"and one of the"skipRecords","maxRecords", and"reverseOrder"properties is specified, an error is returned.Note
"returnCursor"is mutually exclusive with the"skipRecords","maxRecords", and"reverseOrder"properties.
The "sql" property is a required string from 1 to 32,000,000 bytes. It is a SQL statement. A zero-length SQL statement is invalid.
The "sqlParams" is an optional array of values. Each value becomes a parameter in the SQL statement.
Each value may be a string, number, integer,
true,false, or null.The same value may be repeated within the array.
The order of the values must match the order of the SQL parameters.
The type of each value must correspond to the field type of the corresponding SQL parameter.
It is an error if the number of SQL parameters do not match the number of items in this array.
It is a best practice to use SQL parameters rather than embedding values in a SQL query.
It prevents SQL injection attacks.
Because the same value may be applied to multiple SQL parameters, items in the
"sqlParams"array can have the same value.
"result"
Property summary
"result" property summariesProperty | Description | Type | Limits (inclusive) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
contains a unique identifier returned by the server | string |
| ||||
| contains an array or object that the server returns, such as records returned by a query NoteIt is an empty array when there are no results available. | array | Its contents are determined by the action | |||
defines the format of the data in the | string |
| ||||
shows an array of objects set by the server where each object is the definition of a field in a table defining the details of each field returned by a query | array | |||||
shows how many records were requested in the | integer |
| ||||
shows how many records were returned from the | integer |
| ||||
contains an integer, the server sets its value to the number of records returned by a query | integer |
|
The "cursorId" property is a required string from 0 to 255 bytes. It is a unique identifier returned by the server.
The
"getRecordsFromCursor"action uses it to quickly and efficiently retrieve paginated records.Setting a zero-length
"cursorId"in the request is invalid.It is not returned when
"returnCursor"isfalse.
Important
Do not assume the "cursorId" is a number embedded in a string.
The "dataFormat" property is an optional, case-insensitive string enum that defines the format of the response in the "data" property. The default format is an array of arrays. The alternative is an array of objects. The default for "dataFormat" can be changed during a "createSession" action by assigning a different value to the "dataFormat" property in "defaultResponseOptions".
"dataFormat" property:Two of those versions occur in a request and another occurs in a response. They all indicate how data is formatted.
"dataFormat"in the request inside"responseOptions"determines how the"data"property in the response is formatted.Possible values include:
"arrays"This is the default and causes the server to return results as an array of arrays, which is the most efficient.
"objects"This returns results as an array of objects. This is less efficient but is simpler to generate, read, and troubleshoot.
"dataFormat"in the request in the"params"object notifies the server how the"sourceData"property is formatted in the request. This version is rarely used because of the default"autoDetect"behavior.Possible values include:
"arrays"This causes the server to return results as an array of arrays, which is the most efficient.
"objects"This returns results as an array of objects. This is less efficient but is simpler to generate, read, and troubleshoot.
"autoDetect"This is the default and causes the server to automatically detect the format of the data in the
"sourceData"property.
"dataFormat"in the response shows the client how the server formatted the"data"property.Possible values include:
"arrays"This is the default and causes the server to return results as an array of arrays, which is the most efficient.
"objects"This returns results as an array of objects. This is less efficient but is simpler to generate, read, and troubleshoot.
The "fields" property is a required array of field-type objects. There is one object for each top-level field in the array. Each object identifies the actual data type of the field as stored in the database.
A field-type object is used when creating a table. It contains one object for each field definition returned in the data.
Full request example
"fields":
[
{
"name": "name",
"type": "varchar",
"length": 50,
"scale": null,
"defaultValue": null,
"nullable": false,
"primaryKey":1
}
]Full response example
"fields":
[
{
"name": "id",
"type": "bigint",
"length": null,
"scale": null,
"autoValue": "none",
"defaultValue": null,
"nullable": false,
"primaryKey": 1
}
]Property summary
"fields" property summariesProperty | Description | Default | Type | Limits (inclusive) | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
controls when and how the server automatically sets the field value |
| string |
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| specifies the default value of a field |
| string |
| |||||||||||||||||||
| defines the length of a field's value in a record |
| integer |
| |||||||||||||||||||
| defines a new name of the field | required | string |
| |||||||||||||||||||
| allows a field to contain a NULL value when |
| Boolean |
| |||||||||||||||||||
| adds a field to the specified ordinal position of the table's primary key when > 0 |
| integer |
| |||||||||||||||||||
| defines the number of places to the right of the decimal point |
| integer |
| |||||||||||||||||||
| defines the type of field | required | string |
|
This property controls when and how the server automatically sets the field value.
Specify only one of these values per field.
"none"indicates the server does not automatically set the field's value."incrementOnInsert"indicates the server automatically increments a field’s value each time the server inserts a new record. It applies to fields that are of the type of decimal or one of the integer types, such as"bigint". Only one field per table can have this attribute. The server returns an error when assigning this attribute to multiple fields. The JSON DB API automatically creates the"id"field as an"incrementOnInsert"field. If you apply this attribute to another field, it becomes the only automatically incremented field in the table. If you want that field to be the primary key, assign"primaryKey": 1to it."timestampOnInsert"indicates the server automatically sets a field’s value to the current date and time of an insert. It applies only to fields with a type of"timestamp"."timestampOnUpdate"indicates the server automatically sets a field’s value to the current date and time of an update. It applies only to timestamp fields."timestampOnUpdateAndInsert"indicates the server automatically sets a field’s value to the current date and time of an insert and an update. It applies only to fields with a type of"timestamp"."changeId"indicates the server uses the field for optimistic locking. The server automatically sets the field's value to the internal transaction number used during the last update of the record. This value changes each time the server updates the record. A table may only have one change tracking field. The field type must be"bigint".The JSON DB API automatically creates a
"changeid"field with change-tracking functionality.Change tracking is optional in the CTDB and ISAM APIs. The application must create a 64-bit integer field and assign change-tracking functionality to it.
The "requestedRecordCount" property is a signed, 32-bit integer set by the server in response to the "getRecordsFromCursor" method.
It makes it easy to know how many records were requested in the last call to
"getRecordsFromCursor".An application can use
"requestedRecordCount"in conjunction with"returnedRecordCount"to determine if fewer records were returned than requested, which occurs when the cursor reaches the end of the recordset.
The "returnedRecordCount" is a 32-bit integer set by the server in response to the "getRecordsFromCursor" method.
It makes it easy to know how many records were returned from the last call to
"getRecordsFromCursor".An application can use
"returnedRecordCount"in conjunction with"requestedRecordCount"to determine if fewer records were returned than requested, which occurs when the cursor reaches the end of the recordset.
The "totalRecordCount" property contains the total available number of records that can be returned from a query.
The
"totalRecordCount"is set to-1, when the server does not know the total record count.A very fast way to get the total number of records in a table is to call the
"getRecordsByTable"method without applying a"tableFilter". This immediately returns the count without reading and counting records.For most methods, the server does not calculate
"totalRecordCount"because calculating it requires walking all records in the query, which may take a significant amount of time.When the result is returned as a cursor,
"totalRecordCount"is the total number of records that the cursor can traverse.Note
This does not apply to cursor responses.
When the result returns records directly,
"totalRecordCount"is the total number of records that can be retrieved – not necessarily the number of records returned.