Run SELECT Query

Run a SELECT query in a Hydrolix time-series database using the Clickhouse SQL dialect. Queries run using this tool will timeout after 30 seconds.

RESULT TRUNCATION:

Query results are automatically truncated when the total cell count (rows * columns) exceeds the configured limit.

Response shape: - Always present: columns, rows, truncated (bool), row_count - Only when truncated=true: total_row_count, message Note: total_row_count is the number of rows fetched from the server, which is capped at 100,000. The actual table may contain more rows than this value suggests.

Note: if the cell limit is smaller than the number of columns, row_count will be 0 — in that case you must either refine the query (fewer columns, stricter filters) or increase max_cells.

MANDATORY PRE-QUERY CHECK:

Before running ANY query, call get_table_info(database, table_name) if you haven't already. Check is_summary_table and read column metadata (column_category, merge_function per column). If is_summary_table=True: follow summary_table_info from get_table_info response and rules below. If is_summary_table=False: use standard SQL (count, sum, avg, etc.).

The primary key on tables queried this way is always a timestamp. Queries should include either a LIMIT clause or a filter based on the primary key as a performance guard to ensure they return in a reasonable amount of time. Queries should select specific fields and avoid the use of SELECT * to avoid performance issues. The performance guard used for the query should be clearly communicated with the user, and the user should be informed that the query may take a long time to run if the performance guard is not used. When choosing a performance guard, the user's preference should be requested and used if available. When using aggregations, the performance guard should take form of a primary key filter, or else the LIMIT should be applied in a subquery before applying the aggregations.

When matching columns based on substrings, prefix or suffix matches should be used instead of full-text search whenever possible. When searching for substrings, the syntax column LIKE '%suffix' or column LIKE 'prefix%' should be used.

SUMMARY TABLE RULES (if is_summary_table=True):

Use column_category from get_table_info to determine column usage — do NOT infer from names.

1. column_category='AggregateColumn': MUST be wrapped in its merge_function

   • Stores binary AggregateFunction state — direct SELECT causes deserialization errors

   • Use exact merge_function from column metadata (do NOT infer from column name)

   • count(vendor_id) → countMerge(count(vendor_id)), countIf(c) → countIfMerge(countIf(c))

   • Always use backticks for column names with special characters

2. column_category='SummaryColumn': select directly, no wrapping

   • ALIAS that wraps -Merge internally — NEVER wrap in sum()/count()/avg() (ILLEGAL_AGGREGATION)

   • Per-row value — for grand totals use the corresponding AggregateColumn + merge_function

3. column_category='Column'/'AliasColumn': dimension columns, use as-is

   • Many have function-like names (e.g., toStartOfMinute(dt)) — LITERAL names, not expressions

   • WRONG: SELECT toStartOfMinute(dt) RIGHT: SELECT toStartOfMinute(dt)

   • For time filters: use '2022-06-01' or '2022-06-01 00:00:00' — NOT partial '2022-06-01 00:00'

   • Use >= and < for ranges: WHERE col >= '2022-06-01' AND col < '2022-06-02'

4. GROUP BY: required when SELECT mixes dimension columns with aggregates

   • Only Column/AliasColumn go in GROUP BY — never AggregateColumn or SummaryColumn

5. NEVER use SELECT * on summary tables (causes deserialization errors)

Summary table query patterns (after calling get_table_info first):

Pattern 1: Aggregate entire table -- First: get_table_info('database', 'summary_table') -- Read column.merge_function for count(column_name) = "countMerge" SELECT countMerge(count(column_name)) as total FROM database.summary_table

Pattern 2: Aggregate with grouping by dimension and optional time range filter -- First: get_table_info('database', 'summary_table') -- Read merge_function for each aggregate column SELECT toStartOfMinute(datetime_field) as time_bucket, countMerge(count(column_name)) as total, avgMerge(avg(other_column)) as avg_value FROM database.summary_table WHERE toStartOfMinute(datetime_field) >= '2022-06-01' AND toStartOfMinute(datetime_field) < '2022-06-02' GROUP BY toStartOfMinute(datetime_field) ORDER BY time_bucket DESC

Pattern 3: Multiple aggregates (no dimensions, no GROUP BY) -- First: get_table_info('database', 'summary_table') SELECT countMerge(count(column_name)) as count_result, sumMerge(sum(other_column)) as sum_result FROM database.summary_table

Pattern 4: Using column_category='SummaryColumn' -- First: get_table_info('database', 'summary_table') -- SummaryColumns are per-row values — use with GROUP BY to break down by dimension SELECT cdn, cnt_all, sum_bytes FROM database.summary_table GROUP BY cdn -- No -Merge needed, these are pre-defined aliases -- For a grand total across all rows, use AggregateColumn + merge_function instead: SELECT countMerge(count()) AS grand_total FROM database.summary_table

Pattern 5: Using dimensions with function-like names (common pattern) -- First: get_table_info('database', 'summary_table') -- Dimension column named: toStartOfMinute(primary_datetime) — LITERAL name, not an expression -- WRONG: SELECT toStartOfMinute(primary_datetime) ... (tries to call function) -- RIGHT: Use the literal column name with backticks SELECT toStartOfMinute(primary_datetime) as time_bucket, countMerge(count()) as cnt, maxMerge(max(value)) as max_val FROM database.summary_table GROUP BY toStartOfMinute(primary_datetime) ORDER BY time_bucket DESC LIMIT 10

Regular table examples (non-summary):

Example query. Purpose: get logs from the application.logs table. Primary key: timestamp. Performance guard: 10 minute recency filter.

SELECT message, timestamp FROM application.logs WHERE timestamp > now() - INTERVAL 10 MINUTES

Example query. Purpose: get the median humidity from the weather.measurements table. Primary key: date. Performance guard: 1000 row limit, applied before aggregation.

SELECT median(humidity) FROM (SELECT humidity FROM weather.measurements LIMIT 1000)

Example query. Purpose: get the lowest temperature from the weather.measurements table over the last 10 years. Primary key: date. Performance guard: date range filter.

SELECT min(temperature) FROM weather.measurements WHERE date > now() - INTERVAL 10 YEARS

Example query. Purpose: get the app name with the most log messages from the application.logs table in the window between new year and valentine's day of 2024. Primary key: timestamp. Performance guard: date range filter. SELECT app, count(*) FROM application.logs WHERE timestamp > '2024-01-01' AND timestamp < '2024-02-14' GROUP BY app ORDER BY count(*) DESC LIMIT 1