Database Operations - Xano Documentation

Query All Records

Simple Query

Get all records from a table

   db.query table as $variable

Parameter	Purpose	Example
table	The name of the table to query	user
as	The variable to store the result	allUsers

Custom Queries

    db.query user {
      where = $db.user.id == 1
    } as $user1

Parameter	Purpose	Example
where	The query condition to run	`$db.user.id == 1`

Joins

    db.query user {
      where = $db.user.id == 1
      join = {
        event_log: {
          table: "event_log"
          where: $db.user.id == $db.event_log.user_id
        }
      }
    } as $user1

Parameter	Purpose	Example
join	Object containing join definitions	Each join is defined as a key-value pair with table name and join config
table	The name of the table being joined	”event_log”
where	The conditional query to perform when matching records in the join	`$db.user.id == $db.event_log.user_id`

Sorting

    db.query user {
      where = $db.user.id == 1
      sort = {user.name: "asc"}
    } as $user1

Parameter	Purpose	Example
sort	Object defining sort order for the query results	`{user.name: "asc"}`

Evals

    db.query user {
      where = $db.user.id == 1
      eval = {user_action: $db.event_log.action}
    } as $user1

Parameter	Purpose	Example
eval	Object defining computed fields to add to the response	`{user_action: $db.event_log.action}`

Customizing the Response

    db.query user {
      where = $db.user.id == 1 
      output = ["id", "name", "email"]
    } as $user1

Parameter	Purpose	Example
output	Array of fields returned to display in the response	[“id”, “name”, “email”]

Return Options

Return Type

Returns are defined using the return parameter with type and configuration options.

    db.query user {
      where = $db.user.id == 1
      return = {type: "list", paging: {page: 1, per_page: 25}}
    } as $user1

Return Types:

exists - Returns true/false if records exist
- return = {type: "exists"}
count - Returns the number of records found
- return = {type: "count"}
single - Returns the first record found
- return = {type: "single"}
list - Returns an array of records
- return = {type: "list"}
stream - Returns records for efficient iteration
- return = {type: "stream"}

Paging Paging is configured within the return object:

return = {
  type: "list", 
  paging: {
    page: 1,
    per_page: 25,
    totals: true,
    offset: 0,
    metadata: true
  }
}

Comprehensive Example

db.query user {
  join = {
    event_log: {
      table: "event_log"
      where: $db.user.id == $db.event_log.user_id
    }
  }
  
  where = $db.user.name == $input.name && $db.user.created_at > 1 || $db.user.id == 1 && ($db.user.role == "member" && true) || ($db.user.role == "admin" && true)
  sort = {user.name: "asc"}
  eval = {user_action: $db.event_log.action}
  return = {type: "list", paging: {page: 1, per_page: 25}}
  output = [
    "itemsReceived",
    "curPage", 
    "nextPage",
    "prevPage",
    "offset",
    "itemsTotal",
    "pageTotal",
    "items.id",
    "items.created_at",
    "items.name",
    "items.email",
    "items.account_id",
    "items.role",
    "items.last_login_at",
    "items.password_reset.expiration",
    "items.password_reset.used"
  ]
} as $user1

Return any user records with an ID that matches the input userId

db.query user {
  where = $db.user.id == $input.userId
  return = {type: "exists"}
} as user1

Return any user records with an ID that matches the input userId that are also admins

db.query user {
  where = $db.user.id == $input.userId && $db.user.userRole == "admin"
  return = {type: "exists"}
} as user1

Get Record

Simple query

db.get test_data {
      field_name = "id"
      field_value = $input.id
    } as $foundRecord

Parameter	Description	Example
field_name	Uses the specified column to search against	id
field_value	Uses the value to search the specified column to retrieve a found match	1
as	The variable name that holds the record found	foundRecord

Customizing the Response

db.get color_pair {
      field_name = "id"
      field_value = $input.id
      output = ["id", "created_at", "user"]
} as $color_pair1

Parameter	Purpose	Example
output	The list of fields returned to display in the response.	[“id”, “created_at”, “user”]

Get a record by ID

db.get test_data {
  field_name = "id"
  field_value = $input.id
} as foundRecord

Has Record

    db.has user {
      field_name = "id"
      field_value = $input.id
    } as $user1

Parameter	Purpose	Example
field_name	The field to search for the record	id
field_value	The value to match in the search field	$input.id

Example

    security.create_rsa_key {
      bits = 1024
      format = "object"
    } as crypto1

Add Record

db.add user {
    data = {
        created_at: "now",
        name: $input.name,
        email: $input.email,
        password: $input.password
    }
} as $recordAdd

Parameter	Purpose	Example
data	Object containing the fields and values for the new record	`{name: "John", email: "john@example.com"}`

Create a new user record

db.add user {
  data = {
    created_at: "now",
    name: "John Doe",
    email: "john@example.com",
    password: "hashedPassword123"
  }
} as newUser

Edit Record

Edits the contents of an existing record in the database by specifying the target record and the data to update.

db.edit user {
    field_name = "id"
    field_value = 1
    data = {
        name: $input.name,
        list: $listVar
    }
} as $user2

Parameter	Description	Example
field_name	The database field name to search within	id
field_value	The value to match in the specified field	1
data	Object containing the fields and values to update	`{name: 'John', list: ['item1']}`

Update a user's name and list

db.edit user {
  field_name = "id"
  field_value = 1
  data = {
    name: $input.name,
    list: $listVar
  }
} as user2

Update specific fields in a product record

db.edit products {
  field_name = "sku"
  field_value = "PROD-123"
  data = {
    price: 29.99,
    stock: 100
  }
} as updatedProduct

💡 The function will only update the fields specified in the data object. Other fields in the record will remain unchanged.

Notes

You must specify which record to update using field_name and field_value
The data object should only include the fields you want to update
You can reference input variables ($input) or other variables in your data object
The updated record will be returned in the variable specified after as

Add or Edit Record

db.add_or_edit user {
    field_name = "id"
    field_value = $input.id
    data = {name: $input.name}
} as $recordAddOrEdit

Parameter	Description	Example
field_name	Field to search for the record	id
field_value	Value to match in the search field	1
data	Object containing fields to update/create	`{name: 'John'}`

Update or create user profile

db.add_or_edit user_profile {
  field_name = "user_id"
  field_value = 456
  data = {
    bio: "Software Developer",
    location: "San Francisco"
  }
} as userProfile

Delete Record

db.del user {
    field_name = "id"
    field_value = $input.id
}

Parameter	Purpose	Example
field_name	Field to search for the record	”id”
field_value	Value to match in the search field	1

Delete inactive user

db.del user {
  field_name = "email"
  field_value = "old@example.com"
} as deletedUser

Patch Record

db.patch user {
    field_name = "id"
    field_value = $input.id
    data = {}|set:"name":$input.name
} as $patchRecord

Parameter	Description	Example
field_name	Field to search for the record	id
field_value	Value to match in the search field	1
data	Object with fields to patch	`{name: 'John'}`

Update only the last_login field

db.patch user {
  field_name = "id"
  field_value = 789
  data = {}|set:"last_login":"now"
} as updatedLoginTime

Bulk Operations

Bulk Add Users

db.bulk.add user {
  allow_id_field = false
  items = [
    {
      name: "John Doe",
      email: "john@example.com"
    },
    {
      name: "Jane Smith",
      email: "jane@example.com"
    }
  ]
} as newUsers

db.bulk.update user {
    items = $input.arrayData
} as $updateBulk

Parameter	Description	Example
items	Array of records to update	`[{id: 1, name: 'John'}, {id: 2, name: 'Jane'}]`

Bulk Update Users

db.bulk.update user {
  items = [
    {id: 1, status: "active"},
    {id: 2, status: "inactive"},
    {id: 3, status: "pending"}
  ]
} as statusUpdates

db.bulk.patch user {
    items = $input.arrayData
} as $patchBulk

Parameter	Description	Example
items	Array of records to patch	`[{id: 1, name: 'John'}, {id: 2, name: 'Jane'}]`

Bulk Patch Users

db.bulk.patch user {
  items = [
    {id: 1, data: {}|set:"role":"admin"},
    {id: 2, data: {}|set:"role":"moderator"}
  ]
} as roleUpdates

Parameter	Description	Example
search	Query condition for deletion	`$db.user.id >= 100`

Bulk Delete Users

db.bulk.delete user {
  search = `$db.user.status == "inactive" && $db.user.last_login < "2023-01-01"`
} as inactiveUsersDeletion

💡 Bulk operations are more efficient than performing multiple individual operations when working with multiple records.

Notes

All operations return the affected record(s) in the variable specified after as
Bulk operations can significantly improve performance when working with multiple records
The field_name and field_value combination is used to identify specific records
Patch operations are useful when you want to update specific fields without affecting others
The |set: operator in patch operations allows you to update only specified fields, leaving others unchanged. For example, data = {}|set:"name":$input.name will only update the name field in the record.
Always use valid table and field names as defined in your Xano database.
You can reference input variables ($input) or other variables in your data object for dynamic updates.
For best performance, prefer bulk operations when working with many records instead of looping single operations.

Direct Database Query

db.direct_query {
  sql = "SELECT * FROM x52_245;"
  parser = "template_engine"
  response_type = "list"
} as $x1

Parameter	Description	Example
sql	The raw SQL query to execute	`"SELECT * FROM users;"`
parser	The parser to use for the SQL query	`"template_engine"` or do not include for prepared statement
response_type	The expected response type	`"list"` or `"single"`

If you’re using a prepared statement (with ? placehholders), you can pass in arguments using the arg parameter, as shown below in the examples.

Examples

// Get a single user by ID using the template engine
db.direct_query {
  sql = "SELECT * FROM x52_245 WHERE id = {{ $auth.id|sql_esc }};"
  parser = "template_engine"
  response_type = "single"
} as $x2

// Get a single user by ID using a prepared statement with arguments
db.direct_query {
  sql = "SELECT * FROM x52_245 WHERE id = ?;"
  response_type = "list"
  arg = $auth.id
} as $x1

Database Transaction

Example

  db.transaction {
    stack {
      db.add user {
        data = {
          created_at: "now"
          name      : ""
          email     : null
          password  : null
        }
       } as $user1
    }
  }

Clear All Records

db.truncate table_name {
  reset = false
}

Parameter	Description	Example
table_name	The name of the table to clear	`user`
reset	Whether to reset auto-incrementing IDs	`true` or `false`

Get Database Schema

db.schema table_name {
  path = ""
} as $user1

Parameter	Description	Example
table_name	The name of the table to get the schema for	`user`
path	Optional path to a specific field in the schema — helpful for only returning the schema of an object field	`name`

Example

db.schema user {
  path = "name"
} as $user1

External Database Queries

External MSSQL Query
External MySQL Query
External PostgreSQL Query
External Oracle Query

These statements are very similar to the db.direct_query statement shown above, but are used to connect to external databases configured in your Xano workspace settings and have an additional connection_string parameter to specify how to connect to the external database.

db.external.mssql.direct_query {
  sql = "SELECT * FROM user WHERE id = 1"
  response_type = "list"
  connection_string = "mssql://username:password@123.456.789.123:1433/my_database?sslmode=enabled"
} as $x1

db.external.mysql.direct_query ...
db.external.oracle.direct_query ...
db.external.postgres.direct_query ...

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References

Documentation Index

​ Query All Records

​Simple Query

​Custom Queries

​Joins

​Sorting

​Evals

​Customizing the Response

​Return Options

​Return Type

Return any user records with an ID that matches the input userId

Return any user records with an ID that matches the input userId that are also admins

​ Get Record

​Simple query

​Customizing the Response

Get a record by ID

​ Has Record

Example

​ Add Record

Create a new user record

​ Edit Record

Update a user's name and list

Update specific fields in a product record

​ Add or Edit Record

Update or create user profile

​ Delete Record

Delete inactive user

​ Patch Record

Update only the last_login field

​ Bulk Operations

Bulk Add Users

Bulk Update Users

Bulk Patch Users

Bulk Delete Users

​ Direct Database Query

Examples

​ Database Transaction

Example

​ Clear All Records

​ Get Database Schema

Example

​ External Database Queries

Query All Records

Simple Query

Custom Queries

Joins

Sorting

Evals

Customizing the Response

Return Options

Return Type

Get Record

Simple query

Customizing the Response

Has Record

Add Record

Edit Record

Add or Edit Record

Delete Record

Patch Record

Bulk Operations

Direct Database Query

Database Transaction

Clear All Records

Get Database Schema

External Database Queries