How to query data

There are three ways to query data in Atlan:

• writing your own SQL
• through dbt's Semantic Layer
• using the Visual Query Builder

Write your own SQL

To query an asset with your own SQL:

1. From the left menu of any screen, click Insights.
2. Under the Explorer tab, find the asset you want to query:
   1. Use the Select database drop-down to choose another database, if necessary.
   2. Search for the asset by name in the search bar, or browse for it in the tree structure.
3. Hover over the table or view, and click the play icon. This writes and runs a basic preview query.
4. Under the Untitled tab on the right, change the sample query or write your own. Click the Run button in the upper right to test your query as you write it.

The editor supports all read-based SQL statements, including join. The editor will not run any write-based statements.

Use dbt's Semantic Layer

To get the latest data for a metric:

1. From the left menu of any screen, click Insights.
2. Under the Explorer tab, find the dbt connection with the metric you want to query:
   1. Use the Select database drop-down to choose the dbt connection.
   2. Search for the metric by name in the search bar, or browse for it in the list of metrics.
3. Hover over the metric, and click the play icon. This writes and runs a basic metrics calculation query.
4. Under the Metric preview tab on the right, change the sample query or write your own. Click the Run button in the upper right to test your query as you write it. For example, to query a customers metric with a location_name dimension, by year:

   select *
   from {{ metrics.calculate(
       metric('customers'),
       grain='year',
       dimensions=['location_name']
   ) }}
   

Use the Visual Query Builder

To query an asset using the Visual Query Builder:

1. From the left menu of any screen, click Insights.
2. At the top of the screen, to the right of the Untitled tab, click the + button and select New visual query.
3. Under Select from choose the table or view you want to query.
4. (Optional) In the column selector to the right, select the column you want to query.
5. Then develop your query:
   • Click the Run button to run the query and preview its results.
   • Click the blue circular + button to add an action to the query.
   • Repeat these steps until your query is complete.
6. (Optional) If there are any errors in your query, click Auto fix for Atlan to recommend a fix. 
7. (Optional) In the query results set, click Copy to copy the query results or click Download to export them.