KSQL is Kondado's query language. It uses a JSON syntax that lets you filter, group, sort, and transform your data in a simple and secure way.
ℹ️ Beta: KSQL queries are available in beta mode.
Basic structure
A KSQL query is sent as a JSON object inside the ksql key. The available fields are:
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
table_name | Yes | Name of the table to query |
columns | Yes | List of columns to return |
column_aggregations | No | Aggregation type per column (e.g., "sum", "avg", "none") |
dimensions | No | Grouping columns (equivalent to GROUP BY) |
where_conditions | No | Filter conditions |
order_by | No | Result sorting |
limit | No | Maximum number of records (max: 1,000) |
customColumns | No | Calculated columns with custom expressions |
column_transformations | No | Transformations applied to columns |
column_aliases | No | Aliases to rename output columns (same length as columns) |
alias | No | Table alias for the main table (FROM alias), used to prefix columns |
joins | No | Join with other tables |
union | No | Array of queries to combine with UNION ALL (replaces other fields) |
with | No | Array of CTEs (Common Table Expressions) — reusable named subqueries (see section below) |
Minimal example
{
"ksql": {
"table_name": "sales",
"columns": ["product", "amount", "date"]
}
}
Filters (where_conditions)
Filters are defined as a list of conditions. All conditions are combined with AND.
"where_conditions": [
{"column": "status", "operator": "=", "value": "active"},
{"column": "amount", "operator": ">", "value": 100}
]
Column-to-column comparison (value_column)
Instead of comparing a column to a fixed value, you can compare a column to another column using value_column instead of value:
"where_conditions": [
{"column": "revenue", "operator": ">", "value_column": "cost"},
{"column": "ship_date", "operator": "<=", "value_column": "deadline"}
]
value_column accepts only valid column names (letters, numbers, _ and .). The same security rules as column apply.
Comparison operators
| Operator | Description | Example value |
|---|---|---|
= | Equal to | "active" |
!= | Not equal to | "cancelled" |
> | Greater than | 100 |
< | Less than | 50 |
>= | Greater than or equal | 100 |
<= | Less than or equal | 200 |
Set operators
| Operator | Description | Example value |
|---|---|---|
IN | Is in the list | ["US", "UK", "CA"] |
NOT IN | Is not in the list | ["cancelled", "expired"] |
Text operators
| Operator | Description | Example value |
|---|---|---|
LIKE | Matches pattern (use % as wildcard) | "%kondado%" |
NOT LIKE | Does not match pattern | "%test%" |
STARTS_WITH | Starts with | "BR" |
ENDS_WITH | Ends with | ".com" |
CONTAINS | Contains the text | "kondado" |
NOT_CONTAINS | Does not contain | "test" |
Null operators
| Operator | Description |
|---|---|
IS NULL | Is null |
IS NOT NULL | Is not null |
Range operator
| Operator | Description | Example value |
|---|---|---|
BETWEEN | Is between two values | [100, 500] |
Relative date operators
These operators make date filtering easy without manual date calculations:
| Operator | Description |
|---|---|
LAST_N_DAYS | Last N days |
NEXT_N_DAYS | Next N days |
LAST_N_HOURS | Last N hours |
LAST_N_MINUTES | Last N minutes |
THIS_WEEK | Current week |
LAST_WEEK | Previous week |
THIS_MONTH | Current month |
LAST_MONTH | Previous month |
THIS_QUARTER | Current quarter |
LAST_QUARTER | Previous quarter |
THIS_YEAR | Current year |
LAST_YEAR | Previous year |
Example:
{"column": "created_at", "operator": "LAST_N_DAYS", "value": 7}
Aggregations
To calculate metrics on your data, use column_aggregations together with dimensions.
The column_aggregations field is a list with the same length as columns. Each position defines the aggregation for the corresponding column. Use "none" for columns without aggregation (these should be listed in dimensions).
{
"ksql": {
"table_name": "orders",
"columns": ["category", "revenue", "quantity"],
"column_aggregations": ["none", "sum", "count"],
"dimensions": ["category"]
}
}
Available aggregation functions
| Function | Description |
|---|---|
none | No aggregation (grouping column) |
sum | Sum of values |
avg | Average of values |
count | Record count |
count_distinct | Count of unique values |
min | Minimum value |
max | Maximum value |
stddev | Standard deviation |
variance | Variance |
Column aliases (column_aliases)
Use column_aliases to rename the columns returned by your query. The array must be the same length as columns and column_aggregations. Each position defines the output column name for the corresponding column. Use null to keep the original name.
{
"ksql": {
"table_name": "orders",
"columns": ["category", "revenue", "quantity"],
"column_aggregations": ["none", "sum", "count"],
"dimensions": ["category"],
"column_aliases": [null, "total_revenue", "total_orders"]
}
}
In this example, the output columns will be: category, total_revenue, and total_orders.
Table alias (alias)
The root-level alias field defines an alias for the main table in your query, useful when you need to prefix columns to avoid ambiguity (especially with JOINs and CTEs).
{
"ksql": {
"table_name": "orders",
"alias": "o",
"columns": ["o.id", "o.customer_id", "o.total"],
"joins": [
{
"tableName": "customers",
"joinType": "LEFT",
"conditions": [
{"leftColumn": "o.customer_id", "rightColumn": "customers.id"}
]
}
]
}
}
The root-level
aliasis different from thealiasused inside CTE entries in thewithparameter.
Sorting (order_by)
"order_by": [
{"column": "revenue", "direction": "desc"},
{"column": "name", "direction": "asc"}
]
Calculated columns (customColumns)
Create derived columns using expressions:
"customColumns": [
{"name": "profit", "expression": "revenue - cost"},
{"name": "margin", "expression": "(revenue - cost) / revenue * 100"}
]
Calculated columns can be used in columns, where_conditions, order_by, and dimensions, just like any other column.
Functions available in expressions
Math: ABS, CEIL, FLOOR, ROUND, TRUNCATE, MOD, SQRT, POWER, EXP, LOG, LN, SIGN
Text: UPPER, LOWER, TRIM, LTRIM, RTRIM, SUBSTR, SUBSTRING, LENGTH, REPLACE, CONCAT, SPLIT_PART, LEFT, RIGHT, LPAD, RPAD, REVERSE, REPEAT, INSTR, LOCATE, REGEXP_EXTRACT, REGEXP_REPLACE, REGEXP_LIKE
Date: DATE, YEAR, MONTH, DAY, HOUR, MINUTE, SECOND, DATE_FORMAT, DATE_TRUNC, DATE_ADD, DATE_DIFF, CURRENT_DATE, CURRENT_TIMESTAMP, NOW, EXTRACT, TO_DATE, TO_TIMESTAMP, FROM_UNIXTIME
Conversion: CAST, COALESCE, NULLIF, NVL, IFNULL, GREATEST, LEAST
Conditional: IF, IIF, CASE WHEN ... THEN ... ELSE ... END
Column transformations (column_transformations)
Apply sequential transformations to existing columns. Transformations are processed in the order they appear.
"column_transformations": {
"name": [
{"type": "text", "operation": "uppercase"}
],
"created_at": [
{"type": "date", "operation": "year_month"}
],
"amount": [
{"type": "number", "operation": "round", "params": {"decimals": 2}}
]
}
Text transformations: uppercase, lowercase, trim, ltrim, rtrim, extract_domain, extract_before, extract_after, replace (params: find, replace), regexp_extract (params: pattern), regexp_replace (params: pattern, replacement)
Date transformations: date, year_month, year_week, year_quarter, year, hour, minute, extract_year, extract_month, extract_day, extract_hour, date_add_days (params: days), date_add_hours (params: hours), date_add_minutes (params: minutes)
Number transformations: round (params: decimals), floor, ceil, abs, truncate (params: decimals), divide (params: divisor), multiply (params: multiplier)
Type conversions: cast_to_text, cast_to_int, cast_to_number, cast_to_date, cast_to_timestamp
JOINs
Combine data from multiple tables:
{
"ksql": {
"table_name": "orders",
"columns": ["orders.id", "customers.name", "orders.total"],
"column_aggregations": ["none", "none", "none"],
"joins": [
{
"tableName": "customers",
"joinType": "LEFT",
"conditions": [
{
"leftColumn": "orders.customer_id",
"rightColumn": "customers.id"
}
]
}
]
}
}
JOIN types: INNER (only matching records), LEFT (all from main table + matches), RIGHT (all from joined table + matches), FULL (all from both), CROSS (cartesian product).
When using JOINs, prefix column names with the table name (e.g., orders.id, customers.name).
UNION ALL
Combine results from queries on different tables. All queries go inside the union array (minimum 2). The order_by and limit fields are placed at the root level.
{
"ksql": {
"union": [
{
"table_name": "sales_2025",
"columns": ["month", "revenue"],
"column_aggregations": ["none", "sum"],
"dimensions": ["month"]
},
{
"table_name": "sales_2024",
"columns": ["month", "revenue"],
"column_aggregations": ["none", "sum"],
"dimensions": ["month"]
}
],
"order_by": [{"column": "revenue", "direction": "desc"}],
"limit": 500
}
}
CTEs — Common Table Expressions (with)
The with parameter lets you create named subqueries (CTEs) that can be referenced in the main query as if they were tables. This is useful for organizing complex queries into steps.
with is an array of objects. Each object defines a CTE with:
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
alias | Yes | CTE name (used as table name in the main query) |
ksql | Yes* | KSQL query that defines the CTE data |
saved_query_id | Yes* | ID of a saved query to use as CTE (alternative to ksql) |
* Use ksql or saved_query_id, never both.
CTE with inline query
{
"ksql": {
"with": [
{
"alias": "recent_sales",
"ksql": {
"table_name": "sales",
"columns": ["product", "revenue", "sale_date"],
"where_conditions": [
{"column": "sale_date", "operator": "LAST_N_DAYS", "value": 30}
]
}
}
],
"table_name": "recent_sales",
"columns": ["product", "revenue"],
"column_aggregations": ["none", "sum"],
"dimensions": ["product"],
"order_by": [{"column": "revenue", "direction": "desc"}],
"limit": 10
}
}
CTE with saved query
If you have saved queries, you can reference them by ID instead of rewriting the KSQL:
{
"ksql": {
"with": [
{
"alias": "customer_base",
"saved_query_id": 31
}
],
"table_name": "customer_base",
"columns": ["name", "email", "total_purchases"],
"order_by": [{"column": "total_purchases", "direction": "desc"}],
"limit": 50
}
}
Multiple CTEs
You can define multiple CTEs and combine them in the main query with JOINs:
{
"ksql": {
"with": [
{
"alias": "product_revenue",
"ksql": {
"table_name": "sales",
"columns": ["product_id", "revenue"],
"column_aggregations": ["none", "sum"],
"dimensions": ["product_id"]
}
},
{
"alias": "product_cost",
"ksql": {
"table_name": "costs",
"columns": ["product_id", "total_cost"],
"column_aggregations": ["none", "sum"],
"dimensions": ["product_id"]
}
}
],
"table_name": "product_revenue",
"columns": ["product_revenue.product_id", "product_revenue.revenue", "product_cost.total_cost"],
"joins": [
{
"tableName": "product_cost",
"joinType": "LEFT",
"conditions": [
{"leftColumn": "product_revenue.product_id", "rightColumn": "product_cost.product_id"}
]
}
]
}
}
Nested CTEs
A CTE can contain its own inner CTEs, allowing subquery chaining in layers (a CTE can reference another previously declared CTE, but not itself — recursion is not supported):
{
"ksql": {
"with": [
{
"alias": "summary",
"ksql": {
"with": [
{
"alias": "monthly_sales",
"ksql": {
"table_name": "sales",
"columns": ["category", "revenue"],
"column_aggregations": ["none", "sum"],
"dimensions": ["category"],
"where_conditions": [
{"column": "sale_date", "operator": "LAST_MONTH"}
]
}
}
],
"table_name": "monthly_sales",
"columns": ["category", "revenue"],
"where_conditions": [
{"column": "revenue", "operator": ">", "value": 1000}
]
}
}
],
"table_name": "summary",
"columns": ["category", "revenue"],
"order_by": [{"column": "revenue", "direction": "desc"}]
}
}
⚠️ All CTEs run in the same database as the main query. The same security rules and validation apply to each CTE individually.
Limits and restrictions
| Restriction | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum records per query | 1,000 |
| Filter conditions | AND only |
| Subqueries | Supported via CTEs (with parameter) |
| DISTINCT | Not supported (use count_distinct) |
| Simple UNION | Not supported (UNION ALL only) |
Complete examples
Sales by region in the last month
{
"ksql": {
"table_name": "sales",
"columns": ["region", "revenue", "orders"],
"column_aggregations": ["none", "sum", "count"],
"dimensions": ["region"],
"where_conditions": [
{"column": "sale_date", "operator": "LAST_MONTH"}
],
"order_by": [{"column": "revenue", "direction": "desc"}]
}
}
Top 10 customers by purchase value
{
"ksql": {
"table_name": "orders",
"columns": ["orders.customer_id", "customers.name", "orders.amount"],
"column_aggregations": ["none", "none", "sum"],
"dimensions": ["orders.customer_id", "customers.name"],
"joins": [
{
"tableName": "customers",
"joinType": "LEFT",
"conditions": [
{"leftColumn": "orders.customer_id", "rightColumn": "customers.id"}
]
}
],
"order_by": [{"column": "amount", "direction": "desc"}],
"limit": 10
}
}
Filter with multiple conditions
{
"ksql": {
"table_name": "leads",
"columns": ["name", "email", "source", "score"],
"where_conditions": [
{"column": "score", "operator": ">=", "value": 80},
{"column": "source", "operator": "IN", "value": ["google", "facebook"]},
{"column": "email", "operator": "IS NOT NULL"},
{"column": "created_at", "operator": "LAST_N_DAYS", "value": 90}
],
"order_by": [{"column": "score", "direction": "desc"}],
"limit": 1000
}
}
– KSQL queries are in beta mode
Write a KSQL query in Via Kondado
Build a JSON-based KSQL query to filter, aggregate, join, and transform data using Kondado's query language.
Define the base table and columns
Start your KSQL object with table_name and columns to specify which data to pull. For example, query the sales table with columns ["product", "amount", "date"].
Add filters with where_conditions
Use where_conditions to filter rows. Combine multiple conditions with AND, such as {"column": "status", "operator": "=", "value": "active"} or use relative date operators like LAST_N_DAYS.
Aggregate with dimensions and column_aggregations
To summarize data, set dimensions for GROUP BY columns and column_aggregations like "sum", "count", or "avg". Match each aggregation to its column position.
Join related tables
Use joins to combine tables with INNER, LEFT, RIGHT, FULL, or CROSS joins. Prefix columns with the table name, e.g., orders.id and customers.name.
Apply transformations and calculated columns
Enhance results with customColumns for expressions like revenue - cost, or column_transformations to uppercase text, round numbers, or format dates.
Organize complex logic with CTEs
For reusable subqueries, define with CTEs using alias and either inline ksql or a saved_query_id. Reference the CTE as a table in your main query. Learn more about data transformation capabilities.
Frequently asked questions
ksql key.LAST_N_DAYS, THIS_MONTH, LAST_QUARTER, or NEXT_N_DAYS in where_conditions. For example: {"column": "created_at", "operator": "LAST_N_DAYS", "value": 7}.value, use value_column to compare one column against another, such as {"column": "revenue", "operator": ">", "value_column": "cost"}.sum, avg, count, count_distinct, min, max, stddev, and variance. Use "none" for grouping columns and list them in dimensions.with array with an alias and either an inline ksql query or a saved_query_id. You can nest CTEs, chain them, and reference them in JOINs, but recursion is not supported.UNION ALL but not simple UNION, and does not support DISTINCT (use count_distinct instead). Subqueries are supported via CTEs. For broader pipeline needs, explore data integration options.