Creating queries

A query is a request for information from your Zendesk data. For example, you might want to ask "How many open support tickets do I have?"

In Explore, users with the Admin or Editor role can create and store multiple queries in the queries library. You can then arrange these queries on dashboards, which you can share with others.

This article contains the following sections:

• Creating a query
• Adding metrics to your query
• Adding attributes to your query
• Saving your query

Related articles

• Using metrics and attributes in queries
• Customizing queries
• Working with queries

Creating a query

In Explore, you can create a query from three different places: the queries library, a dataset, and a dashboard.

Creating a query from the queries library

You can create a new query directly from the queries library. The queries library includes all of your created and cloned reports. You must have added a dataset or duplicated a dashboard to add a query from the queries library (see Working with datasets or Cloning Explore dashboards).

To create a query

1. Click the Queries icon ().
2. Click the New query button.

   

3. Choose the dataset containing the information you want to use in your report.

   For help choosing a dataset, see Working with datasets.

   

4. Click New query.

Query builder opens a new query using the dataset you chose.

Creating a query from a dataset

You can create new, blank queries from a dataset. To add queries from a dataset, you must connect to a Zendesk Support dataset (see Working with datasets or Cloning Explore dashboards).

To create a new query from a dataset

1. Click the Dataset library icon ().
2. Hover over the dataset you want to create a query from.
3. Click the Settings icon to the right of the dataset name.
4. Select New query from this... from the drop-down list.

   

   Query builder opens with a blank query using the dataset you chose.

Creating a query from a dashboard

While you're creating a dashboard, you can start a new query directly from the dashboard builder. For help creating dashboards, see Creating dashboards and Adding queries to dashboards.

To create a query from a dashboard

1. Make sure that the dashboard you have opened is in edit mode. In the dashboard customization menu of the dashboard builder, click Add
2. From the drop-down list, select Add query.

   

3. On the Add query page, click New query.
4. Choose the dataset containing the information you want to use in your report.

   For help choosing a dataset, see Working with datasets.

   

5. Click New query.

If you need help creating a query, follow the articles in the Building queries section.

Adding metrics to your query

Metrics are quantifiable values, such as the number of tickets, replies to tickets, and agent or customer wait times. You must add at least one metric to your query.

To add a metric

1. In the Metrics panel, click Add.
2. From the list, select the metric you want to add. You can expand or collapse the folders to show or hide specific metrics.

   

3. Click Apply. Your metric results automatically appear in your query.

Explore automatically uses the most suitable aggregator for the metric. However, you can change the aggregator by clicking the metric and selecting a new aggregator. See Changing metric aggregators.

You can also select whether the metric results are measured in different sizes or colors, on a separate axis, or as datatips. See Using metrics and attributes in queries.

Adding attributes to your query

Attributes slice your data by non-quantifiable values, such as ticket ID, ticket tags, and assignee names. They can also be used to select or exclude results from your chart. You can add one or multiple attributes to a query, or none at all.

Attributes can be added in the Columns, Rows, Explosions, and Filters panels. Where you add an attribute changes the way your query works:

• Columns renders your results in one chart. See Adding attributes to columns.

• Rows renders your results into individual charts or tables for each of your attribute values by using a row selector. See Adding attributes to rows.

• Explosions renders your results into multiple charts, each representing a different value for the added attributes. Charts are shown side-by-side in one query. See Adding attributes to explosions.

• Filters restricts which results are shown without the attribute appearing on your query. See Adding attributes as filters.

To add an attribute

1. In the Columns, Rows, Explosions, or Filters panel, click Add.
2. From the list, select the attribute you want to add. You can expand or collapse the folders to show or hide specific attributes.

   

3. Click Apply. Your attribute results automatically appear in your query.

Saving your query

When you finish building your query, make sure to save it. Queries don't save automatically. If you navigate away from your query without saving, all changes will be lost.

To save a query

1. In the query builder, make sure you've given your query a descriptive name. If you don't, Explore automatically names your query according to the metrics and attributes you've added.
2. Click Save in the top-right corner.

   

Note: You can also click the drop-down arrow next to Save and choose Save as new to save a new copy of the query. This is helpful if you want to make modifications to an existing query without overwriting the original.