dataql-quick

name	dataql-quick
description	Quick data queries and previews. Use when user wants to see contents of a data file, check schema, or do simple filtering on CSV, JSON, or other data files.
tools	["Bash"]

DataQL Quick Query

For fast data inspection and simple queries using DataQL.

Quick Commands

Task	Command
Preview file	dataql run -f <file> -q "SELECT * FROM <table> LIMIT 5"
Count rows	dataql run -f <file> -q "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM <table>"
Check schema	dataql run -f <file> -q ".schema <table>"
List tables	dataql run -f <file> -q ".tables"
Distinct values	dataql run -f <file> -q "SELECT DISTINCT <column> FROM <table>"
Filter rows	dataql run -f <file> -q "SELECT * FROM <table> WHERE <condition> LIMIT 10"

File Naming Convention

• Table name = filename without extension
• users.csv -> table name is users
• orders.json -> table name is orders
• data.parquet -> table name is data

Examples

Preview a CSV file

dataql run -f users.csv -q "SELECT * FROM users LIMIT 5"

Count records

dataql run -f orders.json -q "SELECT COUNT(*) as total FROM orders"

Check structure

dataql run -f data.parquet -q ".schema data"

Simple filter

dataql run -f products.csv -q "SELECT name, price FROM products WHERE price > 100 LIMIT 10"

Read from stdin

cat data.csv | dataql run -f - -q "SELECT * FROM stdin_data LIMIT 5"

Note: When reading from stdin, the default table name is stdin_data.

Supported Formats

• CSV (with custom delimiter: -d ";")
• JSON (arrays or objects)
• JSONL/NDJSON
• XML
• YAML
• Parquet
• Excel (.xlsx, .xls)
• Avro
• ORC

Output Options

• Default: formatted table
• JSON output: pipe to jq or use export
• CSV export: -e output.csv -t csv
• JSONL export: -e output.jsonl -t jsonl

Exploratory Statistics

# Get comprehensive statistics for a file
dataql describe -f data.csv

# Describe specific table after loading
dataql run -f data.csv -q ".describe data"

Quick Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
"column not found"	Check column names with .schema (case sensitive)
"table not found"	Table name = filename without extension
Too much output	Add LIMIT 10 or LIMIT 5 to query
File too large	Use --cache flag to cache imported data
Wrong delimiter	Use -d ";" for semicolon-separated files

Notes

• Always use LIMIT for large files to avoid overwhelming output
• Use .schema first to understand column names and types
• For stdin input with non-CSV format: -i json or -i jsonl
• Use --cache for repeated queries on the same file
• Use -Q (quiet) to suppress progress bar in scripts