Build Your First Query¶

This walkthrough takes you from a database connection to a working, parameterized query. Follow the four steps in order.

What you'll build:

Database connection → View → Query → Result

Before you begin, confirm:

You can sign in with a role that includes Settings Administrator, View Creator, and Query Creator (ask your Security Administrator if unsure - see Account & Security to check your own roles).
The target database is reachable from the EQQ server, and you have an admin account for it (sa for SQL Server, root for MySQL, postgres for PostgreSQL).

Step 1 - Connect your database¶

Navigate: Settings → Database → + New Database.

Fill in:

Field	What to enter
Server Instance	Hostname or instance name - e.g. `.\SQLEXPRESS` or `db01.corp`
Admin User	An account with rights to read the schema - e.g. `sa`
Admin Password	That account's password. Used to load the database list below; not stored beyond this step.
Database	Click the reload icon next to this dropdown once Server Instance and credentials are filled in, then pick your target database from the list it loads.
Is Active	Leave checked

Click + Add Database.

No separate 'test connection' step

Loading the Database dropdown is your connectivity check - if the reload icon successfully lists your databases, the connection works. There's no separate "Test Connection" button.

Database already connected?

Skip to Step 2.

Step 2 - Create a View¶

Navigate: Manage Views → + Create.

A View is EQQ's governed window into your data. Views are built in a 5-step wizard - the same wizard style as the Query editor you'll use in Step 3.

2a - Basic Information¶

Enter a View Name (e.g. Customers), then click Save in this step's own toolbar (not the wizard's top bar - each step saves independently). This unlocks the remaining steps.

2b - Table List¶

Click the C (Controlling Table) icon next to your main table in the Source Tables list. For your first View, one Controlling Table with no joins is enough.

2c - Column List¶

Drag columns from Source Columns into Columns in View. Leave Has Pivot and Has Grouping off for now - they're advanced features covered in the Views and Queries reference.

2d - Condition List (optional)¶

Skip this for your first View - it's for a fixed, always-applied filter.

2e - Test View¶

Click Reload to preview. If it looks right, use the top toolbar: Generate View, then Activate View. A View must be Active before any Query can use it.

Rule of thumb

One View per real-world thing - Customers, Orders, Items. Add joins here, not in the Query.

Step 3 - Build a Query¶

Navigate: Manage Queries → + Create. The editor opens on a 7-step wizard: Basic Information → Column List → Condition List → Parameter List → Sort By List → Epilogue → Test Query.

3a - Basic Information¶

Field	What to enter
View To Use	The View you created in Step 2
Query Name	e.g. `Customer List`
Query Type	Pick any, or leave the default
Query Description	e.g. `Shows all active customers`

Click Save, then Next.

3b - Column List¶

Check the columns to return; drag to reorder. Click Next, then Next again to skip Condition List for your first query.

3c - Parameter List (optional)¶

Parameters let whoever runs the query filter results at execution time. Skip this for your first query and click Next through to Step 7.

3d - Test and activate¶

Click Test Query to preview, then use the top toolbar: Generate Query, then Activate Query. Your query is now live.

Step 4 - Run your query¶

Navigate: Use Queries, find your query, click the green ▶, fill any parameters, click Run.

From the result grid you can sort, filter, and export to Excel, CSV, JSON, or Print.

You're done¶

Database → View → Query → Result

Every query you build follows this same pattern.

What's next?¶

I want to...	Go here
Understand every wizard field in depth (Has Pivot, 2-Level Export, Epilogue, and more)	Reference: Views and Queries
Publish this query as a REST API or a chart	Reference: Visualization & API Delivery
Add reusable calculations (tax, discount, formatting)	Reference: Functions
Add more users or set up MFA	Set Up EQQ
Connect an AI assistant to this data	Connect an AI Assistant