Query data with Lens

You can write Lens queries in Query Builder, Notebooks, and custom dashboards. This page explains how to query data in each platform.

Prerequisites

Before you start:

• Verify you have the necessary permissions to query data sources.
• If you need to query external data sources, ensure the connectors are set up.

Query in the query builder

1. Go to one.newrelic.com.
2. From the drawer at the bottom of the page, open the Query your data console.
3. In the query editor, select Lens data (SQL) as the query language.
4. If you want to query NRDB data, select the account from the account selector. Other data connectors are available at the organization level and don't require account selection.
5. Write your SQL query using the table reference format: connection_name.schema.table
6. Click Run. The chart renders based on your query results.

Save query in Notebooks

Notebooks are shareable documents that combine queries, visualizations, and markdown documentation.

1. Go to one.newrelic.com.
2. From the drawer at the bottom of the page, open the Query your data console.
3. Enable the toggle beside Notebooks. At the bottom of the page, the + SQL button appears.
4. Click + SQL to add a SQL block.
5. If you want to query NRDB data, select the account from the account selector. Other data connectors are available at the organization level and don't require account selection.
6. Write your SQL query using the table reference format: connection_name.schema.table
7. Click Run. The chart renders based on your query results.
8. Click Save.

For further guidance, refer to the Notebooks documentation.

Query in custom dashboards

You can add SQL-based charts to your custom dashboards:

1. Go to one.newrelic.com > Dashboards.
2. Create a new dashboard or open an existing one.
3. Click + Add widget and select a chart type.
4. In the query editor, select Lens data (SQL) as the query language.
5. If you want to query NRDB data, select the account from the account selector. Other data connectors are available at the organization level and don't require account selection.
6. Write your SQL query using the table reference format: connection_name.schema.table
7. Click Run. The chart renders based on your query results.
8. Click Add to dashboard. For further guidance, refer to the custom dashboards documentation.

   Important

   SQL-based charts are only supported in private dashboards. Public dashboards don't support SQL queries.

SQL syntax

Lens uses ANSI SQL to query data sources, so you don't need to learn database-specific query languages.

Table reference format

When writing queries in Lens, reference tables using the format:

connection_name.schema.table

For example:

• telemetry.Transaction - Query the Transaction table from the telemetry (NRDB) connector
• snowflake.sales.orders - Query the orders table from a Snowflake connector named "snowflake" in the "sales" schema
• gsheets.default.employees - Query a Google Sheets connector named "gsheets"

Supported SQL statements

Lens supports standard ANSI SQL statements including:

• SELECT - Query data from one or more tables
• JOIN - Combine data from multiple tables (including cross-database joins)
• WHERE - Filter results
• GROUP BY - Aggregate data
• ORDER BY - Sort results
• LIMIT - Restrict the number of returned rows
• WITH (CTEs) - Define common table expressions for complex queries

Performance tips

• Use filters early: Apply WHERE clauses to reduce the amount of data processed.
• Limit results: Use LIMIT to restrict returned rows when exploring data.
• Consider materialized views: For frequently-run complex queries, create a materialized view.
• Optimize joins: When joining large tables, filter data before the join when possible.

Query syntax differences from NRQL and examples

Lens uses ANSI SQL instead of NRQL. The following examples show key differences and common query patterns.

FROM PageViewTiming
SELECT count(*)
FACET enduser.id

SELECT "enduser.id", count(*)
FROM telemetry.PageViewTiming
GROUP BY "enduser.id"

FROM PageViewTiming
SELECT count(*)
SINCE 1 day ago

SELECT count(*)
FROM telemetry.PageViewTiming
WHERE timestamp > current_date - INTERVAL '1' DAY

WITH orders AS (
  SELECT
    to_unixtime(date(date_parse(order_date, '%Y-%m-%d'))) as dt,
    count(*) as orders
  FROM gsheets.default.orders
  GROUP BY 1
)
SELECT *
FROM orders
WHERE dt >= to_unixtime(date('2025-10-19'))
  AND dt <= to_unixtime(date('2025-10-21'))
ORDER BY dt ASC

WITH sf AS (
  SELECT DISTINCT user_id, assigned_success_manager
  FROM demogorgon.default.relibank_opportunity_matrix
)
SELECT
  sf.assigned_success_manager,
  MAX(nrdb.largestContentfulPaint)
FROM telemetry.PageViewTiming nrdb
LEFT JOIN sf ON nrdb."enduser.id" = sf.user_id
WHERE timingName = 'largestContentfulPaint'
  AND nrdb.timestamp > current_date - INTERVAL '1' DAY
GROUP BY sf.assigned_success_manager

SELECT *
FROM mv.weekly_performance_summary
WHERE week_number = 42

SELECT
  mv.store_id,
  mv.total_sales,
  s.store_name,
  s.region
FROM mv.store_sales_mv mv
JOIN snowflake.retail.stores s ON mv.store_id = s.store_id
WHERE mv.total_sales > 10000

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