Use queries to find a group of records
A query represents a dynamic filter. It helps you search for and filter a group of records that matches specific criteria at a particular time.
For example, you can perform a general search for a group of students with the same year of graduation, or a more specific search for students in the same graduating class in a particular homeroom.
You can also save queries you use often. Or, you can copy queries to
use as a shell to create a new query for yourself, or share queries with
other users, your school, or your
| Note: Often districts use the word report to mean both query and report. In Aspen, report and query are two separate things. Queries find the data, and reports format it. For example, create a query to find a particular group of students and then a report to share the resulting list. |
There are three modes of queries:
- Simple mode: These queries search for records based on the system’s lists of tables, fields, and operators.
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For example, create a Simple query to search for all students graduating in 2026 who are in homeroom 100. After you save this query and run it again, it will always return a list of students graduating in 2026 who are in homeroom 100. Saved Simple queries always search for records based on the same criteria.
See Create Simple mode queries.
- Advanced mode: These queries also search for records based on the system’s lists of tables, fields, and operators, but have added functionality. When you use a saved Advanced query, you have the option of changing the search criteria before it completes the search.
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For example, create an Advanced query to search for all students graduating in 2026 who are in homeroom 100. After you save this query and run it again, you can change some or all of the search criteria. You can search for students graduating in 2026 who are in homeroom 150. Saved Advanced queries can be changed to search for records based on different criteria than the criteria they were originally created for.
- Direct SQL mode: These powerful queries search for records based on your own self-defined criteria, not the system’s tables, fields, and operators. You use SQL syntax to define the criteria; therefore, you are not limited by interface restrictions.
For example, create a Direct SQL query to search for all students who have more than one absence this year.
See Create Direct SQL queries for details.
In Simple and Advanced modes, you can also create parenthesized queries to manage and group complex search conditions. Parentheses allow you to group criteria, resulting in a more powerful search tool.
With a parenthesized query, a single search produces results that would require multiple queries using the basic method. For example, you can search for records that meet the following conditions:
- all females who are in homeroom 287; or
- all females who are in homeroom 360; and
- whose graduation year is 2025; or
- whose graduation year is 2026.
See Create parenthesized queries for details.
