Rollbar Query Language (RQL) provides a rich SQL-like interface to the data in Rollbar. RQL is bundled with Rollbar Analyze, which also includes the Metrics API and is only available to our Advanced and Enterprise packages.

RQL supports running SELECT queries on two logical tables, item_occurrence and deploy. Basic GROUP BY, ORDER BY, LIMIT, and aggregation functions are available, as are arbitrary expressions in the WHERE clause.

Syntax

SELECT and FROM are required. WHERE, GROUP BY, ORDER BY, and LIMIT are optional.

SELECT * may be used as long as there is no GROUP BY clause. It will return a list of columns similar to the Occurrences tab on the Item Detail pages.

You can reference a selected column using its index, e.g. GROUP BY 1.

SQL keywords and built-in function names are case-insensitive (i.e. SELECT and select are both fine).

Column names should start with a lowercase letter and may contain letters, numbers, and periods (for specifying a JSON path). If you need any other characters (i.e. a hyphen, or to start with an uppercase letter), escape with backticks (i.e. request.headers.User-Agent).

Operators

  • +, -, /, *, DIV, MOD
  • AND, OR, NOT
  • =, !=,
    <>, >, >=, <, <=, IN, NOT IN, BETWEEN,
    NOT BETWEEN, LIKE, NOT LIKE, IS, IS NOT

Built-in Functions

  • count(*): counts all rows
  • count(foo): counts rows where foo is not NULL
  • count_distinct(foo): counts distinct rows where foo is not NULL
  • sum(foo): sums the value of foo (for rows where foo is not NULL)
  • avg(foo): average value of foo (for rows where foo is not NULL)
  • min(foo): minimum value of foo
  • max(foo): maximum value of foo
  • unix_timestamp(): returns the current Unix timestamp, as an integer
  • concat(str1, str2, ...): returns the string resulting from concatenating all arguments
  • concat_ws(sep, str1, str2, ...): returns the string resulting from concatenating the second argument and beyond, separated by the first argument
  • lower(str): converts str to lowercase
  • upper(str): converts str to uppercase
  • left(str, len): returns the len leftmost characters of str
  • right(str, len): returns the len rightmost characters of str
  • substring(str, pos): returns the substring from str starting at pos (all characters from pos until the end)
  • substring(str, pos, len): returns a substring from str starting at pos, at most len characters
  • locate(substr, str): returns the position of the first occurrence of substr in str. (1-indexed)
  • locate(substr, str, pos): returns the position of the first occurrence of substr in str, starting the search at position pos
  • char_length(str): returns the length of str in characters
  • length(str): returns the length of str in bytes
  • if(boolean_expr, value_if_true, value_if_false): evaluates to value_if_true if the expression boolean_expr evalutes to true, value_if_false otherwise

Performance considerations

RQL queries data from multiple databases and assembles the result set at the end. To optimize performance we moved the most frequently queried columns to a faster database. You can expect faster results in case your query uses the following columns only.

For further performance improvement, we suggest querying the necessary columns only and applying item (e.g., WHERE item.counter = 123) or timestamp (e.g., WHERE timestamp > unix_timestamp() - 86400) filters in each query.

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Although RQL supports all operations and functions listed above, you might experience slowness when using the GROUP BY statement.

Optimized Column Name
body.message.body
browser
client.javascript.browser
client.javascript.code_version
client.javascript.guess_uncaught_frames
client.javascript.source_map_enabled
code_version
context
item.counter
item.environment
item.framework
item.hash
item.id
item.level
item.platform
item.status
item.title
language
notifier.name
notifier.version
occurrence_id
os
person
person.email
person.id
person.username
project_id
project_slug
request.body
request.headers.*
request.method
request.query_string
request.url
request.user_ip
server.branch
server.cpu
server.host
server.pid
server.root
timestamp
uuid

Templates and Examples

To get great examples of RQL queries, we have included a tabbed section called Template. These are our top 3 queries for finding occurrence trends, filtering items, and the impact of errors. By clicking on the template, we will automatically fill in your RQL code editor and allow you to change factors like time stamps or item counters to personalize your query to your needs.

If you need more examples of RQL, here are eight more advanced samples to help you learn RQL.

To find all occurrences of item #47, grouped by request.user_ip with the total count, earliest timestamp, and most recent timestamp, ordered by total count descending and limited to the top 10 rows:

SELECT request.user_ip, min(timestamp), max(timestamp), count(*)
FROM item_occurrence
WHERE item.counter = 47
GROUP BY request.user_ip
ORDER BY count(*) DESC
LIMIT 10

To see the timestamp and message for all occurrences for Items #40 to #50:

SELECT timestamp, body.message.body
FROM item_occurrence
WHERE item.counter BETWEEN 40 AND 50

To see the occurrences of Items #1, 2, and 3:

SELECT *
FROM item_occurrence
WHERE item.counter IN (1,2,3)

To find items that affected the most IPs in the last 3 days, grouped by the item number and ordered by the distinct count of the number of user_ips descending:

SELECT item.counter
FROM item_occurrence
WHERE timestamp > unix_timestamp() - 60 * 60 * 24 * 3
GROUP BY item.counter
ORDER BY count_distinct(request.user_ip) desc

To see all the items with the User-Agent string python-requests/2.9.1 in a date range, ordered by timestamps descending:

SELECT * 
FROM item_occurrence 
WHERE `request.headers.User-Agent` = "python-requests/2.9.1"  
AND timestamp BETWEEN 1507566716 and 1510245116 
ORDER BY timestamp desc

To grab all the referrer domains Item #1234 came from, grouped by the domain and limited to the top 1000 rows:

SELECT substring(request.headers.Referer, locate('.', request.headers.Referer), locate('.', request.headers.Referer, locate('.', request.headers.Referer)) - locate('.', request.headers.Referer) - 1)
FROM item_occurrence
WHERE item.counter = 1234
GROUP BY 1
LIMIT 1000

To find all the occurrences of items that occurred on Safari version 9.x on the last day:

SELECT *
FROM item_occurrence
WHERE client.javascript.browser LIKE '%Version/9.%.% Safari/%'
AND timestamp > unix_timestamp() - 60 * 60 * 24

To grab the occurrence counts per item per day for the last three days:

SELECT timestamp div 86400, item.counter, count(*)
FROM item_occurrence
WHERE timestamp > unix_timestamp() - 60 * 60 * 24 * 3
GROUP BY 1, item.counter

Good to know

  • RQL sometimes timeout unless you put a date range, such as WHERE timestamp > unix_timestamp() - 86400.
  • When using GROUP BY or ORDER BY, ensure the group/order clause is also present in the SELECT clause.
  • You cannot GROUP BY a function unless the same expression is in the SELECT clause.
  • You can reference a column by its index in a GROUP BY statement, for example GROUP BY 1.
  • You can share the URL with a co-worker and they'll see the same results you do, without rerunning the query.
  • After a query has been completed, press Execute again to re-run it.

Limitations

  • At most 1000 rows will be returned per query (though any number of rows may be examined)
  • DISTINCT, HAVING, subqueries, joins, or unions are unsupported
  • ANY, ALL, and EXISTS clauses are unsupported
  • SELECT * cannot be combined with GROUP BY
  • You cannot GROUP BY a function unless the same expression is in the SELECT clause.
  • You cannot run more than 2 RQL queries in parallel per account
  • Querying more than 200K occurrences typically does not work. It may be useful to narrow your query by timestamp or item.counter to stay under the 200K threshold. For example:
  • Filter by day: WHERE unix_timestamp() - timestamp BETWEEN 60 * 60 * 24 * 0 and 60 * 60 * 24 * 1
  • Filter by hour: WHERE unix_timestamp() - timestamp BETWEEN 60 * 60 * 0 and 60 * 60 * 1
  • Filter by item.counter: WHERE item.counter = 800

Schema

item_occurrence

item_occurrence is a table where each row contains data for a single occurrence and the item it is associated with. Column names starting with "item." reference the item, and all other column names reference the occurrence. Column names that do not exist in a particular occurrence evaluate to NULL.

The following columns exist for every row in item_occurrence:

NameDescription
item.idSystem-wide Item ID
item.counterProject-wide Item ID
item.environmentEnvironment name
item.platformPlatform ID
item.frameworkFramework ID
item.hashComputed fingerprint of the item (controls grouping)
item.first_occurrence_idID of the first occurrence
item.first_occurrence_timestampTimestamp of the first occurrence
item.activating_occurrence_idID of the first occurrence since the item was last resolved
item.last_activated_timestampTimestamp the item was last activated
item.last_resolved_timestampTimestamp the item was last resolved
item.last_muted_timestampTimestamp the item was last muted
item.last_occurrence_idID of the most recent occurrence
item.last_occurrence_timestampTimestamp of the most recent occurrence
item.last_modified_byID of the user who last modified this item
item.assigned_user_idID of the user who this item is assigned to
item.levelItem level (50=critical, 40=error, 30=warning, 20=info, 10=debug)
item.resolved_in_versionThe revision of the item was last marked as resolved
item.statusStatus (as an integer: 1=active, 2=resolved, 3=muted)
item.titleComputed title
item.total_occurrencesThe number of occurrences since the last time this item was resolved
occurrence_idSystem-wide Occurrence ID
project_slugThe project's slug
timestampTimestamp of the occurrence, as a Unix timestamp

Many virtual columns will also exist, depending on which Rollbar SDK you use and what custom data you send. Simply use the JSON path to the field you want to query. To see the JSON structure of one of your occurrences, click the "Raw JSON" button on an Occurrence page. The structure will follow the Rollbar API Item Schema.

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When querying a virtual column, make sure to wrap it in backticks, e.g.

`request.headers.User-Agent`="python-requests/2.9.1"  

Here are some common column names, all of which refer to data for the occurrence:

NameDescription
body.crash_report.rawThe raw crash report (if the occurrence is a crash report)
body.message.bodyThe primary message text (if the occurrence is a message)
body.message.fooAny arbitrary keys of metadata you sent (if the occurrence is a message)
body.trace.exception.classThe exception class name (if the occurrence is a single exception)
body.trace.exception.messageThe exception message (if the occurrence is a single exception)
body.trace_chain.0.exception.classThe first exception class (if the occurrence is a list of nested exceptions)
body.trace_chain.0.exception.messageThe first exception message (if the occurrence is a list of nested exceptions)
client.javascript.browserRaw user agent string (from rollbar.js)
client.javascript.code_versionThe running code version in JavaScript
client.javascript.source_map_enabledWhether or not source map deobfuscation is enabled
client.javascript.guess_uncaught_framesWhether or not frame guessing is enabled
client.runtime_msHow long the page was open before the event occurred (rollbar.js)
code_versionThe version of the application code
contextAn identifier for which part of your application the error came from
custom.fooArbitrary metadata you sent
custom.foo.barNested arbitrary metadata you sent
languageThe name of the reported language for the event
notifier.nameName of the library that sent the item
notifier.versionThe version string of the library that sent the item
person.idA string identifying the user in your system
person.usernameA username string
person.emailAn email string
request.urlFull URL where the error occurred
request.methodThe request method
request.headersObject containing the request headers
request.paramsAny routing parameters
request.GETQuery string parameters
request.query_stringThe raw query string
request.POSTPOST parameters
request.bodyThe raw POST body
request.user_ipThe end user's IP address as a string
server.hostThe server hostname
server.rootPath to the application code root
server.branchName of the checked-out source control branch
server.code_versionString describing the running code version on the server
uuidA string that uniquely identifies the occurrence. See UUIDs

deploy

deploy is a table where each row represents a single deploy. It contains the following columns:

NameDescription
idSystem-wide ID
user_idRollbar user_id of the rollbar_username recorded for the deploy
environmentName of the deployed environment
revisionRevision (e.g., git SHA hash or version number) deployed
local_usernameLocal username recorded for the deploy
commentThe deploy comment
timestampTimestamp when the deployment was recorded
project_slugThe project's slug

Constants

Framework IDs

The item.framework property is an integer value that maps as follows:

    'unknown': 0,
    'rails': 1,
    'django': 2,
    'pyramid': 3,
    'node-js': 4,
    'pylons': 5,
    'php': 6,
    'browser-js': 7,
    'rollbar-system': 8,  # system messages, like "over rate limit"
    'android': 9,
    'ios': 10,
    'mailgun': 11,
    'logentries': 12,
    'python': 13,
    'ruby': 14,
    'sidekiq': 15,
    'flask': 16,
    'celery': 17,
    'rq': 18,
    'java': 19,
    'dotnet': 20,
    'go': 21,
    'react-native': 22,
    'macos': 23,
    'apex': 24,
    'spring': 25,
    'bottle': 26,
    'twisted': 27,
    'asgi': 28,
    'starlette': 29,
    'fastapi': 30,
    'karafka': 31,
    'flutter': 32,

Platform IDs

The item.platform property is an integer value which maps as follows:

    'unknown': 0,
    'browser': 1,
    'flash': 2,
    'android': 3,
    'ios': 4,
    'heroku': 5,
    'google-app-engine': 6,
    'client': 7,

Handling RQL Jobs

When users submit a query, we initiate a specialized job to handle it. This approach is particularly beneficial for queries that might take longer to process. By creating a job, users can navigate away and return later to retrieve the results without being bound to await the query's completion in real-time or share the URL with a team member so they can view the query results without having to re-run the query.

These RQL jobs can be identified and tracked through specific URL query parameters: prj represents the project ID, and jobId is used for the unique RQL job ID. These parameters ensure that users can quickly locate and manage their queries.

In addition, RQL jobs are also available via a dedicated endpoint in the Rollbar API. This feature provides an additional layer of convenience for working programmatically.

It's essential to note that these jobs, queries, and results are stored for seven days. After this duration, the query and its corresponding results are purged from the system. However, a job record remains, marked with a status of Deleted, serving as a historical trail for auditing or review purposes.

AI Assistant

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This is an experimental feature

Data Access Agreement

Since our AI assistant uses OpenAI's services, an account owner must accept our 3rd party data agreement in the account settings. This agreement states that you understand anything you put into the prompt will be sent to OpenAI's API. For accounts still needing approval, there are prompts on the AI Assistant for both team members and owners.

Rollbar will not send PII, project names, or item information to OpenAI.

Using the AI Assistant.

Using the AI Assistant is easy. Input your natural question into the input box and click the "Generate RQL" button. The AI Assistant will return your query to the RQL query code editor. This gives you the ability to edit your query to fit your needs. When you are ready to submit your query, please select your project and click the "Run RQL" button under the code editors.

Limits

During our experimental phase of the AI Assistant, we will be limiting accounts to 50 AI prompts per calendar month. AI Assistant is only available to Advanced accounts. For Enterprise accounts, please contact your Account Manager for access at no additional cost to your contract.