OpenSearch/docs/reference/sql/limitations.asciidoc

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[role="xpack"]
[testenv="basic"]
[[sql-limitations]]
== SQL Limitations
beta[]
[float]
=== Nested fields in `SYS COLUMNS` and `DESCRIBE TABLE`
{es} has a special type of relationship fields called `nested` fields. In {es-sql} they can be used by referencing their inner
sub-fields. Even though `SYS COLUMNS` and `DESCRIBE TABLE` will still display them as having the type `NESTED`, they cannot
be used in a query. One can only reference its sub-fields in the form:
[source, sql]
--------------------------------------------------
[nested_field_name].[sub_field_name]
--------------------------------------------------
For example:
[source, sql]
--------------------------------------------------
SELECT dep.dep_name.keyword FROM test_emp GROUP BY languages;
--------------------------------------------------
[float]
=== Multi-nested fields
{es-sql} doesn't support multi-nested documents, so a query cannot reference more than one nested field in an index.
This applies to multi-level nested fields, but also multiple nested fields defined on the same level. For example, for this index:
[source, sql]
----------------------------------------------------
column | type | mapping
----------------------+---------------+-------------
nested_A |STRUCT |NESTED
nested_A.nested_X |STRUCT |NESTED
nested_A.nested_X.text|VARCHAR |KEYWORD
nested_A.text |VARCHAR |KEYWORD
nested_B |STRUCT |NESTED
nested_B.text |VARCHAR |KEYWORD
----------------------------------------------------
`nested_A` and `nested_B` cannot be used at the same time, nor `nested_A`/`nested_B` and `nested_A.nested_X` combination.
For such situations, {es-sql} will display an error message.
[float]
=== Paginating nested inner hits
When SELECTing a nested field, pagination will not work as expected, {es-sql} will return __at least__ the page size records.
This is because of the way nested queries work in {es}: the root nested field will be returned and it's matching inner nested fields as well,
pagination taking place on the **root nested document and not on its inner hits**.
[float]
=== Normalized `keyword` fields
`keyword` fields in {es} can be normalized by defining a `normalizer`. Such fields are not supported in {es-sql}.
[float]
=== Array type of fields
Array fields are not supported due to the "invisible" way in which {es} handles an array of values: the mapping doesn't indicate whether
a field is an array (has multiple values) or not, so without reading all the data, {es-sql} cannot know whether a field is a single or multi value.
[float]
=== Sorting by aggregation
When doing aggregations (`GROUP BY`) {es-sql} relies on {es}'s `composite` aggregation for its support for paginating results.
But this type of aggregation does come with a limitation: sorting can only be applied on the key used for the aggregation's buckets. This
means that queries like `SELECT * FROM test GROUP BY age ORDER BY COUNT(*)` are not possible.
[float]
=== Using a sub-select
Using sub-selects (`SELECT X FROM (SELECT Y)`) is **supported to a small degree**: any sub-select that can be "flattened" into a single
`SELECT` is possible with {es-sql}. For example:
["source","sql",subs="attributes,macros"]
--------------------------------------------------
include-tagged::{sql-specs}/docs.csv-spec[limitationSubSelect]
--------------------------------------------------
The query above is possible because it is equivalent with:
["source","sql",subs="attributes,macros"]
--------------------------------------------------
include-tagged::{sql-specs}/docs.csv-spec[limitationSubSelectRewritten]
--------------------------------------------------
But, if the sub-select would include a `GROUP BY` or `HAVING` or the enclosing `SELECT` would be more complex than `SELECT X
FROM (SELECT ...) WHERE [simple_condition]`, this is currently **un-supported**.