EXPLAIN

Commands › Looking around · Any caller; rows they are not granted never appear

Returns the plan for a SELECT: which parts the engine sends to the data store as one SQL query, and which parts it computes in memory. The query does not run.

Syntax

EXPLAIN [ ANALYZE ] <select>

Parameters

Parameter	Description
<select>	A SELECT, a WITH ... SELECT, or a set operation.
ANALYZE	Accepted. It returns the same plan as EXPLAIN: the query is not run and no row counts or timings are added.

Usage notes

• The result is one row with one column, plan: a JSON tree of operators. A part sent to the data store is an op of pushed_query with the sql it runs and the tables it reads. A stays_in_go list, when present, says why a part is computed in memory instead.
• The plan is built under the caller's column policy, so it never names a column the caller may not read. Names resolve as they do for SELECT: a name the caller cannot read is not found.
• Use it to check that a filter or aggregate reaches the data store before running a query over a large table.

Examples

EXPLAIN
SELECT o.status, COUNT(*) AS orders
FROM Order o
WHERE o.placed_at >= DATE '2026-01-01'
GROUP BY o.status

plan
{"op":"pushed_query","tables":["data.orders"],"sql":"SELECT ... GROUP BY ...","out_schema":[...]}

EXPLAIN ANALYZE
SELECT c.key, COUNT(*) AS orders
FROM Customer c
JOIN placed r ON r.from_key = c.key
GROUP BY c.key

Not supported

Refused	Write instead
EXPLAIN of anything but a query	EXPLAIN a SELECT

-- Refused by the engine
EXPLAIN CREATE VIEW open_orders AS SELECT o.key FROM Order o

See also

SELECT · WITH · UNION, INTERSECT, EXCEPT · Subqueries