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updatedAt: 2025-09-22T23:49:20.000Z
agentTools:
projectIndex: https://docs.budibase.com/llms.txt
---
# Query Rows
Pulling rows from a table
The query rows action allows you to pull data from a table, with several filtering and sorting options available.
Query rows action
### Table
The first dropdown requires that you select a table.
If you forget to choose a table, the error output of the automation will inform you.
Make sure to select a table for your Query Rows action!
With a table selected, you can select an optional **Sort Column** and **Sort Order**. If these fields are left blank, then the rows will be returned in no particular order.
You can also choose to add an optional **Limit** to the number of rows returned, otherwise the default maximum limit will be used.
| Internal DB | SQL DB |
| :-------------------------------- | :-------------------------------- |
| Maximum of **1000** rows returned | Maximum of **5000** rows returned |
### Filtering
You may provide filters when querying table rows by clicking the `Define filters` button. Filters can be against static values, or against [Bindings](https://docs.budibase.com/docs/data-in-automations).
Filtering rows (static value and binding examples)
The final setting is labelled **When filter empty**. This determines what data is returned if a Binding value is used in a filter, but is empty.
For example, in the screenshot above we filter on the `{{ trigger.fields.Name }}` binding. If that binding was empty, then you have the choice of returning:
* All table rows
* No table rows
> 🚧 Update/Delete rows
>
> If you are looping over the output of a **Query Rows** action to perform updates or deletes in the next step, it is important that you consider what happens if your binding is blank.
### Using the query rows output
You can access the output of a **Query Rows** action through the Binding: `{{ steps.X.rows }}`, where 'X' is the step number of your action.
For example you would use `{{ steps.1.rows }}` for the following action:
Step 1: Query Rows
This binding is particularly useful in automation [Looping](https://docs.budibase.com/docs/looping), where you want to perform an action for each row retrieved.