Sort and limit data with Flux

Use sort() to order records within each table by specific columns and limit() to limit the number of records in output tables to a fixed number, n.

If you’re just getting started with Flux queries, check out the following:

• Get started with Flux for a conceptual overview of Flux and parts of a Flux query.
• Execute queries to discover a variety of ways to run your queries.

Example sorting system uptime

The following example orders system uptime first by region, then host, then value.

from(bucket: "example-bucket")
    |> range(start: -12h)
    |> filter(fn: (r) => r._measurement == "system" and r._field == "uptime")
    |> sort(columns: ["region", "host", "_value"])

The limit() function limits the number of records in output tables to a fixed number, n. The following example shows up to 10 records from the past hour.

from(bucket:"example-bucket")
    |> range(start:-1h)
    |> limit(n:10)

You can use sort() and limit() together to show the top N records. The example below returns the 10 top system uptime values sorted first by region, then host, then value.

from(bucket: "example-bucket")
    |> range(start: -12h)
    |> filter(fn: (r) => r._measurement == "system" and r._field == "uptime")
    |> sort(columns: ["region", "host", "_value"])
    |> limit(n: 10)

You now have created a Flux query that sorts and limits data. Flux also provides the top() and bottom() functions to perform both of these functions at the same time.