Find rows (Go)

Finds rows in a table using filter and sort clauses, including vector search.

For general information about working with tables and rows, see About tables with the Data API (Go).

Ready to write code? See the examples for this method to get started. If you are new to the Data API, check out the quickstart.

Result

Returns a cursor (*cursors.TableFindCursor) for iterating over rows that match the specified filter and sort clauses.

The columns included in the returned rows depend on the subset of columns that were requested in the projection.

If requested and applicable, each row will also include a $similarity key with a numeric similarity score that represents the closeness of the sort vector and the row’s vector.

You must iterate over the cursor to fetch matching rows. For details about iteration, see Iterate over found rows.

Parameters

Use the Find method, which belongs to the Table type.

Method signature 
func (t *Table) Find(
  f TableFilter,
  opts ...options.TableFindOption
) *cursors.TableFindCursor
Name Type Summary

f

TableFilter

Optional. An object that defines filter criteria using the Data API filter syntax. The method only finds rows that match the filter criteria. Filters can improve performance by reducing the number of rows that the Data API processes.

For a list of available filter operators and more examples, see Filter operators for tables (Go).

To perform a vector search, use sort instead of filter.

To avoid fetching unnecessary rows, which can contain tombstones, DataStax recommends that you use a filter that limits the number of rows scanned. For example, filter on partition key columns or indexed columns.

Default: No filter

For an example, see Use filters to find rows.

opts

…​options.TableFindOption

Optional. A builder to generate options for this operation. See Methods of the TableFindOption builder for more details.
Methods of the TableFindOption builder
Method Summary

SetProjection(v map[string]any)

Optional. Controls which columns are included or excluded in the returned rows.

For more information, see Projections for tables (Go).

DataStax recommends a projection to avoid unnecessarily returning large columns, such as vector columns with highly dimensional embeddings.

Default: All columns

For examples, see Include only specific columns in the response and Exclude specific columns from the response.

SetSort(v sort.Sortable)

Optional. Sorts rows by one or more columns, or performs a vector search.

For more information, see Sort clauses for tables (Go).

For examples, see Use sorting to find rows and Use vector search with a search vector to find rows.

SetLimit(v int)

Optional. Limit the total number of rows returned. Once limit is reached, or the cursor is exhausted due to lack of matching rows, nothing more is returned.

For vector search, a lower limit reduces the accuracy of the search and the time required for the search.

SetSkip(v int)

Optional. The number of rows to bypass (skip) before returning rows.

The API excludes the first n rows matching the query, and the results begin at the n+1 row.

This parameter only applies if you also explicitly specify an ascending or descending sort criterion. This parameter is not valid with vector search.

SetIncludeSimilarity(v bool)

Optional. Whether to include a $similarity property in the response. The $similarity value represents the closeness of the sort vector and the row’s vector.

Default: false

For an example, see Include the similarity score with the result.

SetInitialPageState(v string)

Optional. The NextPageState() value from a previous cursor.

Used to manually request the next page of results. This is useful for cases where an external action triggers fetching the next page of results.

For an example, see Iterate over found rows.

UpdateAPIOptions(v …​APIOption)

Optional. General API options for this operation, including the timeout.

Examples

The following examples demonstrate how to find rows in a table.

Use filters to find rows

You can use a filter to find rows that match specific criteria. For example, you can find rows with an is_checked_out value of false and a number_of_pages value less than 300.

For optimal performance, you only filter on indexed columns. The Data API returns a warning if you filter on a non-indexed column.

For a list of available filter operators, see Filter operators for tables (Go).

package main

import (
	"context"
	"fmt"
	"log"

	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/filter"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/options"
)

func main() {
	// Get an existing table
	client := astra.NewClient(
		options.API().SetEnvironment(options.EnvironmentHCD),
	)

	database := client.Database(
		"API_ENDPOINT",
		options.API().
			SetUsernamePasswordTokenProvider(
				"USERNAME",
				"PASSWORD",
			).
			SetKeyspace("KEYSPACE_NAME"),
	)

	table := database.Table("TABLE_NAME")

	ctx := context.Background()

	// Find rows
	cursor := table.Find(
		filter.And(
			filter.Eq("is_checked_out", false),
			filter.Lt("number_of_pages", 300),
		),
	)

	// Iterate over the found rows
	for cursor.Next(ctx) {
		var row astra.Row
		if err := cursor.Decode(&row); err != nil {
			log.Fatal(err)
		}
		fmt.Println(row.ToMap())
	}
}

Use vector search with a search vector to find rows

Perform a vector search by providing a search vector in the sort clause. This returns the row whose vector column value is most similar to the provided search vector.

The vector column must be indexed.

If your table has multiple vector columns, you can only sort on one vector column at a time.

You can use the datatypes.Vector struct to binary-encode your search vector. DataStax recommends that you always use a datatypes.Vector struct instead of a slice of floats to improve performance.

When you read the value of a vector column, the client always returns a datatypes.Vector struct when you decode the results into astra.Row or map[string]any. To decode the vector as a slice of floats, decode into a custom struct that defines the vector column as []float32.

package main

import (
	"context"
	"fmt"
	"log"

	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/filter"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/options"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/sort"
)

func main() {
	// Get an existing table
	client := astra.NewClient(
		options.API().SetEnvironment(options.EnvironmentHCD),
	)

	database := client.Database(
		"API_ENDPOINT",
		options.API().
			SetUsernamePasswordTokenProvider(
				"USERNAME",
				"PASSWORD",
			).
			SetKeyspace("KEYSPACE_NAME"),
	)

	table := database.Table("TABLE_NAME")

	ctx := context.Background()

	// Find rows
	cursor := table.Find(
		filter.F{},
		options.TableFind().
			SetSort(sort.Table.Vector("summary_genres_vector", []float32{0.08, -0.62, 0.39})),
	)

	// Iterate over the found rows
	for cursor.Next(ctx) {
		var row astra.Row
		if err := cursor.Decode(&row); err != nil {
			log.Fatal(err)
		}
		fmt.Println(row.ToMap())
	}
}

Use lexicographical matching to find rows

Lexicographical matching is currently in public preview. Development is ongoing, and the features and functionality are subject to change. Hyper-Converged Database (HCD), and the use of such, is subject to the DataStax Preview Terms.

There are two ways to use lexicographical matching to find rows with the Data API:

  • Sort to find rows with a text or ascii column value that is most relevant to a given string of space-separated keywords or terms.

  • Filter with the $match operator to find rows with a text or ascii column value that is a lexicographical match to the specified string of space-separated keywords or terms

You can use these strategies together or separately.

Lexicographical matching is only available for text or ascii columns that have a text index, not a regular index. For more information, see Create a text index (Go) and Indexes in tables (Go).

package main

import (
	"context"
	"fmt"
	"log"

	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/filter"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/options"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/sort"
)

func main() {
	// Get an existing table
	client := astra.NewClient(
		options.API().SetEnvironment(options.EnvironmentHCD),
	)

	database := client.Database(
		"API_ENDPOINT",
		options.API().
			SetUsernamePasswordTokenProvider(
				"USERNAME",
				"PASSWORD",
			).
			SetKeyspace("KEYSPACE_NAME"),
	)

	table := database.Table("TABLE_NAME")

	ctx := context.Background()

	// Find rows
	cursor := table.Find(
		filter.Table.LexicalMatch(
			"summary",
			"futuristic laboratory discovery",
		),
		options.TableFind().
			SetSort(sort.Table.Lexical("summary", "futuristic laboratory")),
	)

	// Iterate over the found rows
	for cursor.Next(ctx) {
		var row astra.Row
		if err := cursor.Decode(&row); err != nil {
			log.Fatal(err)
		}
		fmt.Println(row.ToMap())
	}
}

Use sorting to find rows

You can use a sort clause to sort rows by one or more columns.

For best performance, only sort on columns that are indexed or that are part of the primary key.

For more information, see Sort clauses for tables (Go).

package main

import (
	"context"
	"fmt"
	"log"

	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/filter"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/options"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/sort"
)

func main() {
	// Get an existing table
	client := astra.NewClient(
		options.API().SetEnvironment(options.EnvironmentHCD),
	)

	database := client.Database(
		"API_ENDPOINT",
		options.API().
			SetUsernamePasswordTokenProvider(
				"USERNAME",
				"PASSWORD",
			).
			SetKeyspace("KEYSPACE_NAME"),
	)

	table := database.Table("TABLE_NAME")

	ctx := context.Background()

	// Find rows
	cursor := table.Find(
		filter.Eq("is_checked_out", false),
		options.TableFind().
			SetSort(sort.Asc("rating").Desc("title")),
	)

	// Iterate over the found rows
	for cursor.Next(ctx) {
		var row astra.Row
		if err := cursor.Decode(&row); err != nil {
			log.Fatal(err)
		}
		fmt.Println(row.ToMap())
	}
}

Use an empty filter to find all rows

To find all rows, use an empty filter.

Avoid this if you have a large number of rows.

package main

import (
	"context"
	"fmt"
	"log"

	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/filter"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/options"
)

func main() {
	// Get an existing table
	client := astra.NewClient(
		options.API().SetEnvironment(options.EnvironmentHCD),
	)

	database := client.Database(
		"API_ENDPOINT",
		options.API().
			SetUsernamePasswordTokenProvider(
				"USERNAME",
				"PASSWORD",
			).
			SetKeyspace("KEYSPACE_NAME"),
	)

	table := database.Table("TABLE_NAME")

	ctx := context.Background()

	// Find rows
	cursor := table.Find(filter.F{})

	// Iterate over the found rows
	for cursor.Next(ctx) {
		var row astra.Row
		if err := cursor.Decode(&row); err != nil {
			log.Fatal(err)
		}
		fmt.Println(row.ToMap())
	}
}

Include the similarity score with the result

If you use a vector search to find rows, you can also include a $similarity property in the result. The $similarity value represents the closeness of the sort vector and the value of the row’s vector column.

This parameter doesn’t work with vectorize; it only works if you provide the search vector for vector search directly.

The client always returns the similarity score as a datatypes.Vector struct.

package main

import (
	"context"
	"fmt"
	"log"

	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/filter"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/options"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/sort"
)

func main() {
	// Get an existing table
	client := astra.NewClient(
		options.API().SetEnvironment(options.EnvironmentHCD),
	)

	database := client.Database(
		"API_ENDPOINT",
		options.API().
			SetUsernamePasswordTokenProvider(
				"USERNAME",
				"PASSWORD",
			).
			SetKeyspace("KEYSPACE_NAME"),
	)

	table := database.Table("TABLE_NAME")

	ctx := context.Background()

	// Find rows
	cursor := table.Find(
		filter.F{},
		options.TableFind().
			SetSort(sort.Table.Vector("summary_genres_vector", []float32{0.08, -0.62, 0.39})).
			SetIncludeSimilarity(true),
	)

	// Iterate over the found rows
	for cursor.Next(ctx) {
		var row astra.Row
		if err := cursor.Decode(&row); err != nil {
			log.Fatal(err)
		}
		fmt.Println(row.ToMap())
	}
}

Include only specific columns in the response

To specify which columns to include or exclude in the returned row, use a projection.

The following example demonstrates an inclusive projection.

package main

import (
	"context"
	"fmt"
	"log"

	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/filter"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/options"
)

func main() {
	// Get an existing table
	client := astra.NewClient(
		options.API().SetEnvironment(options.EnvironmentHCD),
	)

	database := client.Database(
		"API_ENDPOINT",
		options.API().
			SetUsernamePasswordTokenProvider(
				"USERNAME",
				"PASSWORD",
			).
			SetKeyspace("KEYSPACE_NAME"),
	)

	table := database.Table("TABLE_NAME")

	ctx := context.Background()

	// Find rows
	cursor := table.Find(
		filter.Lt("number_of_pages", 300),
		options.TableFind().
			SetProjection(map[string]any{
				"is_checked_out": true,
				"title":          true,
			}),
	)

	// Iterate over the found rows
	for cursor.Next(ctx) {
		var row astra.Row
		if err := cursor.Decode(&row); err != nil {
			log.Fatal(err)
		}
		fmt.Println(row.ToMap())
	}
}

Exclude specific columns from the response

To specify which columns to include or exclude in the returned row, use a projection.

The following example demonstrates an exclusive projection.

package main

import (
	"context"
	"fmt"
	"log"

	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/filter"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/options"
)

func main() {
	// Get an existing table
	client := astra.NewClient(
		options.API().SetEnvironment(options.EnvironmentHCD),
	)

	database := client.Database(
		"API_ENDPOINT",
		options.API().
			SetUsernamePasswordTokenProvider(
				"USERNAME",
				"PASSWORD",
			).
			SetKeyspace("KEYSPACE_NAME"),
	)

	table := database.Table("TABLE_NAME")

	ctx := context.Background()

	// Find rows
	cursor := table.Find(
		filter.Lt("number_of_pages", 300),
		options.TableFind().
			SetProjection(map[string]any{
				"is_checked_out": false,
				"title":          false,
			}),
	)

	// Iterate over the found rows
	for cursor.Next(ctx) {
		var row astra.Row
		if err := cursor.Decode(&row); err != nil {
			log.Fatal(err)
		}
		fmt.Println(row.ToMap())
	}
}

Limit the number of rows returned

Specify a limit to only fetch up to a certain number of rows.

package main

import (
	"context"
	"fmt"
	"log"

	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/filter"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/options"
)

func main() {
	// Get an existing table
	client := astra.NewClient(
		options.API().SetEnvironment(options.EnvironmentHCD),
	)

	database := client.Database(
		"API_ENDPOINT",
		options.API().
			SetUsernamePasswordTokenProvider(
				"USERNAME",
				"PASSWORD",
			).
			SetKeyspace("KEYSPACE_NAME"),
	)

	table := database.Table("TABLE_NAME")

	ctx := context.Background()

	// Find rows
	cursor := table.Find(
		filter.And(
			filter.Eq("is_checked_out", false),
			filter.Lt("number_of_pages", 300),
		),
		options.TableFind().
			SetLimit(3),
	)

	// Iterate over the found rows
	for cursor.Next(ctx) {
		var row astra.Row
		if err := cursor.Decode(&row); err != nil {
			log.Fatal(err)
		}
		fmt.Println(row.ToMap())
	}
}

Skip rows

You can specify a number of rows to skip (bypass) before returning rows.

You can only do this if your find explicitly includes an ascending or descending sort criterion. You cannot do this in conjunction with vector search.

package main

import (
	"context"
	"fmt"
	"log"

	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/filter"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/options"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/sort"
)

func main() {
	// Get an existing table
	client := astra.NewClient(
		options.API().SetEnvironment(options.EnvironmentHCD),
	)

	database := client.Database(
		"API_ENDPOINT",
		options.API().
			SetUsernamePasswordTokenProvider(
				"USERNAME",
				"PASSWORD",
			).
			SetKeyspace("KEYSPACE_NAME"),
	)

	table := database.Table("TABLE_NAME")

	ctx := context.Background()

	// Find rows
	cursor := table.Find(
		filter.Eq("is_checked_out", false),
		options.TableFind().
			SetSort(sort.Asc("rating").Desc("title")).
			SetSkip(5),
	)

	// Iterate over the found rows
	for cursor.Next(ctx) {
		var row astra.Row
		if err := cursor.Decode(&row); err != nil {
			log.Fatal(err)
		}
		fmt.Println(row.ToMap())
	}
}

Use filter, sort, and projection together

package main

import (
	"context"
	"fmt"
	"log"

	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/filter"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/options"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/sort"
)

func main() {
	// Get an existing table
	client := astra.NewClient(
		options.API().SetEnvironment(options.EnvironmentHCD),
	)

	database := client.Database(
		"API_ENDPOINT",
		options.API().
			SetUsernamePasswordTokenProvider(
				"USERNAME",
				"PASSWORD",
			).
			SetKeyspace("KEYSPACE_NAME"),
	)

	table := database.Table("TABLE_NAME")

	ctx := context.Background()

	// Find rows
	cursor := table.Find(
		filter.And(
			filter.Eq("is_checked_out", false),
			filter.Lt("number_of_pages", 300),
		),
		options.TableFind().
			SetSort(sort.Asc("rating").Desc("title")).
			SetProjection(map[string]any{
				"is_checked_out": true,
				"title":          true,
			}),
	)

	// Iterate over the found rows
	for cursor.Next(ctx) {
		var row astra.Row
		if err := cursor.Decode(&row); err != nil {
			log.Fatal(err)
		}
		fmt.Println(row.ToMap())
	}
}

Iterate over found rows

Use a for loop and the Next() method on the cursor to iterate over the found rows. The Data API returns results in pages. The TableFindCursor result handles the paging internally.

Alternatively, you can use the SetInitialPageState() method to fetch a specific page of results. This is useful for cases where an external action triggers fetching the next page of results. For example, you might use this feature if you implement a "Load More" button or an infinite scroll interface.

If you need a list of all results, call All(). However, the time and memory required for this operation depend on the number of results. This is not recommended when you expect a large number of roes.

Example using for and Next():

package main

import (
	"context"
	"fmt"
	"log"

	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/filter"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/options"
)

func main() {
	// Get an existing table
	client := astra.NewClient(
		options.API().SetEnvironment(options.EnvironmentHCD),
	)

	database := client.Database(
		"API_ENDPOINT",
		options.API().
			SetUsernamePasswordTokenProvider(
				"USERNAME",
				"PASSWORD",
			).
			SetKeyspace("KEYSPACE_NAME"),
	)

	table := database.Table("TABLE_NAME")

	ctx := context.Background()

	// Find rows
	cursor := table.Find(
		filter.And(
			filter.Eq("is_checked_out", false),
			filter.Lt("number_of_pages", 300),
		),
	)

	// Iterate over the found rows
	for cursor.Next(ctx) {
		var row astra.Row
		if err := cursor.Decode(&row); err != nil {
			log.Fatal(err)
		}
		fmt.Println(row.ToMap())
	}
}

Example using SetInitialPageState():

package main

import (
	"context"
	"fmt"
	"log"

	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/filter"
	"github.com/datastax/astra-db-go/v2/astra/options"
)

func main() {
	// Get an existing table
	client := astra.NewClient(
		options.API().SetEnvironment(options.EnvironmentHCD),
	)

	database := client.Database(
		"API_ENDPOINT",
		options.API().
			SetUsernamePasswordTokenProvider(
				"USERNAME",
				"PASSWORD",
			).
			SetKeyspace("KEYSPACE_NAME"),
	)

	table := database.Table("TABLE_NAME")

	ctx := context.Background()

	// Create the filter
	filterClause := filter.And(
		filter.Eq("is_checked_out", false),
		filter.Lt("number_of_pages", 300),
	)

	// Get the first page
	cursor1 := table.Find(
		filterClause,
	)

	cursor1.Next(ctx)

	var results1 []astra.Row
	if err := cursor1.DecodeBuffered(&results1, 0); err != nil {
		log.Fatal(err)
	}
	for _, row := range results1 {
		fmt.Println(row.ToMap())
	}

	if err := cursor1.Err(); err != nil {
		log.Fatal(err)
	}

	paginationState1 := cursor1.NextPageState()

	// Get the next page
	if paginationState1 != nil {
		cursor2 := table.Find(
			filterClause,
			options.TableFind().
				SetInitialPageState(*paginationState1),
		)

		cursor2.Next(ctx)

		var results2 []astra.Row
		if err := cursor2.DecodeBuffered(&results2, 0); err != nil {
			log.Fatal(err)
		}
		for _, row := range results2 {
			fmt.Println(row.ToMap())
		}

		if err := cursor2.Err(); err != nil {
			log.Fatal(err)
		}

		paginationState2 := cursor2.NextPageState()
		_ = paginationState2 // Can be used for further pagination
	}
}

Client reference

For more information, see the client reference.

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