PartiQL

PartiQL is DynamoDB's SQL-compatible query language. Switch any table tab to PartiQL mode (⌘⇧M) to write SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE statements directly instead of clicking filter pills.

Completion stays within the current table: the editor suggests its indexed fields and values, plus a $table placeholder. It does not offer a table picker. See Table stats for how the local index is built.

Switching a tab into PartiQL mode auto-runs the default SELECT * FROM "table" — the direct equivalent of opening the table in the visual view. Once you edit the statement, running it is up to you: press ⌘↩ to execute. Results stream in, and Load more fetches the next pages.

PartiQL uses the same query plan and cost preview as the Workbench.

SELECT * FROM "my-table" WHERE pk = 'USER#42' AND begins_with(sk, 'ORDER#')

The PartiQL editor with a SELECT statement, the templates menu, and streamed results below.

PartiQL is not SQL

DynamoDB's PartiQL is a deliberate subset. The editor lints your query as you type and flags constructs DynamoDB won't run. Some diagnostics include a one-click quick fix. The common gotchas:

IN uses brackets, not parentheses — WHERE id IN ['a', 'b'], not ('a', 'b'). Quick-fix rewrites it. The linter also warns when the list runs past DynamoDB's caps (50 values on a partition-key column, 100 on a non-key column) before the server would reject it.
No LIMIT clause — page size is a tab control, not SQL. Use Load more.
No JOIN, GROUP BY, HAVING, aggregates, subqueries, UNION, or CTEs. For those, open a Workbench tab — the linter points you there.
LIKE → function — LIKE '%foo%' becomes contains(col, 'foo'), 'foo%' becomes begins_with(col, 'foo'). Quick-fix offered.
IS NULL / IS NOT NULL → attribute_not_exists(col) / attribute_exists(col). Quick-fix offered (note the inverse mapping).
Single-quote string literals — 'value', not "value". Double quotes mean an identifier.

The format-help popover next to the Run button lists these inline whenever you need a reminder.

Templates & saved queries

The Queries menu drops ready-made statements into the editor, resolved against the active table's real keys and a sampled value — so a SELECT template arrives already referencing your partition key, not a placeholder. Tab through the highlighted holes to fill in the rest.

Keep a statement you'll reuse with the Save button — your saved queries live in the same menu alongside the templates, ready to run on any table. Workbench and PartiQL keep separate libraries, since they speak different query languages.

Write templates

INSERT / UPDATE / DELETE templates use synthetic DEMO-* keys on purpose, so running one straight away can't accidentally mutate a real row. They're designed to run in order — insert, then update, then delete the same demo item — and you edit the keys to target real data.

History

Every executed query is saved to per-mode history (separate from the Workbench's). Reopen the history menu to restore a previous statement into the editor — including failed runs, so you can fix and retry.