# Django admin list does Count query twice **URL:** \ **Category:** Django Internals\ **Created:** [May 23, 2023, 11:41am UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/django-admin-list-does-count-query-twice/21100 "2023-05-23T11:41:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alexgmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@alexgmin](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/alexgmin)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 11:41am UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/django-admin-list-does-count-query-twice/21100/1 "2023-05-23T11:41:45Z")
I didn’t want to create a bug directly, since I’m not sure if I’m missing something before reporting it. With the admin setting show\_full\_result\_count enabled, if you go to a list. Django does the count(\*) query twice, both in ChangeList.get\_results() This is the relevant code, I added some extra comments. ```auto # Get the number of objects, with admin filters applied. result_count = paginator.count # First count() query # Get the total number of objects, with no admin filters applied. if self.model_admin.show_full_result_count: full_result_count = self.root_queryset.count() # Second count() query else: full_result_count = None ``` If there are filters applied to the list, there’s need for both count queries, but if there are not, there’s no need to do the count() again. So this should avoid the second query if there are no filters. (Not tested) ```auto # Get the number of objects, with admin filters applied. result_count = paginator.count # Get the total number of objects, with no admin filters applied. if self.model_admin.show_full_result_count: if self.has_active_filters: full_result_count = self.root_queryset.count() else: full_result_count = result_count else: full_result_count = None ``` I’ll be happy to do a pull request, but before wasting the maintainers time with this I wanted to see if someone else could confirm my understanding. ---
**Author:** ![shangxiao](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/shangxiao/32/10313_2.png) [@shangxiao](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/shangxiao)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 1:07pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/django-admin-list-does-count-query-twice/21100/2 "2023-05-23T13:07:38Z")
Hmm, I’d be inclined to +1 this because a full table count could be costly 🤔 btw you could flatten the if/else nesting to this: ```auto if not self.model_admin.show_full_result_count: full_result_count = None elif self.has_active_filters: full_result_count = self.root_queryset.count() else: full_result_count = result_count ``` ---
**Author:** ![shangxiao](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/shangxiao/32/10313_2.png) [@shangxiao](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/shangxiao)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 1:09pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/django-admin-list-does-count-query-twice/21100/3 "2023-05-23T13:09:49Z")
ps this is in the Mentorship sub-category, it’s possible folks interested in having a say aren’t watching here ---
**Author:** ![nessita](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/nessita/32/12194_2.png) [@nessita](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/nessita)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 2:30pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/django-admin-list-does-count-query-twice/21100/4 "2023-05-23T14:30:12Z")
I have also faced this in the past when debugging queries with django-debug-toolbar. I was puzzled for a while trying to understand why DDT would report a repeated COUNT(\*) query to be performed twice, until I realized it had to do when filters were (or were not) used. I’m +1 to having this improved! ---
**Author:** ![alexgmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@alexgmin](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/alexgmin)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2023, 4:25pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/django-admin-list-does-count-query-twice/21100/5 "2023-05-23T16:25:56Z")
Thanks for the responses, I have created an issue in the bug tracker and a pull request, hoping I did everything right as a first contributor. ---
**Author:** ![alexgmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@alexgmin](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/alexgmin)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2023, 10:26pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/django-admin-list-does-count-query-twice/21100/6 "2023-11-10T22:26:43Z")
I’m going back on this issue, and based on this helpful comment posted on the PR > I guess we could compare `root_queryset.query.where` to `paginator`’s queryset where I think I managed to find a better solution: The relevant if/else is now this: ```auto if not self.model_admin.show_full_result_count: full_result_count = None elif ( self.has_active_filters or isinstance(self.root_queryset, Manager) or self.queryset.query.where ): # Get the total number of objects, with no admin filters applied. full_result_count = self.root_queryset.count() else: # If there are no filters, no need for an extra query. full_result_count = result_count ``` The reason for the `isinstance` check is because on this [test](https://github.com/django/django/blob/f7389c4b07ceeb036436e065898e411b247bca78/tests/admin_views/tests.py#L5163) the `root_queryset` is a custom Manager, which doesn’t have a `query` property, so in that case I’m assuming we need to redo the count. I don’t have the enough knowledge to know if that assumption makes sense. I also don’t really know if it would be better to compare the `root_queryset.query.where` to the `queryset.query.where` rather than a boolean check on the `queryset.query.where` Two other tests needed adjustment to adapt to the new query count. I’ve ran the entire suite in my local and everything seems to w Now, since the [original bug](https://code.djangoproject.com/ticket/34593) was closed as a wontfix, I don’t really know what’s the process to follow. Do I file a new bug or should the existing one be reopened? ---
**Author:** ![ppolewicz](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/ppolewicz/32/17067_2.png) [@ppolewicz](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/ppolewicz)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 10:44pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/django-admin-list-does-count-query-twice/21100/7 "2023-11-13T22:44:13Z")
It looks like the original ticket “#34593 extra query in admin list if there are no filters.” was closed because the PR accidentally returned a (potentially too high) cached value if there _are_ filters. The PR should have been closed (or adjusted), but the original bug remains - the extra query is still performed, it’s just that the PR with the fix must not trigger when filters are in use, even if (as it was the case in bug [#22810](https://code.djangoproject.com/ticket/22810)) the filter performs some filtering “by default” (with no query params). I believe the original bug should be reopened unless someone is sure that no such optimization can ever be written. @alexgmin shouldn’t cache still be used if filters are active but the queryset remains the same? Is that even possible? I’m not sure what the meaing of `has_active_filters` is, do you know? Is this the filter just being there or is it doing something? ---
**Author:** ![alexgmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@alexgmin](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/alexgmin)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 8:26am UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/django-admin-list-does-count-query-twice/21100/8 "2023-11-14T08:26:37Z")
> [@ppolewicz](#): > > @alexgmin shouldn’t cache still be used if filters are active but the queryset remains the same? Is that even possible? I’m not sure what the meaing of `has_active_filters` is, do you know? Is this the filter just being there or is it doing something? `has_active_filters` is the check on whether there is an active admin filter or search, but only the ones that are directly provided by the admin. If admin filters are active, you need two counts, since this happens: `SELECT COUNT(*) AS "__count" FROM "users_user" WHERE "users_user"."is_staff"` `SELECT COUNT(*) AS "__count" FROM "users_user"` And the admin shows both counts 5 results (199 total) (I get a 422 generic error uploading images so I had to put it as text) ---
**Author:** ![ppolewicz](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/ppolewicz/32/17067_2.png) [@ppolewicz](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/ppolewicz)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2023, 2:02am UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/django-admin-list-does-count-query-twice/21100/9 "2023-11-16T02:02:31Z")
ok but [bug #22810](https://code.djangoproject.com/ticket/22810) was triggered when a custom admin filter class performed filtering in it’s default configuration (with no parameters). Does `has_active_filters` catch this case? ---
**Author:** ![alexgmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@alexgmin](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/alexgmin)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 9:11am UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/django-admin-list-does-count-query-twice/21100/10 "2023-11-18T09:11:27Z")
It doesn’t, thats why there are multiple conditions in the second conditional. ---
**Author:** ![alexgmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@alexgmin](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/alexgmin)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2023, 12:27pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/django-admin-list-does-count-query-twice/21100/11 "2023-11-23T12:27:13Z")
Sorry to bump this up, but if no one can guide me on this I’ll just reopen the bug and do a new PR in a few days.